100Author's notes: I'm back! I am so, so, so, so incredibly sorry for the delay. Honestly, I really tried to hurry, but what with everything that's been happening…don't hurt me, please!
Upon checking the stats page I found that I have 2350 reads and counting! I'm really honored that so many people are taking the time to at least open my fic, and hopefully read it. Thanks so much!
I will apologize in advance for any gaps in this chapter. It's proved itself to be incredibly difficult to write—in fact, the hardest piece of fanfic I've ever done.
So, without further ado…
Chapter 12 - My Immortal Angel
Ginny sat up straight in bed, eyes wide. She relaxed slightly as she looked about her familiar room, bathed in moonlight. Slumping back onto her pillows, she tried to forget the dreams that had dogged her sleep patterns: terrible visions of figures clad in dark robes…Harry tied to a gravestone…a high-pitched laugh, a flash of light…
Yet sleep would not overcome her. She tossed and turned for some time before giving up on sleep entirely and walking to the window, staring outside at the mist that had descended upon them in the night …
When the sun finally began to peek out over the foggy horizon, Ginny rubbed her shadowed eyes and yawned. She showered and dressed silently, and was halfway out the back door when a noise behind her roused her from her bubble.
"Ginny dear?"
Ginny jumped, startled, and turned to find her mother standing in the kitchen doorway, wearing a frayed robe and looking concerned.
"What's the matter?" her mother asked. Ginny sighed; she didn't feel like talking to anybody right now, and settled for the typical teenage response.
"Nothing."
Mrs. Weasley made a disbelieving cluck. "It's not nothing. You are my only daughter, and sometimes I can read you like a book, dear."
Ginny let another sigh escape her. "You're right, Mum…it's not nothing, but I don't want to talk about it right now." She turned away, and suddenly felt a surge of inexplicable rage well up inside her…
"I just wish…I just wish I could've gone, too!" Ginny cried, spinning round suddenly and catching her mother off guard. "I wish Harry and Ron and you and everybody weren't so protective of me! They've been gone almost a year, and every day I wish I could be there with them! I want to fight!"
Mrs. Weasley looked shocked as Ginny's words registered with her. "Oh, Ginny…""I'm not a weak little girl anymore, Mum," Ginny spat.
Molly's eyes filled with tears. "I-I never knew you felt that way…why couldn't you have told me before?"
"Because Harry didn't want me there, either," Ginny said, softening a little. "Harry thinks that Voldemort—" Ginny ignored Mrs. Weasley's gasp and continued firmly, "I'm not afraid to say it, anymore…Voldemort could use me as bait. If he—if he found out about…us…but I want to go! I would rather die fighting than live while Harry…if Harry died…and Ron and Hermione…"
Ginny paused to collect herself, then went on. "I have as much to fight for as anybody, Mum…why can't I fight for it?" Tears were prickling in her own eyes now.
Mrs. Weasley looked down, unsure of what to say.
"You're holding me back, Mum," Ginny said desperately.
"I don't want to lose you," Mrs. Weasley whispered. Ginny's brow, formerly narrowed in frustration, unknitted slightly as Mrs. Weasley, a single tear running down her weary cheek, hurried to her only daughter and enveloped her in a hug. Ginny, despite all her anger, could not be angry at her mother and hugged her back.
"I'm already afraid…Ron…Harry…Hermione…" Molly was speaking over Ginny's shoulder. "I don't want to lose you," she repeated. Ginny pulled away sharply.
"Mum, I know you're scared…but you've got to let me do things on my own. I can't live in your shadow forever. I know I'll always be your little girl, but I need freedom. I need to make my own decisions."
Mrs. Weasley nodded, gulping. Ginny looked her mother in the eye.
"Will you let me go?"
Ron and Harry crashed through the underbrush. The moon hung overhead like a ghostly Galleon, illuminating their faces in harsh shadows with its weak rays streaming through the branches of the close-together trees. The dark night sky was pierced with wispy little clouds. Off in the distance an owl hooted.
Suddenly Harry made up his mind and stopped running. Ron, who had been at his heels, halted sharply behind him.
"What is it?" Ron asked. Harry sighed and faced his friend.
"Look, mate…I'm sorry I didn't believe you earlier…I should have known that you know Hermione better than anybody."
Ron shrugged. "It's okay. All that matters now is getting to Hermione." He paled. "I just hope…I just hope we're not too late…"
"We won't be," Harry said firmly, even though his voice wobbled a little. "Hermione's strong."
"If he's hurt her…" Ron's voice trailed off in mutters as he drew his wand out of his robes, clutching it tightly. For a fleeting second, Harry regarded Ron's angry, hard features, then watched them soften and sag as they were replaced with a sad, almost desperate look.
"She's…she's everything to me, Harry," Ron said brokenly. "If we lose her…what will I do?"
Harry contemplated Ron's words, then wondered what he would do were it Ginny in Hermione's place. He shuddered slightly, and gripped his wand tighter.
"C'mon," he said, turning away. "The sooner we get there, the sooner…"
But he did not complete his sentence, and the two proceeded in silence, leaving Ron's unanswered question to linger between them.
"The Mudblood is trying my patience." Voldemort addressed the circle of Death Eaters, gesturing to Hermione, who was now finding it difficult to remain standing at all. Her knees and palms were bleeding from the scrapes she had received falling on the ground repetitively, and her head was throbbing painfully, but she would not give Voldemort the satisfaction of seeing her cower on the ground, nor the information he wanted.
The Death Eaters cackled in unison, tightening the ring around Hermione and causing her to cringe. Suddenly, one of their number yelled and stiffened, toppling to the ground like a rigid statue. The other hooded figures whirled around, and Voldemort hissed angrily.
"What is the matter with Alecto?" Voldemort asked silkily.
"Petrified!" growled another Death Eater. Hermione could just barely make out a tiny bit of red hair sticking out from behind a tent before it vanished, and then she understood. Taking advantage of her captor's averted attention, she began to edge away—but Snape noticed her and grabbed her by her long hair, throwing her to the ground. She skidded, splattering dirt all over herself and mixing it with blood on her hands and knees.
"Who is there?" Voldemort demanded. "Show yourself."
From behind the tent Harry and Ron jumped out, and immediately started throwing curses this way and that; Alecto, who had been released from the curse by who looked like her brother, Amycus, shot a spell at Harry, which he blocked…
Hermione watched the campsite exploded into chaos; ignoring the pain and weakness in her legs, she ran to the nearest tent, hoping to find her wand somewhere…
All of a sudden, she heard two voices outside of the tent; peeking out, she saw Amycus standing directly in front of her, blasting hex after hex at Ron; she instinctively grabbed Amycus' legs, and he toppled backwards; leaping out of the way, she watched Ron attempt to Disarm him. But Amycus seemed to have been ready for this; he dodged it and leapt over to Hermione, standing behind her and holding his wand to her throat. She shrieked, and Ron froze; she kicked back at him, and he doubled up, dropping his wand and squealing in pain. Ron screwed up his face in anger, and bellowed "SECTUMSEMPRA!"
Amycus gave a cry of pain as his robes ripped and blood spurted out. Hermione gasped audibly, but Ron pulled her aside, surveying her dirty, bloodstained face.
"What did they do to you?" he wanted to know anxiously. Hermione shook with fear as she remembered it.
"They—oh, Ron, they—"
But she never finished her sentence; she could see Snape behind them, and pulled Ron down just in time to dodge the curse he shot at them.
"No time to be lovebirds!" Snape taunted, a horrible grin on his face through the curtains of grease that was his hair. Hermione and Ron straightened, and Ron tried to Disarm Snape; he blocked it.
"Run, Hermione!" Ron yelled to her. "Go! Find your wand! Just run!"
Hermione obeyed, and ignoring the stabs of pain that shot through her, ran as fast as she could towards another tent. Just as she approached it, the sky erupted with a huge BOOM of thunder, and rain began to drizzle down. As it did this, Hermione made for the tent flap.
Suddenly, somebody Apparated right in front of her, and she collided with them. Stumbling back, she saw Lupin standing there, looking determined.
"Hermione!" he exclaimed. "Dumbledore said—you'd been captured—he told us, the Order, to come help—"
"Remus, I need to find my wand!" Hermione yelled desperately, not even sure why she was saying it. Remus nodded, and raised his own.
"Accio Hermione's wand!" he proclaimed. Seconds later, her wand came flying through the air towards her. After she managed to catch it, she had barely enough time to thank Remus hastily before he was thrown into combat with a tall, thin Death Eater. She glanced around; there was Tonks, her normally bright pink hair that was now a depressing shade of black and very long flying in front of her face as she fought Alecto; Mad-Eye Moody was fighting, too, and several other members of the Order; then she saw Neville and Luna appear. Her heart swelled in pride as she watched her friends throw themselves into battle, before charging through the heavy sheets of rain and readying herself to fight for everything she'd ever wanted.
"CRUCIO!" Ron screamed. Snape didn't have time to duck, and fell to the ground, writhing. When he recovered, he raised his wand and muttered something. Ron attempted to block it, but suddenly felt himself being lifted in the air, landing with a painful thud several feet away. Snape dived for Ron's wand, which was embedded in the wet mud several feet away, but Kingsley Shacklebolt picked it up, tossed it to a now-standing Ron and hurried off to block a curse from another Death Eater. Ron turned back to a furious and muddy Snape, and felt all the fury he'd ever felt towards the former Potions master boil and rise in his chest until it became a roaring feeling. He drew back his wand, and yelled, "SECTUM—"
He didn't finish; Snape yelled "Expelliarmus!" and Ron's wand flew from his hand again; he flung himself on the ground and retrieved it. By the time he'd rolled over, he found Snape standing over him, pointing his wand at Ron's chest. Ron scrambled to his feet before Snape could do anything, feeling the rain drench him once more.
"You dare use my own spell against me?" Snape yelled, while a tent burst into flames behind them.
"You deserve everything you get!" Ron bellowed back, feeling his hatred for Snape swell even more (if possible) under the man's slimy smirk.
Then, without thinking about it, without knowing what he was doing, he waved his wand wildly and yelled, "AVADA KEDAVRA!"
There was a moment of indescribable silence, and then…
The spell hit Snape squarely in the chest: face frozen in a mixture of disbelief and a twisted smile, he was blasted off his feet and crashed down into the thick, rain-washed mud. Ron stared at the man's crumpled body in disbelief. Had he really killed him? There was no time to think about things now, though…hexes were flying, tents were blazing to the ground despite the cold, unrelenting rain and filling the already darkened sky with black smoke, and his friends needed him. He charged back into the heat of the fight, ready to defend everybody at all costs.
"COWARD!" Harry bellowed after the retreating Lucius Malfoy. He sped off to follow him—but suddenly, his foot caught on something limp and he fell forwards. Spitting mud out of his mouth and staggering quickly to his feet, he stole a glance back to see what he had tripped over. He could just barely see, by squinting through his muddy, rain-washed glasses, Snape's lifeless form, sprawled in the dirt. His eyes widened, but he did not have time to contemplate anything. He turned back around and made to rush after Lucius…
…and ran straight into Ginny.
He stumbled back in surprise. She whirled around, red hair already splattered with rain, to see who had run into her.
"Harry!" she cried. Harry was shocked.
"Ginny!" he yelled back at her above the jeers and screams. "Why are you here? Why did you come?"
Ginny's face crumpled as she scanned his torn, wet and muddy clothes, then hardened again. "I'm fighting, too!" she exclaimed. Harry shook his head hastily.
"No—no…you can't…"
"Don't tell me that I can't fight!" she shrieked. "I have just as much right as you do! I want to fight for the people I love, too! Don't you dare send me away again, Harry, because I'm here and I'm not going anywhere! I'd rather die fighting than live without…"
She drew a breath and did not complete the sentence. Harry stared at her, seeing her eyes sparkle with tears and feeling his own prickling dangerously. He ran towards her, not thinking. She stood there resolutely, now almost thoroughly soaked, but clutching her wand, a driving expression on her face as tears mixed with rain on her cheeks. Harry had never really loved her more.
Harry nodded dumbly, while fighting the urge to take her in his arms; he was sure that nobody could hear them talking, and Voldemort might have somehow got wind of anything about them, but a scene like that would seal whatever beliefs Voldemort had, and would single Ginny out as a prime target.
Ginny was, apparently, thinking along the same lines; the expression on her face said it all. But they merely exchanged wishes of good luck and went their separate ways. Harry glanced back over his shoulder as she dove into battle. He couldn't tell himself that this had been unexpected; Ginny did have a fighting spirit…what had she said? I'd rather die fighting than live without… Harry was sure she was referring to him, Hermione and Ron. This was hard for him to argue: she did have the right to battle…
But if anything happened to her…what if she died, and he lived? Would he be able to cope with the loss, and move on?
Cope, yes…but you couldn't move on, a little voice inside his head whispered. Harry shook the thought away—it was too much to bear. It was too late to stop Ginny, and he couldn't protect her—he had to let her fight on her own. Somehow, he knew this—as if she had communicated with him telepathically. But would this be enough?
The battle was, clearly, coming to an end. The booming thunder had long since resounded for the last time, and the rain had ceased to fall. The few tents that were not charred and burnt were playing host to rapidly dying fires. The echoing shouts and yells had subsided considerably. But despite this, Ron felt more fear and worry boiling inside his chest than he had ever known possible. It was ending. It was all down to this, and nothing more, than decided their fate. Harry was engaged in a ferocious battle with Voldemort, and as Ron's eyes flew over the scene, he regretted ever feeling jealousy towards his friend. Though Harry did have lots of money and fame, Ron wouldn't give anything at all to be the Boy Who Lived.
He moved forward to send a blast in Alecto's direction, stumbled and fell. He sprawled in the mud and felt her presence, standing over him. Her cold laugh echoed in his ears. Ron knew she could kill him easily, but somehow he felt numb and deprived of all feeling. He couldn't think; all he could do was lie there on his side and wait for the blow.
Suddenly, another voice shrieked an indistinct spell and Ron saw, with the aid of peripheral vision, Alecto falling backwards. He was seized by the shoulders, yanked up into a sitting position, and shaken violently. When the world came back into focus, however, he could see Hermione kneeling next to him, eyes shining with tears. Ron felt a terrible rush of guilt—she had saved him from death when he had done nothing to prevent it. Indeed, her brown eyes narrowed in fury.
"What d'you think you were doing, exactly?" she questioned ferociously, but the effect was distorted by her wobbling voice and the fat teardrops rolling down her cheeks, promising a steady stream. "You could've…and you didn't do anything about it! What do—why—why don't you care? Don't you care what would happen if you died? Don't you care enough about Harry? Ginny? Me? How can you think that—"
"I'm sorry," Ron said quietly. "I-I don't know what…I didn't feel…I wasn't even—I wasn't there! I mean, I was, but I didn't…I felt sort of emotionless, numb…"
"I thought you cared!" Hermione gasped. "I thought you knew how much you mean to me! I don't think you do, do you?"
Ron didn't even have time to contemplate her words. "I killed Snape, Hermione!" he bellowed. "I killed him! He was…he was trying to kill you! He would've without even thinking about it! I couldn't stand it…I killed him!"
The last three words seemed to hit her one at a time; she swayed back and forth, and her eyes swam with a fresh wave. "Ron…I didn't…oh, I'm so, so sorry…"
"I'm the one who should be sorry," Ron said sadly. "How do you think I would feel…if he'd killed you…and the last thing I said to you was that…Hermione, I didn't mean what I said. I will never stop being there, unless you want me to. I just can't…I couldn't lose you. That's why I killed Snape…well, partially."
"I don't know if you heard me before," Hermione said, looking him in the eye, "but I asked you if you knew how much you mean to me. Do you? Do you know what kind of a state I would be in if you…if you died, or if you left, or…"
"Hermione," Ron said seriously, grabbing her hand from where it still rested on his shoulder. He was going to have to—it was now or never. "I-I have to tell you something."
But at that precise moment, a jet of light flew over their heads and both leapt to their feet immediately. Ron felt another jolt of terror as nearly everyone still standing froze to watch.
The scene seemed to move in slow motion; Harry raised his wand above his head, a driven expression marring his features, and brought it down, screaming, "AVADA KEDAVRA!" Green light exploded from the end of his wand, rocketed towards Voldemort, and somehow hit him squarely in the chest. He was flung backwards, landing with a terrible squelch in the mud. Harry's knees buckled and he fell, hands out in front of him. Kneeling, his breathing steadily slowed and relaxed, while Ginny ran to him and held him. The two remaining Death Eaters were rooted to the spot for a split second; then began to run, shooting hexes wildly behind them as they made for the forest. Hermione managed to block the first…
…but the second found its mark.
She collapsed beside Ron in a motionless heap. He followed Harry and Ginny's lead and got to his knees next to her, information crashing into his mind, invading, overflowing, penetrating. This couldn't be happening.
It was all over.
Author's notes: Deep breath—whew! There you have it. Finally. As I say, this chapter took the longest time to write and I still don't think it's up to snuff. Let me know!
Kamiangel: Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! I love reading your reviews! Hm…my computer wanted to correct your name as Commingle…that's strange.
Freakyfinger: I never can figure out your reviews! I hope I didn't upset you with Harry's reaction…
Troubled Tazzy: Good to know you're still there!
Hermron: It's great to see a new supporter! Thanks for your input.
Featherfinger: Why is it that everybody thought it was Draco? Actually, now that I think about it, that might have been a possible option…but I had Bellatrix in my mind from the start.
GryffindorRulez: Thanks for pointing that out.
Bunnyprincess: You have no idea how terribly sorry I am. You didn't deserve that, but unfortunately I was having a bad day and feeling very grumpy, and seeing another no-reviewer on the stats page just drove me over the edge. I really hope you can accept my apologies, and as soon as you post another chapter on that story I'll take back the last two reviews. Thanks so much for your nice comments. I hope you'll keep reading!
Cutehelenjames: I'm very glad you liked it…
Holly123: I feel a little overwhelmed…just kidding (I think)!
GoldenHeartsForever: Ditto.