Out with the Old (Harry/Ginny/Luna)-Part 2

[black_hat]

 

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling

Author notes: This is the final piece of the story.

Luna began to move, her posture bold once more. Actually, when Harry studied her now, he found her posture to be very…very innocent. He got the sense that she was treating this disaster as a great adventure. The darkness fled before the soft light in their wake.

“I’m not exactly sure where to go,” she admitted.

“Heh, don’t worry. He’ll help us out, I’m sure.”

Harry looked past the light and saw the wall coming before Luna did. Possibly a good thing since he almost dropped the sword. If Luna dropped her light, there would be no hope for them.

The dark, stone snakes glided over head, their mouths open. Luna gasped as their jaws closed upon a non-existent earth. Soon, stones were beneath their feet. Harry slid the sword up the sleeve of his robe, cradling the sharp point with the palm of his curled hand.

“This looks familiar,” he said dryly. “But much too showy, even for you.”

“Harry, what’s that up ahead?”

“Snake’s skin. The Basilisk’s skin, to be precise. God, he’s making it exactly the same, isn’t he?”

Luna stared at the decomposing skin awe. She knelt down and picked up a scale, admiring it. “I wish I could have seen it.”

“Er, no, you don’t. Moreover, you couldn’t have looked at it anyway. Wait—hurry! Move!”

“But-.” Luna seemed about to protest but he grabbed her free hand and pulled her along. Just in time. For the ceiling collapsed on itself, every stone falling in the exact same place.

“Bastard,” Harry hissed, despising the repetition. “Well, guess what, history’s going to repeat itself. I swear it.”

Luna remained solemn. “Harry, I have to make an apology. This is entirely my fault.”

“No. I’m beginning to think that this has been planned for eight years—or more. That’s the entrance up ahead. Like before, just me and him.”

“And me,” Luna said.

“Luna, there’s no phoenix this time around. There’s no…there’s no Dumbledore. I’m not sure what will happen.”

“Ginny said you were stupid sometimes,” Luna said, shrugging. “In a good way. But I’m still going with you. Ginny’s my friend too. And you won’t be helping me by leaving me here. I have…have things he could use against me too, you know. In my past. This place does bring that out in me as well. So I would like to be with the two of you. Actually, I need to be.”

Harry paused then nodded. Even now he could sense the shift and sense the child in the dark, making up rhymes in order to understand the world that had taken so much from her. He went to the chamber entrance and hissed slightly. The snakes moved aside and here he was again, in a place no one should have to go.

“Ginny,” Luna gasped. Of course, Harry thought darkly, the same position at the Salazar Slytherin’s feet. Luna stepped forward, but Harry held her back with his arm.

“She’s not dead-yet.”

“You took the words right out of my mouth, Harry.”

They looked in the shadowy corners of the chamber but saw nothing. Luna held up the light and gave him room.

“So,” Harry began, feeling the metal of the blade against his arm. “It’s been awhile, Tom.”

“Oh, not so very long,” the silky voice said. It seemed to slide out of every corner and weave around Harry, and he shuddered at the contact. “You know that you and little Ginny belong to me. In a way, you’re my unfinished business.”

“Funny, you weren’t saying that when you lost. Actually, the other pieces of your soul didn’t say that either. Hmmm…”

“Ah, you’re feeling bold. As if you have any comprehension of what is transpiring here.”

“Another bid for immortality,” Harry said. “You’re frightfully boring sometimes, you know.”

“Your actions speak differently, child. If I were so dull, why did you keep me alive all this time?”

Harry did not understand what Riddle meant. He turned to Luna, but she was staring at him, an expression of disbelief and horror etched across her face.

“What?” Harry asked, bewildered and afraid. “What is it?”

“It’s you. The voice—his voice is coming from you. But how? How is this possible?”

“Isn’t it obvious, girl?”

“No!” Harry shouted, not sure who was speaking. If he was talking in his mind or speaking, or if the voice was using his mouth. Possessing him again, except for the very vital fact that he didn’t sense Voldemort within his being.

“I’ve destroyed all your Horcruxes. I destroyed the diary! I killed you!”

“That you did, Harry, that you did. I think Dumbledore forgot to tell you something rather important. To simply to forget about me. He didn’t, did he? While my soul was destroyed and my vessel ruined, I was never truly gone. Not while I live in you.”

He froze. Something rang true about that sentence. Like with the Dursleys. They never truly left him.

“You clung to me, kept some piece of me alive and well, and so did little Miss Potter over there. And thanks to your friend, I have yet another chance to beat death. My memory alone will walk this earth. Ah, Lord Voldemort, perfectly preserved within the Boy-Who-Lived’s memory.”

“Show yourself. If you aren’t a coward, Riddle, you’ll face me.”

“That’s rather hard when I am you, you know. But just for old time’s sake.”

He appeared as if from a mirror. Tom Riddle, exactly how Harry had remembered him. Pale and dark-featured. Entrancing. And this form of Riddle seemed confident. Did it have a soul with in it, one piece or perhaps the whole of it restored by their collective memory? Did it matter here?

“As you can see, I’ve made everything exactly the same. With different result at the conclusion of this misadventure, of course, but I did try.”

He drew closers, his eyes tracing Harry’s features once more.

“I’ve brought a little something myself,” Harry said, and moved his arm quickly. The sword flashed and Harry gripped the hilt. He swung it over his head in a perfect arc and it met its target.

“Still playing with Dumbledore’s toys, are we?” Tom inquired, not at all perturbed by the sword embedded in the place where his heart should have been. Harry’s eyes widened. “It’s time to stop living in dreams, Harry…or rather, time to die in them.”

Harry then felt the cold stab of the sword in his shoulder. Somehow, he had struck himself. His nerves screamed as the pain made itself real for the first time and the sword continued to travel downward, guided by an invisible and vengeful hand.

“Quick, Harry, forget about the sword! Clear your mind!” Luna shouted.

It was hard to forget about something that was cutting into you, Harry discovered.

“Harry…” Ginny’s voice reached him. She was awake. The pain dissolved but the stinging remained behind.

“I don’t know if I am Harry,” he whispered, looking at his own blood on his hands. Ginny moved weakly.

“Well, that’s the point of this little exercise, isn’t it,” Ginny said, her face changing. Just behind her features, it seemed like Harry could see Riddle. “For an extension of me, you are embarrassingly slow.”

“Extension?” Luna inquired politely. “Excuse me, but I must have misheard you. It’s quite understandable that Harry’s tense, if that’s what you mean.”

Riddle laughed, and acknowledged her for the first time. “It doesn’t matter what you cal it. I’ve reasoned it out. Why they can’t let go of me. And who might you be, light-bearer?”

“My name is Luna Lovegood,” she answered. “And who are you?”

Harry thought that was a very stupid question, considering the circumstances.

“Who am I?” Riddle asked incredulously. “Who am I?

“No wonder Harry’s so befuddled at times. His daydream doesn’t even know its own name,” she mused.

“I’m Lord Voldemort, you little fool.”

“Harry, your imaginary friend is being terribly rude. And he’s a liar.”

“Well, on occasion,” Riddle answered, but Harry heard a twinge of panic under his tone. He had taken shape once more and now approached Luna. She stared up at him, his tall form overshadowing her. “I’ve also been known to tell the most terrible truths as well.”

“Me too,” she said politely. “But you’ve already lied about who you are, so I won’t trust you one wit. He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named is quite dead and in the past.”

“For the moment. That’s about to change. Haven’t you been paying attention?”

“Not really. You do tend to go on a bit,” Luna admitted. Harry saw that her hands were shaking and she was unreasonably pale, but Riddle missed her anxiety at his nearness.

Tom Riddle frowned, clearly confused by this unexpected response.

“Your two friends are going to die, and in the process, bring me back to life this time around. I, Lord Voldemort, shall return to the real world, whole and powerful. Understand now?”

“Who says this isn’t the real world?” Luna demanded, sounding offended. Riddle was thrown for a loop, and Harry was right there with him.

“Er, Luna, this isn’t-,” Ginny began weakly.

“Be quiet,” Riddle snapped at her then turned to Luna. “Don’t play games with me, girl. You know as well as I do that this world is based entirely on perception.”

“As is the real world,” Luna chirped, smiling up at the Dark Lord cheerfully.

“With those pesky things called laws and rules of existence.”

“Ah, there are rules here too, you know. Like, for instance, if Harry and Ginny were to forget about you completely, you would cease to exist. That’s a good rule, isn’t it?”

“It’s not that simple, dolt.”

“Explain, please.”

“I most certainly will not.”

“Then, if you will not go into detail, all is not lost,” Luna claimed. “That’s why there is still hope for them to trounce you properly.”

“What?!” Tom Riddle shouted, throwing his hands up in frustration. “That’s not why!”

“Is to,” Luna chirped.

“It isn’t,” Riddle hissed.

“Then explain yourself, bad sir,” Luna sang out, startling her verbal opponent. Riddle considered.

“If you insist. I’m far too deep within their hearts now. It is not a simple game of forget- me-not.”

“Or forgive and forget?” Luna inquired. He paused.

Harry lifted his head, listening closely.

“Forgiveness? You are an idiot, then,” Tom snarled.

“Ginny,” Harry whispered fiercely. “Ginny.”

“I heard,” she said quietly. Her face was deathly pale, but her strong dark eyes flashed. “You bet I did. What do you say, Harry? Can we put the past behind us? I don’t know if I can, really. I’ve hated him for so long.”

“I…I hated Snape more, I think,” Harry said, watching Riddle’s back. Soon, Luna would lose his attention. “I used to, anyway. But like you said, this makes sense.”

Ginny reached for his hand and took it soothingly. The pain was still there but it wasn’t quite so bad. “I’d forgive anyone for you. I don’t know if I’ll really mean it, though. In my heart.”

“What have we got to lose?” Harry asked. “We’ve tried everything else, haven’t we?”

Together, they stood. Riddle turned around quickly, his eyes narrowing. Ginny squeezed Harry’s hand tightly, as if both giving and gaining strength.

“You,” Harry said. “It was our hatred that kept you with us. I’m right, aren’t I?”

“…You are,” Tom said, softly. “And I’ve thrived on it. I see what you’re doing. Know that you can never stop hating me. Not after I do this.”

He seized Luna. Ginny cried out.

“Ah, there’s the reaction I was looking for. Your little light-bearer. What if I were to snap her neck? You know it would mean nothing to me, and everything to you.”

Luna stared at them, wide-eyed and afraid. “That’s all right. It is my fault, really” she whispered, sounding sincere but very sad.

Harry stood there, torn and feeling incredibly helpless. Riddle had them at an impasse.

“I-erm, have something to say,” Harry announced, and for a surreal moment, everyone in the room looked at him as if he had sprouted an extra head on his shoulders.

“It’s not Luna’s fault. It’s not Ginny’s fault. It’s mine. He’s my problem. Let’s make a deal, Tom.”

“You’re in no position to bargain. You have nothing that I want any more.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I was going to say…I was going to let you have my body. You can possess me. Think of it, the world would fall at your feet. And no one would be the wiser.”

“An interesting barter. I would have to remove your soul first. Yes, that would be. I would store it in a trinket for all eternity. A perfect end to your tale, Harry. You would never be at peace. You will suffer as I have.”

“Fair enough.”

“Harry, what are you saying?!”

“And what of these two?” Tom inquired, caressing Luna’s cheek with his finger. She flinched slightly. “They could propose a problem, no?”

“You take them with you. You get them out of here in one piece.”

“And I keep them for myself?” Tom raised an eyebrow, mocking him. To his surprise, Harry nodded again.

“Um, ex-,” Luna started to say.

“If you must. If that’s what keeps them alive. You can’t hurt them, that’s part of the deal. Not mentally, not physically. ”

Ginny looked well beyond the point of anger. “I’d rather die!” she screamed.

“It’s the only way I can protect you two,” Harry explained. “I love you. The both of you.”

Luna’s face whitened in shock. “Did you hear that?” she asked Riddle. “Did you hear what I heard?”

“If you’re referring to a most disappointing display of weakness, then yes.”

“So what’s your answer?” Harry demanded.

“No deal,” Riddle said. His smile was like a knife. “That was most entertaining, Harry, and I did so wonder how far you would go to save them. Alas, it was all for nothing.”

“Who’s speaking?” Ginny asked, the desperation clear in her face. “Did you hear something, Harry?”

“…Someone was speaking, Gin,” Harry proclaimed, having one last idea. “A Crumpled-Horned Snorkack.”

Luna gasped loudly. “Where?” she begged, and her tone convinced Riddle that they were all quite serious. And quite seriously mad.

“What are you going on about?” he demanded, his grip tightening on his captive.

“Of course, in the last place I would look, oh, that’s the first place I would find it!” Luna sang out in excitement, and Riddle looked as if he had discovered he had grabbed a Muggle time-bomb.

“I see it!” Ginny yelled, jumping up and down and pointing. “There, it is. There they are, a whole herd! They’re speckled and freckled and yet slightly bald.”

“They are not!” Luna yelled back, struggling against Riddle.

“Well, I see them too. They are slightly bald,” Harry confirmed. “Make that entirely bald.”

“No!” Luna protested. “They have hair. They go north for the winter. How could they be bald and go to the north pole?! Tell them,” she said, whirling on Riddle. “Tell them that Snorkacks have a fur coat! And a crumpled-horn!”

Tom Riddle sputtered in confusion. “What is this madness?!” he shouted. “Have I driven you all mad from fear?!”

“If I’m mad, then you’re mad! You’re in my head, after all,” Ginny pointed out.

“Too right you are,” Harry said. “This is group hypnosis. Or something. Perhaps we’re all mad and actually in this little tiny box. Didn’t they call you mad once, Tom?”

Riddle paled.

“How does one know if they are mad?” Luna mused thoughtfully.

“You don’t,” Harry said. “A crazy person wouldn’t know they were crazy. Tom knows all about that, though. He’s a real expert.”

“But then how does Tom know this is actually happening?” Ginny wondered. “We really could be extensions of him, technically. Just only in his head and all.”

“Well, it is quite possible,” Luna said, looking very disturbed. If they made it, Harry would explain all this to Luna later, but right now, he had to go with it.

“Yeah, really, you know,” Harry began, moving towards Riddle steadily. “You thought they were going to take you away once. What if they did? What if Dumbledore was just a delusion?”

“No,” Riddle said, his face contorting in rage. “I could perform magic. I could make people do everything I wanted them to do!”

“So you thought,” Ginny replied, but her eyes had a new look in them--one of great sorrow. “We can all trick ourselves sometimes.”

“That’s a lie. I know you inside out. I know every secret you’ve ever shared with me,” Riddle said.

“You would if you made me up, Tom.”

He froze, seeming unsure and suddenly very young. “I can always tell when I’m being lied to.”

“I could to, if I knew the lies ahead of time,” Harry argued. “After all, I’ve created a whole world. Maybe that’s what this little exercise is trying to tell you. We, your figments, are out of our bodies, but in this very real feeling world. Maybe that’s what you’ve done this with the Wizarding World. You can’t really exist without a soul, can you? Think about it.”

“I…that can’t be. It just can’t be.”

“You’re not sure, are you? Come on. You had to be so special that you actually made up an entire world to be special in. It’s time to wake up, Riddle. Go away. You’re not wanted here any longer.”

Tom’s figure shimmered for a moment and slowly faded away. His confusion and lost expression did not fade until the last.

“Oh my God,” Ginny whispered.

“I know,” Harry choked out. His insides twisted and he felt like a monster. Somehow, he had become the very thing he had fought against. “I know. We have to leave. Before he comes back.”

“He won’t,” Luna said, looking at the place where Riddle had disappeared. “I don’t think he would even if he could.”

“It’s over,” Ginny said, pushing her hair out of her eyes and seeming to slump, the energy supporting her fading away. “It’s finally over.”

The chamber dissolved into the plain stone of a familiar cave. Harry sat up, his hair sticking straight up in the air. He had never been happier to be covered in dirt.

“Is everyone all right?”

“Yes,” Luna answered breathlessly. “That was the most fascinating dream I have ever had.”

“Really?” Ginny asked, rubbing her neck.

“Until tonight,” Luna said happily. “Did you remember to forgive and forget?”

“Forget what?” Harry asked, shaking his head.

“It will always hurt,” Ginny whispered. The sunlight streamed through the opening of the cave, illuminating her face and making her eyes shimmer slightly. “But—yeah. I think so.”

“…Yeah. But it does not do to dwell on dreams,” Harry recalled. “What are we going to do now? That’s what I want to know.”

“I suppose you two will be leaving soon,” Luna said. Ginny met Harry’s gaze and smiled.

“You know, we could always spare a few more days,” Harry said. He saw that Luna’s hand were twisting together, wringing the edge of her robes.

“You don’t have to stay, you know,” she muttered.

“We want to stay,” Ginny said and drew the startled girl into an embrace. Harry put his arms around them both.

He had a feeling his life was about to change. But this time, there were no ghosts haunting them.

This time, it was a change for the better.

&&&

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