Dear Ginny
Part 5, Moving On
By Chem Prof
It’s been suggested that Harry is sending Ginny mixed signals. I agree. He’s struggling with mixed feelings of his own and it comes out in the letters. But as time goes on he’s gradually figuring them out. Harry is not one to give up easily on a relationship. He didn’t know for sure that he and Cho were over until he heard she was going out with Michael Corner.
Part 5, Moving On
Letter 16
Friday, 1 August
Dear Ginny,
Thank you so much for the wand holder you sent for my birthday! I had no idea the twins were making things like this now. You’re right, it will be incredibly useful. Hermione says the charms that must have gone into making both it and the wand invisible are very advanced magic.
I’ve thought a lot about all the things you said in your letter. I appreciate your confidence in me. It is good to know that you believe in me, and you’re right that I sometimes doubt myself too much. It’s just that I’ve never been comfortable with the way the wizarding world looks at me. Remember how you acted when you first found out who I was? You were so excited to meet The Boy Who Lived that you couldn’t even talk coherently around me. Heck, you sometimes even ran out of the room. It wasn’t just you, of course. I got the same kind of hero treatment from the adult wizards I met. The first time I went into the Leaky Cauldron with Hagrid I was swarmed all over with everyone wanting to shake my hand.
It’s just gotten worse over the years. Hardly anyone has made any attempt to know the real me, instead of what they read in the paper or in the history books. Even some of my friends were that way from time to time. Fifth year especially was difficult, when everyone was acting like I was a nutter for saying ‘You Know Who’ was back. And that’s another thing. It really gets me that almost no one in the wizarding world can say his name. Even your whole family is still that way. It’s been so refreshing here at the Grangers’ that we can all say the name Voldemort in conversation.
But back to what I was saying. The kids at Hogwarts, including Ron for a while during fourth year, have a hard time distinguishing the real me from the image of the Hero of the Wizarding World that they learned about growing up. All except Hermione that is. She’s always seen me as just her friend Harry (who she has to consistently keep after to do his homework). So it makes me a little uneasy when you say things like ‘you always wanted to be with me’ or ‘you waited for years for me to notice you’ or ‘you never gave up on me’. At what point during that time did I stop being ‘The Boy Who Lived’ from the stories your mum told you when you were little and start being Harry? When did I change from the knight in shining armor who saved you from the Chamber to a real flesh and blood person that you like in spite of all my moodiness?
That’s one of the reasons I’ve been so comfortable living with the Grangers for the past month, and why I’m so reluctant to leave. It’s just been so normal. They treat me like a good friend of their daughter’s – nothing more, nothing less. But it’s time to move on. I think I’ve imposed on them long enough, although they would never agree with that. Today we move into another house. It’s out in the country so it will be a lot easier for us to practice spells. And we’re going to start learning some dangerous ones. Like I said before, most owls won’t be able to find us, so mail will be difficult, but Hedwig will still be available. Pigwidgeon too, if Ron joins us. That reminds me, please make sure Ron reads the letter that’s enclosed for him. Put him in a body bind and read it to him if you have to. In case you’re wondering why it’s so long, Hermione wrote it. (That’s the girl who always has trouble keeping her homework assignments short enough, while the rest of us are trying to figure out how we’re ever going to fill the whole scroll.) But we’re really hoping that he will come back and join us. We really need him with us here on this ‘project’.
The last thing I want to be sure to tell you is that we’ve decided for certain that we’re not going back to Hogwarts in the fall. We just have too much to do. I know McGonagall will be disappointed, as well as some of the other students (I know, you especially). I’m sorry, but that’s just the way it has to be. I’m sure that Padma and Ernie will do a fine job as Head Girl and Head Boy.
Take care Ginny and have a good year at school.
Harry
-oooOOOooo-
Letter 17
Monday, 11 August
Dear Ginny,
Happy birthday! You may have noticed that there’s no gift with this letter, but that’s because your present is waiting for you to pick up at Quality Quidditch Supplies. I just figured that the best quidditch player at Hogwarts ought to have the fastest broom at Hogwarts. Don’t you dare try to turn it down. You’ve earned it. And congratulations on being named Gryffindor quidditch captain this year. You deserve it and I know you’ll do a good job. (Probably a lot better job than the last Gryffindor captain did – hopefully you’ll at least manage to play in all the games this year.) Have you decided whether you’re going to be a chaser or seeker yet? You’re great at both. Ron and I are counting on you to find some good replacements for us and Katie, and we expect to see that Quidditch Cup stay in Gryffindor’s hands for at least two more years.
I’m not ignoring the question you asked in your last letter. I just thought I’d get the other stuff out of the way first. Yes, I think you should go ahead and date other guys this year. I just want you to be happy and I know you’re not happy with the situation that’s developed between us. But I want you to know that I enjoyed every minute that I was with you and I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. For at least a few weeks last year it was nice to be able to feel like a normal person. You did that for me and I thank you for it, even if it didn’t work out. Deep down I realized that my life was never going to be normal, and once Dumbledore was gone – well, we both knew what I would have to do.
Please don’t feel at all guilty about wanting to date someone else. You’re a great girl and you deserve whatever happiness you can find. I really hope that we can stay good friends. Even if we can’t be together I still consider you one of my best and most loyal friends. I’ll never forget everything you did for me.
I also need to be honest with you and tell you that Hermione and I have become much closer in the last month. I don’t know if it will turn into a romantic relationship or not. With everything else that’s going on in my life we’re being very cautious about this. While we both acknowledge that there are strong feelings between us we aren’t going to push it. We both need each other too much to risk what happened between her and Ron. Plus there isn’t really any time for something like dating and to be honest, having finally got Ron back in our lives we don’t want to alienate him by going off for private time by ourselves.
Happy birthday again. Hope you have a great year.
Harry
-oooOOOooo-
Letter 18
31 October
Dear Ginny,
Where does the time go? We have been so caught up in everything we’re doing it’s hard to believe it’s Halloween already. Did anything special happen at Hogwarts this year? It seems like so many major events have occurred in my life on this day that I’m always on edge wondering what’s going to happen this time.
I’m sorry to hear that things didn’t work out between you and Seamus. (Ron told us – he heard about it from your mum.) It occurs to me that now Neville is the only Gryffindor guy in my year that you haven’t dated yet. Is he going to be next? Actually, I was kidding just then but in fact, Neville continues to impress me more every year. He’s one of the nicest and most loyal guys I’ve ever met, and I think he’s turning into a pretty good wizard. I’ve heard that he and you are doing a great job leading the DA. I think that was a good idea, by the way, starting it up again. After everything we’ve learned the past several months, I now realize that Hogwarts students really need improvement in their defense skills.
We have been doing very heavy training with Moody and with Dumbledore’s brother, Aberforth. Did you know he was the barman at the Hog’s Head? We only saw him that one time when we had the organizational meeting of the DA, and I didn’t make the connection then. I only realized it when he introduced himself when he started training us. Believe it or not, he’s even barmier than Professor Dumbledore was.
Here’s something that I’m sure won’t surprise you a bit. Hermione’s making us study the material we would have covered during seventh year so we can take our NEWT’s. Ron and I are doing Charms, Transfiguration, and of course Defense Against the Dark Arts. I’m also going to try for a NEWT in Potions. Ron’s not sure about that one. Hermione’s also trying to finish up in Arithmency and Ancient Runes. She’s even got me studying Arithmency with her. I think I’m almost up to OWL level, but I doubt if I’ll be ready for a NEWT in that subject. Ron and I are getting her back by making her come out flying with us every day.
I should also mention that Ron’s finally gotten used to the idea that Hermione and I are together. Yeah, we’re together now. We aren’t making a big deal about it but – it’s hard to explain but we just sort of came together. It was like we gradually grew closer to each other and eventually we just knew. Kind of that we realized that everything we’ve been through for six years has been inevitably leading to this and it was always meant to be. We understand each other so well it’s scary sometimes, the way we each know what the other’s thinking. Ron gives us a hard time about being able to communicate without talking. Oh yeah, by the way, today is the sixth anniversary of the day Ron and I became friends with Hermione so we had a little celebration.
-- later --
Okay, remember what I said about things happening to me on Halloween? Well, add another one. While I was in the middle of writing this letter we got called out on another mission. This one was especially significant because it finishes our preliminary project. Remember that snake that bit your dad? Well, it’s dead now.
Now that all that’s done with, we can finally start making preparations for going after Voldemort. I’m afraid that now things are really going to get serious. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to tell you anything more until it’s over. Like Moody keeps telling us, secrecy is absolutely essential. (Constant Vigilance!)
I don’t think there’s anything more to say now. I just hope this ends soon.
Harry
-xox-XOX-XOX-xox-
Not much more to go now. Only a few more letters.
Have you guys been keeping count? Did you realize that this was the last horcrux?