Weapon

Real life has been a pain. It is taking extreme delight in hounding me with things to do, but I can see light at the end of the tunnel... just not quite yet and I’m hoping someone isn’t going to collapse the tunnel. Sleep was the first thing sacrificed, then yeah... let’s not go there.

Suffice to say thank you to everyone who reviewed, you are the greatest.

Enjoy this chapter.

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Weapon (Possession Chapter LXXXIV)
Chapter XXXIII – Just Before You Wake
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Narcissa awoke with a start, breathing hard. She gasped and laid one hand on her chest to try to calm her shuddering heart. She could remember her dream clearly and it worried her. A glass of water appeared beside her and she drank gently and the water soothed her nerves somewhat.

She had been awoken by a nightmare and looked out at the thin light. The manor felt wrong without her husband but she had to continue. Draco needed her so she had to continue. Her dream though, her dream was disturbing.

It had begun well. She had been watching as Draco had gathered the support of those who had stood with his Father against the Dark Lord. She had watched, happily as some of the Dark Lord\'s followers had turned against him, swearing their allegiance to her son. She knew that not all of the followers would come to her son\'s call but even some would be enough. She had caught the impression of wings and knew that it was their tenshi heritage that meant this could be.

There had been a worrying bit then, a shift in the ranks as their forces had considered what to do. Many had wanted to attack the Light, to show the Dark Lord their strength but do to that they would need the support of those who were forced to the loyalty of the Dark Lord and so the battle against the Light would have to wait until the Serpent had been destroyed. In the end all acceded to their wishes and the impression of wings had been pleased. It was only those with their power, their heritage who should rule, only those who had the right to decide these things.

Gathering themselves they had gone to challenge the Dark Lord

The battle had been long and fierce. She didn\'t mind that. The serpent wasn\'t going down without a fight but near the end, when Draco, as was his right was challenging the Serpent Lord, she had once more caught the sense of wings and had smiled. All was how it should be...

Until...

Narcissa gasped aloud at the memory.

Draco had the Dark Lord cornered! Her son! Against his might he had the Serpent Lord cornered as his human power could not stand against the might of their tenshi heritage and Draco was destined to rule. His power was such that it had to rule. The Serpent had been frustrated but every move that he had made was anticipated and Narcissa had felt a sense of building pride at her Son\'s actions. She had trained him well.

But then the Serpent had laughed, although rage had flashed through his eyes as their shouted conversation had continued, he was composed enough to harness his power... and such power.

It was then that she had felt a stab of uncertainty. Such power was not that of a Serpent... The Serpent Lord had gathered himself, and the darkness had moved around him, the shadows had supported him. She knew them though, and knew how to fight them but the searing light that Draco had created had not dispersed them and they continued to gather around the Serpent, caressing him, supporting him, obeying him...

She had stepped forward then because she had had no choice. Her son had fought well but he was still a child and against that power... She had matched the Serpent Lord, blow for blow they had fought and she knew this was how her husband had felt, how her husband had fought but the outcome was destined to be different this time because as much as she loved Lucius, it was the son he had gifted her with that was her life.

Each time she had thought she won though the Serpent Lord laughed and matched her power. She had pulled on Draco\'s ability then, and all their followers, pulling all the power she could access to attack the hated one.

The blow was incredible. It was almost a pure magic storm. When it passed she had expected to see nothing but charred bones and torn fabric.

He laughed!

He laughed at her, not a single fold of fabric on his robes out of place.

She hated the laugh the most and it was in hating that she almost didn\'t notice the pure black wings that were unfurled above him.

Tenshi.

The realisation had taken a moment to sink in and as the Serpent Lord raised his hand, pure power collecting there she could only stare, transfixed by the beauty of the wings. She couldn\'t see their owner. She didn\'t need to. It was a pure blood. It was a pure blood with pure intentions to have wings of that colour.

She couldn\'t fight that...

And then the power the Serpent Lord gathered had struck and she had awoken.

A tenshi...

Did her dream mean that the Serpent Lord was backed by a tenshi... that couldn\'t be the case though. Full blooded tenshi did not interfere with humans. Not like this... Or did it mean that he had the power to match a tenshi? With the fact that she couldn\'t identify the tenshi that was also a possibility.

She had always known that the entire battle would come down to who held the most sheer raw power but she had never thought that the Serpent Lord might. It wasn\'t possible for him, so many generations removed from a tenshi to match that power. It shouldn\'t be possible, when she and Draco could trace their generations on one hand. Their power should so far eclipse a mere mortals that the possibility that he should be able to match them was non existent...

Or did it mean that he had the skill and experience to match up with the power?

That was also a possibility. Power was one thing but skill was a lot. Draco had... or would have power but he had yet to acquire the skill and the experience that the Serpent Lord had. She would admit that. She\'d be a fool if she thought otherwise. Sometimes could only come through time and the Serpent Lord had lived far longer than his due. He had had that time.

Yes... that had to be it.

No pure blood tenshi would interfere so the wings behind him were only metaphorical.

There was no way he could hold the power to match her when she manifested her birth right fully but truly his power would seem that way to a normal wizard.

It had to be that he had the skill and experience and that even with all the power she could call, she had to be wary because wasting that power would mean she and her son would fail. Even with power, they had to tread carefully.

Narcissa took another sip of water before rising and moving to the window. The thin dawn light that had greeted her earlier was now brighter and she could see that the day was going to be clear. She knew though, now what had to be done. Draco\'s training would have to begin in earnest.

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Ginny looked up into the wane dawn light. She was exhausted but she couldn\'t sleep, not yet, not until she knew everything was okay. She couldn’t feel him, not even an echo and that worried her. While Harry had severed the bond, leaving it as she had requested, she had always been able to feel an echo from him and it had comforted her, knowing that she wasn\'t completely alone, knowing she could help him if needed.

She couldn\'t feel him now though. She couldn\'t feel anything.

Coming from a wizarding family she knew what was involved with the Coming of Age Ceremony and she knew how complex some families made it. Weasley family tradition was relaxed about the Ceremony although there were considerations made for the power of the individual. This was one of those things that just had to be done properly and so even though most of them didn\'t like it, they had spent the appropriate time in the garage, with their father\'s muggle possessions since it was the strongest warded section of the house. Or if at Hogwarts, they made the appropriate arrangements there. It was usually taken care of so quietly that most weren\'t even aware of it.

She didn\'t think the Potter Family made that much of the Ceremony but she wasn\'t sure since the records were very personal. With Harry\'s power though, and the fact that she couldn\'t sense him, she supposed Dumbledore had placed him in seclusion for the night.

It wasn\'t fair!

It just wasn\'t fair. She only wanted to help him. She only wanted what was best for him, so why couldn\'t she help him? She would sacrifice whatever it took, she would keep any secret just so long as she could stay with him, just so long as he would love her, just a little bit. She had loved him for as long as she could remember and it hurt. The fact that he had willingly gone to another was a dull pain inside her always and as much as she struggled against it, she wasn\'t sure she could win. She accepted him as he was, why wouldn\'t he accept her?

Ginny curled up on her bed, tears forming in her eyes.

It wasn\'t fair, it just wasn\'t fair! She hurt so much, she loved so much. She only wanted what was best for him. She remain with him for all time, so why couldn\'t he love her now, why had he bade her wait?

The Dark Lord had nothing.

The Dark Lord had everything.

Ginny gulped as her thoughts spiralled. The Dark Lord had nothing, deserved no respect, no regard from Harry but he had it, and so the Dark lord had everything. Wealth, power, love. Everything.

She looked back out the window, concentrating on the lightening sky. It would be a fine day, and Harry would properly celebrate his birthday today. With a bit of luck Dumbledore would bring him over so that they could celebrate properly since the Headmaster knew that her mother considered Harry a part of the Weasley family. He was just another son to her, another beloved child. That didn\'t bother Ginny, she didn\'t mind that. Harry was to her so much more than a brother.

But he was the Dark Lord\'s.

Or the Dark Lord was his.

Whichever way their relationship worked.

She was only there because Harry let her be there and she was no where. She knew that. She didn\'t want to think it though but Voldemort had everything she could not give him - wealth and power. Love was something Harry knew she was more than happy to give. No, she had to match the Dark Lord, somehow she had to match him in some way so that Harry would view her as an equal, so that the Dark Lord would know he wasn\'t the only one who held the Boy-Who-Lived\'s heart.

Love... She was sure she already matched him there. She knew Harry, she knew what he liked and what he didn\'t like. She was prepared to sacrifice the world for him, her world for him. She had risked it all, and she was continuing to risk it all. She kept his secret, she kept everything safe and she would die without hesitation for him. He knew that, she knew that. There was nothing more she could do to express her affection and following him around like a puppy at school was not likely to help the situation or she would have done that from her first year.

Wealth... Ginny snorted to herself. She couldn\'t see any way she would ever be able to match the Serpent Lord\'s wealth. He could draw upon his followers when he chose and wealth wasn\'t something that truly interested Harry anyway. His inheritance ensured that. Even if she somehow managed to go into partnership with the Twins, and then if their ventures bore fruit, she wouldn\'t be able to match him. In terms of money, there was nothing she could do. It was a blow but it was one she had conceded long ago.

Children... Ha! He had no need of them and if he did, she would give them to him when he asked. She would do that willingly, gladly for the regard but she wanted more than mere regard. Ginny knew her parents were happily married but she knew that many wizarding and muggle families were not so happy. Children were not a reason for people to remain together. Children were not a reason for people to come together. Children would only be a fringe benefit of her sex, nothing more, nothing less and they may not even be necessary. Immortality was the Dark Lord\'s goal and Ginny doubted that he hadn\'t shared that gift with his mate. There were those who would argue that, but she was sure that Voldemort had attained it. Somehow she knew.

So that left power... Ginny shivered. That was possibly an even more impossible dream than wealth. The Weasley\'s were known to be an average wizarding line that had held true to the Light. They were diligent workers, caring, honest and open. They were not known for their power or any special ability. They were known for their shocking red hair and in this generation for the fact that there were lots of them. She smiled a bit at that before she turned serious again. They had no talismans or techniques, no special family spells and all they had was a vague affinity with animals but even that was hard to see. Charlie had that the most of all of them, although Bill perhaps had an affinity with insects. It was hard to tell. But how was that power?

It wasn\'t, plain and simple, it wasn\'t.

Short of completely transforming herself as Voldemort had with his rebirth, she would never match his power and she couldn\'t reform herself because she wouldn\'t even know where to begin. That wasn\'t an option... which left her with what..?

Nothing.

Nothing more than what Harry was prepared to give, and nothing more than he had already given her, unless he was hiding something and she didn\'t think he was.

But he had said he could come to love her. He could come to love her and she could come to love him without misconceptions between them. But could he love her when he loved the Dark Lord, would he even come to see her at all? Or was that just said to sooth her feelings? He thought too much of others, she knew that, had he thought of her and done that...

No... he had kept the bond, or at least part of it. If he truly felt nothing for her, he would have broken it completely since she knew he wouldn\'t want anyone dying for him, not even her. So he felt something... something...

Something that could grow.

Something that they could develop together this year.

There was after all, one thing upon which the Serpent Lord could not hope to match her in. Age. While it was no doubt enjoyable to have an older lover, there were times when she knew Harry would need the company of one his own age. Voldemort could not hope to provide that. And so there was something Harry and she could grow together, a commonness between them that they could share. It wasn\'t much but it would provide a point Harry could turn to her on and she would be there, waiting for him when the time came, just as she would be there, all semester, all through the future, supporting him.

They\'d spend more time together this semester, they had to, then he would see how much he loved her, and how much she loved him.

\"Love him Harry, but love me as well,\" Ginny murmured looking out at the sun as she got up, reaching out to pick up her hair brush. She had to be presentable before she went to breakfast. \"I will always be there for you Harry, he can\'t promise you that, I can. I can\'t offer you power, I can\'t offer you wealth, I can only offer myself... but you already know that, don\'t you?\"

Ginny smiled, blue eyes happier. Harry knew that. Harry had always known that. And they would work on that together, starting today, when she saw him for his proper birthday celebration.

They would work on that together.

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Harry next chapter... I think... Unless something else comes up. ^_^