Embers

Smiling in satisfaction, Ginny looked over the parchment. She held the now completed translation of the runic text that Hermione had been working prior to her disappearance. Ginny had completed the translation, but had relied heavily on the meticulous notes left behind by Hermione. Ginny could now see why Hermione had said she was “all keyed up” about the text. After completing the translation, Ginny understood. The runes were the key to how Harry could vanquish Voldemort. They spelled out exactly where he’d come from, where he was now, figuratively speaking, and what he had to do. Best of all, the runes portended favorably for the outcome. Harry needed to believe only that he could do it because the runes said he could. ‘If he can see that,’ Ginny thought to herself, ‘all will go smoothly’. She gathered the papers and headed to the sitting room where she knew Harry was resting by the fire. She stood for a moment in the doorway just looking at Harry. He appeared so peaceful, but Ginny could sense the nervous tension. Perhaps, he was merely resigned to his fate, whatever it may be. Ginny hoped her news would lighten his spirit and offer real encouragement. “Mind if I join you, Harry?” She called out softly to him.

He turned his head and smiled, though his eyes remained somber. “No, not at all. Make yourself comfortable.” He motioned to the place at his side. “I could use the company.” He looked at Ginny and she returned his gaze. He broke the silence. “I was just thinking about Hermione…how she should have been here to see this. I never realised how much I would miss having her chattering away in my ear like she’d never stop.” He and Ginny both smiled at that thought.

“She never did know when to shut up, did she?” Ginny had sorely missed Hermione’s companionship during the seemingly endless hours of tedious research and the battles against the remaining Death Eaters. That brought Ginny’s attention back to the translation she wanted and needed to show to him. “Harry, I know it would have been better if Hermione could have been here in person to explain all this, but she did leave her words for you.” Ginny began to rummage through the papers and spread them out on the small table in front of them.

“What do you mean she left her words for me?” Harry sat forward to get a better look at what Ginny was placing everywhere. “What is all this?”

Ginny finished placing the last paper and then looked up at Harry, smiling as she did so. “This is what Hermione was working on. I was able to use her notes to complete the translation. I think you’ll see that her words will be a great help to you.” Ginny could barely contain her excitement. “Now, I have to warn you that some of this may seem a bit dry but it should make sense. Hermione was so excited about this.”

“Why did she never tell me she was working on this? I mean, if it is so important, she could have mentioned it to me.”

Ginny made a dismissive motion with her head. “She wanted it to be complete when she told you and besides how excited would you have been to hear about an ongoing translation of a runic text? I think Hermione knew you better than to subject you to that, especially before she would have had the necessary conclusions for it all to make sense.”

Harry grinned sheepishly, “Yeah, I guess you’re right there.” He looked at the papers again. “So, how are these symbols going to help me? Do they have magical power?”

“Yes, they can be used in magical incantations, but they also tell a story, a story I think you’ll find hits quite close to home.” Ginny picked up the page with the complete translation. “Now, if you’ll bear with me on this as I walk you through the different runes and what they mean.” Ginny scowled as Harry gave a look of ‘this is going to be boring, isn’t it?’ “Just listen, Harry! It should be just like having Hermione here explaining it to you. Don’t worry, I’ll keep it simple.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that.” Harry was still glad that someone other than him had bothered with runes.

“Runes can be divided into three Aettir, or groups of eight. Each rune and each group has a symbolic meaning. The first Aett is called Freyja’s Aett and is the aett of the nurturer.” She pointed to the first grouping of three sets of runes. “These tell the story of where you’ve been, where you come from, Harry. There are three pairs of opposites: feoh and ur, thorn and os, and rad and ken.” She pointed to each as she spoke of it. Feoh refers to domestication and social responsibility and ur refers to wildness, something that is untamed. They are neither good nor bad, but together they show a breaking out of conventional ways of thinking, an introduction to magic, if you will.” She grinned when she saw a spark of recognition go off in Harry’s eyes. “Exactly, Harry! You left behind one way of looking at the world, the Muggle way, and entered the world of magic.

“And there’s more of this?” He was now excited about what else she would explain about the odd symbols he’d always ignored.

“It gets better, Harry. Just wait!” She pointed at the next pair. “Thorn has to do with demons and Os means Odin. These two mean you must make a choice as to which path you will follow. You made a choice in your first year, didn’t you?”

Harry was stunned. Only Dumbledore ever knew about his doubts about his placement in Gryffindor, his utter rejection of Slytherin at the time. “How can you tell this from these symbols?”

“The story is as old as time. The beginnings are shrouded in mystery, but they go back nearly as far as humans do.” She allowed him a moment to contemplate, but then resumed. She had a lot to tell him. “Rad represents the other world, a journey to the land of the dead and ken is the light of the torch. This shows a journey from darkness into light.”

“I saw my parents that first year.” Harry caught Ginny’s eye and he hastily added, “It was only in the Mirror of Erised. It was my deepest desire, to know my dead parents. I could have wasted away like so many others in front of that mirror. Dumbledore brought me back, well, I guess it was me in the end, but Dumbledore was there to guide me…to remind me I had choices. Before I came to the world of magic, I was deprived or nearly everything. I spent a lot of time in the dark, literally in the darkness of the broom cupboard. And then I learned I had magic…that I was a wizard and it was like being reborn. I had both friends and…a family here I could call my own, sort of.”
“More than sort of, Harry!” Ginny knew he was being playful. She hoped he knew he had always been accepted as one of the family, even long before they’d had any romantic relationship. “The final two in the first aett are gyfu and wunjo Gyfu is a gift and wunjo is glory. In exchange for a gift, the student receives wisdom.” Ginny hesitated slightly before explaining in more detail. “Gyfu can also mean a sacrifice. A last sacrifice by the student will yield wisdom, the glory.”

“It does sound like it refers to me, doesn’t it?” Harry had known for some time that a sacrifice would be necessary. So many others had already sacrificed so much. When the time came, he would do the same.

“The second aett is that of Heimdall. The student has passed the degree of nurturer and is ready to undergo tests of the warrior, Heimdall. Heimdall is often thought of as being a God of Silence and together with Loki, the shape-shifter, forms a special means of looking at the world. Loki steals but also makes it possible for great treasures to be revealed. Heimdall is the guard against this and watches for Loki’s return. Heimdall is often seen as sea cliffs watching out for Loki’s return. The waves crashing into the cliffs, the water if you will, is his horn. I thought it rather intriguing that Heimdall is associated with goats because they live on cliffs. Does that remind you of anyone, Harry?”

“This is unbelievable.” He could only stare in awe as his life played out before in the form of runic symbols.

“Heimdall is a warrior. He struggles against overwhelming odds with unending courage. That’s you, Harry. The aett begins with hoel and nyd. Hoel is winter, a time of pranks that may go too far. Am I ringing any bells here?”

“Fred and George.” Harry ruminated.

“Actually, I was thinking Malfoy and his goons, but I can see my brothers there, definitely. Nyd means reaching inside yourself to find sources of power you didn’t know you had.”

Harry became pensive as he recalled all the people who told him he had power the Dark Lord knew not, but who hadn’t bothered to explain what that power was or how to use it. “I had to learn for myself what powers I have.”

“You can’t teach experience, Harry. The next two runes, isa and ger, are quite similar to the previous two runes. They refer again to ice contrasted with a fruitful harvest. Again, it appears to be a choice. Dumbledore always said it all comes down to the choices we make. The next sets deal with restrictions. Eoh means a natural restriction and poerdh an impenetrable barrier, a final limit.”

“The Veil at the Ministry?”

“It means death as a warrior finds it, so yes.” Ginny, too, had thought of Sirius when she’d translated that part. “Eolh means protection and sighel signifies sun salvation and protection. Restriction is there for protection. ‘We remind all students that the third floor corridor on the right hand side is off limits to all those who do not wish to die a most painful death’ she mimicked Dumbledore’s yearly advisory to all students. And death is matched with salvation. It’s not the end.”

“The next great adventure…” Harry smiled at Dumbledore’s simple but profound pronouncement.

Ginny continued. “To overcome all obstacles, even death, the warrior requires something more than what is deep within himself. He needs outside aid. That’s what I’m here for…and Ron, my parents, McGonagall and all the others…and Hermione. She’s still helping you.”

Harry smiled. “I know she is. I just wish I could still see her.”

Ginny nodded in understanding. “So do I.”

“So, about Heimdall, what else can I learn from him?”

“That’s all there is to him. The third and final aett is Tyr. The first rune is tyr, which is not only the god’s initial but also his name. It signifies a victory, a dispensing of cosmic justice. It means that something that had gone horribly wrong must be put right. Victory will come to the one who possesses courage and is moral.”

“Does that mean I will win easily?” Harry tried to speak in a joking tone of voice.

“Well, not exactly, but why knock it since it seems to say the odds are on your side?”

“True,” Harry agreed. “I guess I should take whatever help I can get.”

Ginny reached over and squeezed his hand. “This one, boerc, means atonement. It is the responsibility of the priests or those with the knowledge, the teachers in other words, to make sure that the members of the army…Dumbledore’s Army…especially its leader, you…remain free of tainting their souls.”

Harry’s face froze. An unwelcome image of Snape right after he’d killed Dumbledore appeared once more in his mind…an image of Snape deflecting a poorly executed curse that he’d cast and taunting him with “No Unforgivables for you, Potter!” He thought, too, of Dumbledore’s words to Draco that night, “You are not a killer.” He knew. Dumbledore knew. Harry ignored the obvious implication that Snape knew, too.

“The next rune is ehwis, the twin gods. It shows a calling on divine aid, a strengthening of societal bonds. It makes everyone reaffirm the basic notions of society. I know. I hesitate to think of Fred and George as gods or even pillars of society. I don’t think that even they think of themselves as pillars of society. I’m sure the phrase is anathema to them, but the twin gods, the aclis, do help people. Their inventive contributions have been enormously helpful to the Order as well as just giving us all a good laugh every now and again.”

“They’ve been wonderful and I mean that.”

Ginny smiled. Harry didn’t have to live with them all those years.

“The manu represents the human being, either the race or the individual. We travel from the most distant to the closest to us.” Ginny patted Harry’s knee. “Don’t worry. We’re almost done. The next rune is lagu, which is the sea. It is followed by ing, meaning the people and odel, meaning property. What does that mean for you, Harry? When we come to Hogwarts, we cross the lake, not exactly a small sea, but it’s a crossing of water nonetheless. It initiates the first years into the world of magic and they become one of the people, the ing. As they progress through the years of education, they claim what is rightfully theirs based on whichever choices they’ve made. Once a witch or wizard comes of age, they become responsible for themselves and perhaps for others. We’ve now reached rulership, which brings us to the final rune, doerg. It deals with light and salvation. It is the final event of right rulership and right life.”

Harry looked at Ginny questioningly. “I guess you’ll have to spell it out for me.”

“The journey from wynn (glory) to sighel (sun) to doerg (day) implies an end of a course of instruction in which the student, that’s you Harry, has passed the test and is ready to go on to the next step. Each grouping ends with a rune of a positive nature and successively greater scope. The sets all have much in common, albeit on differing scopes, but what is really interesting is that the aett of tyr has no rune that deals with death. It’s as if the priests or teachers had faced and conquered that problem. Tyr also has no reference to ice or snow, but Freyja lacks any reference to weapons since she was associated with peace.”

“Wait, slow down. You’ve lost me, Ginny.”

“What matters is that each aett has one rune of protection, one rune representing a good luck charm and one rune of healing magic. The further in you go, the less negative it gets, though it changes from simple dichotomies or choices, there’s that word again, to a more complex and panoramic use of runes.”

“I’m still lost and my head is spinning. It’s a very interesting story. In fact, a good deal of it sounds like my life history, but how does it help me defeat Voldemort?”

“Well, this is where it gets a bit tricky. It sort of ties in with the Tarot.” Harry visibly rolled his eyes. “Let me explain. This is why Hermione should not have dropped Divination, though considering Trelawney, I can’t say I really blame her.” She tried to smile. “The point is the Major Arcana begins with dichotomies or choices and ends with groupings of cards showing different aspects of one principle, for example a choice between gutlessness and guile (Fool vs. Magician), spiritual/chaste or sensual/sensuous (High Priestess vs. Empress) or political or religious authority (Emperor vs. Hierophant). Later groups deal with the Sun, Stars, Moon or Justice. What it means in the end is that a gift demands a gift. Runes are an ecological magic. They require a necessary balance of intents, actions and outcomes.” She looked at Harry with deep compassion. “What is means is that a sacrifice must be made before any significant magical work can be done. The nature of the sacrifice depends on the aett involved. Freyja is concerned with love and happiness, Heimdall is concerned with achievement, victory and success and finally Tyr is concerned with justice, spiritual achievement and atonement.”

“So, what kind of sacrifice are we talking about?”

“There are two kinds of sacrifices…a gift to the gods or a personal sacrifice.”

“So, I just let Voldemort kill me and he dies, too? Is that what you’re saying?”

“No, that’s not it at all. A friendship was betrayed back in the days of the Founders. Friendship given would be a step in the right direction, a small step or offering to mend the rift that has split the Wizard World. But, there’s also a split in the nature of the universe that goes deeper than anything at Hogwarts. It’s a split so deep that it makes the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin split look like a strand of hair dividing a tabletop. Two halves must be rejoined. Think Harry! How many times have you felt as if something were missing in your life?” Ginny noted the expression that began to take shape on his face. “I don’t mean your parents. Obviously, that has been missing all these years. But your parents still live within you, Harry. It’s what Dumbledore always said, ‘Those we love never truly leave us’. Was there ever a time when you felt as if someone else were missing, someone you knew, but their memory seemed distant almost as if it wasn’t real?”

Harry thought and remembered hearing the name Riddle for the first time and the effect it had had on him. He’d felt as if the memory were of a forgotten childhood friend. He did not share that with Ginny, but she could see it in his eyes.

“Whatever you’ve just thought, that’s the key, Harry! You need to seek out this memory and offer it that which it was denied before. You need to restore the balance of the past betrayal.”

Harry turned suddenly, his voice rising fractionally as the full impact of Ginny’s words hit him. “Are you saying I need to be friends with Voldemort? I need to offer him the love he never had?” Harry shook his head. That was quite simply the last thing he expected to be told. It couldn’t be done. All this talk of runes had been a waste of time. It meant nothing.

“Love is what will vanquish him.” She whispered. She found it all hard to believe, but the words never changed and their meaning seemed crystal clear.

Harry shook his head. “I can’t do it. I can’t just forget what all he’s done and not just to me! I can’t forgive that and offer him love! No one can. No one has that kind of love.”

“You do, Harry. You have it in your blood because your mother’s sacrifice put it there.”

Harry stopped at the mention of ‘blood’. For something that he felt shouldn’t matter, it was proving amazingly important. The protection he’d received from his mother’s sacrifice was in his skin as Quirell had unfortunately found out, but it was also in his blood…the same blood that now ran within Voldemort. Harry recalled that gleam of triumph when he’d told Dumbledore about Voldemort using his blood to regain a body. Was there something to all of this? He had received love from his parents. He had the capacity to give love. Had his blood unknowingly given Voldemort the capacity to receive love as he had done all his life? Love… most wonderful and most terrible power. Harry had become quite contemplative. Did he have the power to make Voldemort receive and feel love? What would that do to Voldemort? He remembered being possessed by Voldemort in the Ministry of Magic and how horrible that had felt. Yet, it had been worse for Voldemort. The obvious solution seemed deceptively simple, but he knew in practice, it would be difficult to follow through with it.

Ginny continued. “Your mother loved you enough to give her life for you and for all of us. She saw this and believed it, Harry. You can, too.”

‘She saw and believed it,’ Harry thought. ‘She saw it…she saw…and I have my mother’s eyes. Everyone always said that. She could see the good in others even if they couldn’t see it themselves. I have her eyes. I can see it, too.’ The realization filled him with a power he’d never felt before. He felt an unparalleled strength…a faith…and a feeling of contentment as if he knew the journey home was nearly complete. He also felt emptiness deep within that yearned to be filled. He knew he would be incomplete until the void had been filled. He knew what he had to do and he knew he could face Voldemort alone. He had nothing to fear. He and Ginny sat for hours just watching the flames dance in the growing darkness. A peaceful smile stole over his face. This would all be over soon.