Harry Potter
and the Necklace of Gebo

Author's note: I am sorry, I've been having a bit of trouble making my first chapter show up. Thank you for your patience.

Chapter I: Anticipation

Ginny lay in darkness for a while, trying to remember all that had happened to her since she found the diary. The words she told Riddle about how much she cared about Harry Potter flooded into her mind. Riddle had used her venerability to control her; to make her do things. She had painted horrible messages on the Hogwart's walls and strangled chickens in the dead of night. The thought made her quiver.
Suddenly, she heard a terrible scream that made her wince. A few moments later everything was silent. Ginny sat up and opened her eyes. The sight almost made her scream herself. An enormous acid green serpent lay dead on the stone floor of the large cavern. It's eyes had been gouged out and it had a bloody hole in the top of it's head.
Ginny couldn't help but wonder what could have killed such a thing. Her wonder was put to rest as her eyes moved to a figure standing over her. Blood was dripping down his torn robes. Ink covered hands which seemed to have bled from a ruined book. Ginny held back a sob, looking over his tragic appearance.
"Oh, Harry!" She cried. She found herself yammering on about who knows what.
"It's alright," Harry assured her, kneeling down and taking her hand. "It's over. The balisk is dead and Riddle is finished."
Tears ran down Ginny's face as she looked into his piercing green eyes. She was so glad it was finally over. There was no more lies, no more fear, and no more Riddle. Before she could think it through, Ginny threw her arms around Harry's waist and cried into his ragged robes. She felt his hands rest on her back.
"C'mon, Ginny," He whispered, "let's get out of here."
As Ginny pulled away from Harry, she saw a shadow fall on the two of them. Almost instinctively, her eyes darted to look above Harry's head. The large snake, the balisk, towered over them. It's fangs springing out at Harry. Ginny screamed in horror as blood streamed out of the wound and soaked Harry's shirt.
"Wh-" Harry choked out, rubbing his bloody hand against Ginny's cheek. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Ginny woke with a start, flinging into a sitting position. Sweat and tears streamed down her face as she tried her best not to choke on her hyperventilating breaths. She felt very hot, yet she was shivering. The silver moonlight gleamed in at her.
"It's alright," she whispered to herself, "it was only a dream. Just a dream."
Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Ginny grabbed her bathrobe and stood up. She opened her bedroom door and stared off into the darkness. She knew exactly that there were stairs right beside her door, so she took a left and carefully felt her way down.
The lavatory light stung her eyes as she lit it. Quickly turning on the faucet and grabbing a rag, she wet her face, trying to get rid of the sticky dry feeling that the dried tears and sweat left. Once she had calmed down, Ginny looked into the mirror. Her reflection stared back at her, looking despondent. Her flaming red hair was frizzled, making her brown eyes seem to have their own reddish tint.
Ginny looked up at the schedule clock above the lavatory threshold. It was four hours until "Breakfast" and she had a feeling that she wouldn't be able get back to sleep. She decided to do the same thing that she did every time that she was up that early. She went back upstairs, grabbed her diary from her bedside table and went out into the front yard. The sunlight was barely peaking out from behind some rolling green hills on the horizon. She had just enough light to see her paper.
Ginny sat herself on a whitewashed metal bench that faced the rising sun. For a second, she thought with the eraser of her pencil touching her lips. Then she wrote:
"I had that Chamber of Secrets dream again. I don't understand why I continually dream of something that happened four years ago. Anyway, it was different this time. When Harry and I just usually leave the chamber, I hugged him. Can you imagine? I can barely talk to him. How could I hug him? That's not the worst of it. The balisk wakes up and kills Harry?"
Ginny paused and looked at the sun peaking over the hills at her and smiled. It had been so long since she had seen Harry and she was glad that it was finally the day. Harry would be arriving by floo powder around noon. Ginny was so excited. She thought of exactly what she would say to him.
"Hi, Harry," She'd say without the slightest hint of embarrassment or fear. "How have you been?...Oh, I've been fine. I actually thought of you quite a bit. Have you been thinking about me?...Oh, you have? What were you thinking?...My eyes are beautiful? Well, I like your eyes too...Stop it, Harry. You're making me blush...You want to talk to me in private? What about?...Secret, is it? Alright I'll wait...Father's shed at midnight? I'll see you there."
There he'd kiss her for the first time. Ginny let out a sigh as she thought of her fantastic chain of events. They could walk around Hogwarts holding hands and smooch in Moaning Myrtle's privy. It was such a beautiful thought that she had to dwell on it as long as she could. Time passed as she was stuck in her own world.
"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley called. "Ginny, what are you doing out there?"
The short, plump woman came out of the back door and walked up behind Ginny.
"Ginny?" She asked. "Breakfast is ready."
Ginny turned her eyes to Mrs. Weasley and smiled.
"Hello, Mum," She greeted, smiling dreamily.
Mrs. Weasley put her hand on Ginny head to check her temperature and asked, "Are you All right?"
"Yeah, Mum," She sighed. "I'm perfectly fine."
"Right then," Mrs. Weasley said, bemused. "Go on in and eat your breakfast."
Ginny nodded. She stood up, kissed her mother's cheek and began to walk toward the house. Mrs. Weasley watched, not knowing what to make of her daughter's behavior. Of course, they always say teenagers are weird.
Ginny sat down at the kitchen table beside Ron. She leaned closely to her food and breathed in the wonderful aroma of freshly made banana pancakes and strawberry syrup. Her brother eyed her suspiciously.
"All Right then, Ginny?" Ron asked.
Ginny, as if she didn't hear him, gently cut a piece of her pancake off and lifted it, with her fork, into her mouth. As Ginny carefully consumed her breakfast, Mrs. Weasley grabbed a book out of a pile on the counter top.
"Ron," She began, "I need you to de-gnome the garden again. And after that, go to George's house and ask him if he has any Floo powder. We're running low and if we want to go to Diagon Alley tomorrow-"
"Mum," Ron interrupted, "have you forgotten? Harry's coming over today."
This got Ginny's attention off of her food.
"I haven't forgotten, Ron," Mrs. Weasley told him. "I need this stuff done."
"I can't ignore Harry for a bunch of chores," Ron complained. "Make Ginny do them."
"Me?" Ginny asked. "That isn't fair! If you don't have to do them then I don't see why I do."
"Why is it I have to do everything around here?" Ron yelled. "All Ginny ever has to do is write in that silly book and clean her stupid room. Harry's my friend and I think that just once I should be able to hang out with him."
"That is a reasonable argument, Ron," Mrs. Weasley commented.
"But, Mum-" Ginny protested.
"However, Harry's not coming for another three hours," Mrs. Weasley pointed out. "Ron, you de-gnome the garden and Ginny will go to George's to get the floo powder."
"I knew it!" Ron grumbled, standing up and putting his plate in the sink. "I have to dig up dirty gnomes while she just flies a broom for some powder. That's a fair arrangement."
"I don't find it quite fair, either," Ginny said as she poked her pancake. "I mean, what if George wants to show me one of those crazy experiment of his. I could be there for hours. I wouldn't be able to be here when Harry comes."
"What d'you care?" Ron asked. "Still fancy him?"
"No!" Ginny blurted, jumping out of her seat and going pink in the face. "But can't we trade jobs? We obviously want the other's."
"No way!" Ron exclaimed. "You made a good point. There's no way I'm not going to be here when Harry arrives."
"Mum!" Ginny whined.
"If you don't do it now, you'll just have to do it while Harry's actually here," Mrs. Weasley told her.
Ginny plopped down in her chair and folded her arms.
"Don't pout, Ginny," Ron commanded. "You look like a pidgin. And besides, you don't want Harry to see you all grumpy. I might have to tell him why you don't sleep. Keep thinking 'bout him."
"You shut up?" Ginny yelled.
"Ron," Mrs. Weasley began, "quit pestering your sister."
"Ginny and Harry sitting in a tree-" Ron whispered.
"You are such a child, Ron," mocked Ginny.
"Are you finished?" Mrs. Weasley asked Ginny, referring to her breakfast.
"Yup," She said simply, standing up. "I'm going to go and change. I must be off to George's house."
Ginny ran up the stairs. She put on a knee-length skirt and short sleeved cashmere turtle neck. She wasn't dressing up for George, but she wanted to look her best when she returned. She went into the privy and began to brush out her long red hair. Putting her hair brush into her backpack, just in case she had to re-brush it after riding a broom for so long, she looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't much like her appearance. She wished that she had something to cover up the millions of freckles that dotted her face. Unfortunately, her mother never allowed her to wear make up. Ginny thought fifteen was old enough, but her mother didn't
As she walked passed Ron, who was sitting in the living room watching two old wizards having a duel in a painting, he stared at her.
"All dressed up, are we?" Ron smirked.
"I'm not going to George's house in grunge, Ron," Ginny stated.
"Well, if George tries to make that rabbit of his explode, you won't only ruin your good clothes but Harry'll see you with your face covered in smoke soot," Ron laughed.
"He wouldn't blow it up," Ginny promised. "He loves that bunny."
Ginny headed out the from door, her back pack slung over her shoulder. Since she didn't have a broom of her own, she had to use the family broom. Quickly, she kicked off the ground and headed into the clouds. She'd have to pass Ottery St. Catchpole and she didn't want anyone to see her. The sun beamed her so that she had to put her hand in front of her face as to not be blinded. Through the gaps in the clouds, Ginny could see fields that looked like patches on a quilt. Each patch was slightly, or contrastingly, another color. The little cars looked like ants on her brilliant green quilt.
"Wouldn't it be wonderful..." Ginny said to herself, letting her imagination wander again.
Ginny pictured herself sitting on her quilt. She had a tiny picnic prepared for two. The sunlight glimmered on her hair, which was decorated by little white flowers. Suddenly, she couldn't see. Someone had his hands over her face.
"Guess who," said a gentle voice that she knew well.
"Harry," she whispered.
"Yup," he answered.
Ginny slowly pulled his hands away from her eyes. She leaned back her head and looked up at him. His tousled black hair partly hung over his forehead and his glasses seemed on the verge of slipping off his face. The pale lightening scar on his forehead looked a pink color in the shadows of his hair. Smiling, Harry revolved around to her front, Ginny still holding one of his hands.
"What d'we have?" Harry asked, dropping to his knees just beside her.
"Watermelon, egg sandwiches and chocolate frogs," Ginny listed. "What would you like to have?"
"Well, at the moment," Harry thought aloud. "I think the egg sandwich sound good."
Ginny reached into a picnic basket and pulled out an egg sandwich. As she was handing it to him, Harry looked at her dearly. His slight smile and kind eyes directed toward her made her spine tingle.
"Oh, Ginny," Harry whispered.
"Yes," She answered quietly.
Harry gently touched the side of Ginny's face. She smiled shyly and looked down at her quilt. Suddenly, as she looked at a small olive-colored patch, it caught fire.
Ginny shook her head and looked down through the cloud cover. There was an explosion in the yard of a small duplex. Ginny recognized the place as where George lived. She pushed the end of the broom down and found herself in a steep drop. She pulled up just as she was a few meters from the grass.
"George!" She called, dismounting her broom.
"Bloody spell!" George yelled as he lifted himself off his rear end. His face was all black from smoke ash and his shirt was halfway burnt off.
"What on Earth happened?" Ginny asked, running up to George and looking at the smoking part of the yard. It seemed like there was the remains of a cauldron in the soot.
"I was trying to-" George began, "Ah, never mind. What was it you came for Ginny?"
"Mum sent me for some floo powder," Ginny said quietly, trying to tell if the cauldron had been melted or if it had partially shattered.
"Right," Said George, "got some in the house. C'mon."
Ginny reluctantly followed George into the left of the two doors to the duplex. The place was in disarray. A couple of robes were laid across the dining room table. A broken owl cage sat in the middle of the love seat. Plates and shoes were scattered throughout the carpet.
George walked over to the dusty fireplace. He picked up a rusty urn and looked inside. A bewildered expression came over his face. Jerking his head toward the kitchen, he dropped the urn.
"Where would I have put it?" He asked himself. "Maybe it's in the flower pot...No...How 'bout the ink bottle?"
"Maybe you should look in the mayonnaise jar," Ginny said with some hesitance.
"I don't think that it's in there," George told her. "That's where my leaches are."
Ginny shuttered.
"Hey!" George exclaimed. "Laurel might have some!"
"Laurel?" Ginny asked.
"My next door neighbor," George explained, chewing on his thumbnail with furled eyebrows. "Yeah, let's ask her."
George walked passed Ginny and out of the door. Ginny tried to find a uncluttered place to sit. She heard a knock on the door next door.
"Lost something, haven't you?" A female voice, presumably Laurel, asked.
"Yeah," George admitted. "I need to borrow some floo powder."
"George," Laurel groaned.
A petite blonde woman walked into the room. Ginny stood up, surprised to see she was nearly a foot taller then this witch. Laurel walked through a hall toward the back. Ginny tried to get a look of where Laurel was going, without seeming so. She came back down the hall and handed George a purple flower vase. George held out the vase to Ginny. As she took it, George put his arm around Laurel's shoulders, which he had to lean down to do.
"Bunny, this is my little sister Ginny," George said as if he were talking to Laurel's cheek. "Ginny, this is my Bunny."
"Pleasure," Laurel articulated, holding out her hand which Ginny shook.
"Bunny?" Ginny asked. "Oh, she's who you were talking about in your letters. We thought you got a pet Rabbit."
George and Laurel chortled.
"Well, I'd better be getting back," Ginny told them as she walked out the door. "It was nice to meet you, Laurel. I'll tell mum that you're not a rabbit."
"Thank you," Laurel giggled.
"See ya later, Ginny," George said, waving as she mounted her broom.
Ginny kicked off hard from the ground and went flying. She plunged back into the clouds. I wasn't there too long, Ginny thought. I could still make Harry's arrival if I keep my mind on flying and pretend that I'm trying to catch a snitch. Ginny sped off, leaning close to the broom like she always saw Harry do during the Quidditch matches. The clouds rushed passed her as she looked up at the noon time sun.
She arrived at the Burrow fifteen minutes later. Ginny dropped the broom off at the shed before running to the house. Out of breath and sweating slightly, she entered the front door. Quickly, she sprinted to the lavatory. She knew she couldn't look her best after a ride like that. As fast as she could, Ginny moused her hair, used deodorant, and applied a little lip gloss. Taking a deep breath, she made her way to the living room. It was empty. She set the vase of floo powder on the mantle before she went into the kitchen to find her mother preparing corned beef sandwiches.
"Has Harry arrived?" Ginny asked.
"Just missed the arrival party," Mrs. Weasley said sarcastically. "What is with you, Ginny?"
"Nothing," she whispered. "Where is he?"
"In Ron's room," Mrs. Weasley told her. "Where else?"
Ginny forced a smile and then dashed up the stairs. As she reached Ron's room, she heard voices. She was about to knock when she heard something that interested her.
"I can't stop thinking about her," Harry confided to Ron. "I mean, I've been dreaming about her all Summer."
"You think you're in love?" Ron asked.
"I donno," Harry said. "I've never been in love before."
"Go for it," Ron suggested.
"After that tragedy, I'm really not sure if she'll want to even be near me or anyone else," Harry admitted.
Ginny's heart was floating. It was her. She knew it had to be her. He was talking about the Chamber of Secrets. That was so long ago and it made her love him more. She was about to throw herself into the room and confess everything, when suddenly...
"After Cedric died-" Harry began.
"That was two years ago, Harry," Ron explained. "Cho oughtta be over that by now."
"I sure hope so, Ron," Harry said quietly.
Ginny tried to hold back a sob until she got to her room.
How could I possibly think it was me? Ginny thought. Harry Potter could never love me.