Forward Progress - Part 6

"Honestly, Ron. I realize you're very protective of your sister, but—"

"My baby sister, Hermione. She's too young to get involved in this," Ron said.

"Would you have followed Harry if all this had happened last year?" Hermione asked. "Of course you would. She's the same age as you were then. The difference in her age and Harry's is nearly the same as Harry's and mine. Do you think he's too young to be involved?"

"What? Of course not; it's not the same thing," Ron shouted, flailing his arms in the air. "It's his fight. Ginny's not getting involved because it's too dangerous for her."

Ginny whipped her head around so fast that Ron took a step backwards from her fury. "Don't you dare say you want to keep me out of this or it has nothing to do with me, Ron Weasley. It has much more to do with me than it does with you. These horcruxes are bits of sodding Voldemort's own soul. I had one of those bits in me, and I'm going to make damn sure that never happens to anyone else! And as for being too young, I'm older than you were when we went to the Ministry. As I recall, I came out of that fight a damn sight better than you did."

She turned to Harry, determination gleaming in her eyes. "This, this is my fight, and you're not going to keep me from it. I have as big a stake in this part of it as you do."

Harry thought she'd never looked more beautiful with her hair flowing down her back in waves, looking almost as if it were standing on end like an angry cat. Her gaze was passionate and fierce, and it occurred to Harry that he'd never thought of it this way, from her point of view. Of course she had a personal stake in this. She'd been possessed by one of these very horcruxes. If anyone would know how it felt to have a bit of Voldemort's soul stuck inside him, it was Ginny.

What was done was done. They couldn't go back, and she was right. For her, like him, this was personal.

"All right, quiet," he bellowed over the arguments of the other three who were all bickering and snapping at one another. The tense atmosphere in the room had dissolved into complete chaos. "This is getting us nowhere. Ginny knows what we're up against, but from this point forward, we keep this information amongst ourselves. Are we clear?" he asked, staring hard at Hermione.

They all nodded and looked at him expectantly. He noticed that Ron still looked disgruntled, while Ginny appeared triumphant, and Hermione merely looked satisfied, as if her plan had come together in the end. Harry had to bite back a smile. They really were the best friends he could have ever wanted.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "So, we need to go after the horcruxes before I can face Voldemort. The problem is, I really have no idea where to begin. Professor Dumbledore showed me all those memories from Riddle's past, and he thought the clues were hidden in them."

"Why do you have to be the one to face Voldemort?" Ginny asked, her eyes wide. It was as if now that she'd finally been accepted into their confidence, the reality was frightening her.

Harry glanced sharply at Hermione.

"I told her about the horcruxes because I needed some help with the research materials, and I thought you could use some moral support. I didn't tell her about the prophecy. I thought you should do that," Hermione said, giving Harry a weak smile.