Story: Moira
Chapter Thirty Eight: The Unforgettable Loss

The gargoyle sprang aside as Ginny shouted the password, 'Lemon drops' at it. Hot on her tail was Harry who was more breathless than she was, given her recent torture. They entered the office without bothering to knock and found Dumbledore slumped heavily on his throne like chair, slightly falling to his left side. Ginny ran up to him and helped him sit straight but he seemed to be half unconscious.

"Harry! What's happened to him?!"

Harry looked at the aged Headmaster, trying to find the fault for his condition. Then his eyes caught the darkened hand.

"He's been cursed," Harry said in a grave tone. He walked up to the chair and held Dumbledore's darkened hand.

"Please! I beg you, do something!" Ginny pleaded.

"In my trunk," Harry started and looked at her. The pain on her face was more evident now. "there is a small vial of counter potion for dark curses. I use it when I get cursed badly. Go and get it. I can get it but I will have to contain his curse to his hand. Merlin's beard, if only he had shown this to me earlier," Harry sighed. Ginny looked at the phoenix for help.

"Take me to Harry's dorm, Fawkes." In an instant, the phoenix stooped down to her, caught her shoulder using its talons and flamed away. Harry removed another clear potion from the moleskin purse in his neck and conjured a cup. Pouring it into the cup, he let the Headmaster take a sip as he pointed his wand at the darkened hand and started muttering counter curses to bind the curse from spreading to the whole body.

In a few minutes, Ginny flamed back into the room and offered Harry a tiny vial with a green potion. He motioned her to give that to Dumbledore, who was much more conscious than before. Ginny did as she was told and he finished his incantations a few minutes later.

"M-master! Are you okay?" Ginny asked, concern laced in her tone despite her own weakness.

"Master?" Dumbledore croaked, looking slightly confused. Harry facepalmed. He was sure the Obliviate charm had gone wrong: Pettigrew would have been behind it. Taking his wand in his hand again, he got up and pointed it at the Headmaster.

"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed but he did not budge.

"Reversio Obliviatum." A blue light glowed at the tip of his wand for several minutes before distinguishing. Dumbledore's eyes glazed over for that time then he sat up with a jolt.

"Ginny? M-Mister Harry?"

"Master! Do – do you remember me?"

"Ah, yes," Dumbledore replied weakly. Ginny let out a breath of relief. "So, is the task done?" This time, the question was directed to Harry who raised his eyebrows as a train of suspicious theories clicked into place in his mind.

"You sent the ring, didn't you?"

"Ring? What ring?" Ginny asked but Harry held his hand up to stop her as he gazed into Dumbledore's twinkling blue eyes.

"Perhaps. Someone has to sacrifice themself for the greater good, isn't it? So how long do I have?" Dumbledore asked in a casual voice that anyone who would have heard him would think he was asking for what was on the menu that night.

"You don't mind then? D-dying I mean," Harry asked. Dumbledore smiled.

"I am afraid, my boy that I have committed a mistake many fools have done, way before my time. This grave mistake mustn't be ignored. No more of the future generations must seek for them."

"I don't find any relevance with your answer and my question. Explain what you are talking about," Harry said.

"To those curious souls, death is but the next great adventure to occupy with. The living, especially the ones without love, are the ones who desperately seek for it but unfortunately, although Death is cruel, Moira has her own ways to take revenge whilst fulfilling Death's wishes."

"You speak," Harry started. "as if Death and Moira are two real people controlling us. Are they real or is it some myth?" He wanted to make sure that the vision of Moira and Death were real and not a fantasy of his own mind.

"It may be a myth but why on earth should that mean it isn't real?" Dumbledore asked. His twinkling blue eyes were closing an inch by each passing second. Harry turned away from him, trying to comprehend the information.

"This is it. You were too late, I'm afraid, Headmaster."

"I know and I am gladly awaiting it."

"Excuse me but can anyone just tell me what on hell is going on?!" Ginny shouted. That was when Harry realised she was still in the room.

"It has been a pleasure meeting you Mister Potter. I hope your f-further conquests will be futile," Dumbledore said.

"Thank you, Headmaster." He didn't want to face him while he said those words so he kept his back to them.

"Ginny, you splendid girl. You brave woman! You have outdid yourself a-all these years. I c-couldn't have asked for a much better s-student. It is time you see y-your future and c-complete what others have failed in, together with y-your mate."

"Master? What are you talking about?"

"Time will tell you. I-I will no longer be your master but I w-wish you all the success of life, Ginny." Harry knew it then, with the intensity of Ginny's sobs that there were only two living beings in that room then.

___________________

He held her hand as she fell.

He remained her shoulder to cry on.

He consoled her when she felt desperate.

Those days after the death of Dumbledore brought unwanted sadness along with it. Instead of joyfully celebrating Voldemort's downfall, they were mourning for the greatest wizard of all time – Albus Dumbledore.

It was one of the toughest phase for both Ginny and Harry: they had both lost their masters, their father figures on the same night. This however, seemed to strengthen their bond as they both had one similarity that others of their age did not possess.

They talked, for hours on end about that dreadful night until one day, Harry suggested otherwise.

The Blackthorn Manor and The Burrow were secured by the Fidelius charm, the secret keepers being Regulus and Bill respectively. Harry was afraid that, in her rage, Bellatrix would try to hunt their families down. They were safe within the vicinity of their respective schools.

After all the rituals of Dumbledore's goodbye and a meeting with the International Magical Games Committee, it had come to a decision to end the tournament. Alarie and Harry whole heartedly allowed Ginny and by extension, Hogwarts itself, to house the cup which was supposed to be presented to the winner, to pay their respects for Dumbledore. With tears in their eyes', Ginny and McGonagall tried to protest but the other foreign champions took no nonsense.

When they were finally alone and away from the paparazzi and the prying eyes of students, Ginny hugged Alarie as a way of thanks and kissed Harry's cheek in gratitude, leaving the former beaming and the latter, blushing.

Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were scheduled to leave Scotland, a week after the announcement to complete their academic term at their respective school. In the midst of the melancholy, Harry and Ginny met each other under the oak tree that night.

"We really wasted our time, didn't we?" Ginny asked after a minute's silence.

"I don't think we did. I mean, we needed each other that time. If we were to talk other stuff, we probably would have been fighting what with all the emotions that was possessing us," Harry replied, looking into the clear dark skies.

"I-I have been meaning to ask this since that day, Harry. What was the ring you were talking about to Master?" Ginny asked in a low tone. Harry looked thoughtful for several seconds before sighing.

"Y'know, the day when you saved me from that burning room of requirement?" Ginny nodded. "Well, let's say that the ring is connected to. . . the locket and the diary."

"You won't tell me then?"

"I think," Harry started, looking around to spot any eavesdroppers. When he found none, he continued "no. You deserve to know. I wanted to keep everything in my control so that I can defeat Master easily but the situation just flew out of my hands like a raven. I-I am sorry, Ginny. The reason why I kept you in the dark is because I did not want Master to hunt you or your family down because of what I was doing."

"He kidnapped them anyway," Ginny retorted. Harry nodded sadly.

"I never expected him to use your family as a bait. With everything, I sort of. . . forgot that he was already hunting you."

"Explain what was wrong with that ring, the locket and that book," Ginny said.

"This thing which I am going to tell is very, very dark magic. Master has not left even the deepest realms of the darkest magic alone. He has meddled unnecessarily with them. He created, what is called an Horcrux, which served as a container for his soul in case he was murdered. He did not just create one. . . Seven being a magical number; he created six, himself being the seventh one." Ginny gasped. "That night, nearly four years ago when I accidentally killed him, he survived because of the horcruxes.

"Bellatrix wrote to me, stating that a ritual of sorts will be performed to bring back Master to life on the night of the third task.

"After procuring the information about the horcruxes, I wanted to get rid of all the them before the third task so that I would be able to kill him the night he rose back to life. The so called lost diadem of Ravenclaw was the first horcrux I stumbled upon. I destroyed it without even knowing it was a horcrux because I lost control over myself. I was about to destroy the locket and the diary when I lost control over myself again. I managed to destroy the diary but the locket was left out and thankfully you saved me.

"The next day, the locket was destroyed and till the night before the third task, I couldn't get my hands on another horcrux. An imperiused Bellatrix brought me the Cup of Helga Hufflepuff and I finished it off.

"The Gaunt ring was sent to me by an unknown user of the Light via parcel along with a box," Harry said then took out the moleskin purse from his neck and retrieved the destroyed horcruxes as well as the box which Dumbledore had sent him. He handed her the letter too and Ginny gasped when she saw it.

"This – this is Master's handwriting and what is this box?"

Harry nodded. "That's why I asked him about it. He knew that Master had created horcruxes. And I think he has known it for a while but with no other lead, he might have left it for me to complete. Either way, the snake, Nagini was the last horcrux and I destroyed her before the ritual itself but one thing I don't understand is. . . this riddle." He showed her the riddle on the box and Ginny read and re-read it several times. 

"I think Moira and Death have left some task for us to do," Harry said, breaking the silence.

"So do they exist? Are they the reason why you returned back alive?" Ginny guessed. Harry nodded.

"I met my parents. After them, I saw you and Sirius in another room." Ginny's eyebrows rose. "I thought you were d-dead but then Moira and Death were disguised as you both to gain my trust. They told me that the only reason they are sparing me is because we have a task to complete which only we can do. You are supposed to be my other half," Harry added the last part as an afterthought. 

"So you are my other half?" Ginny questioned cheekily. The colour rose in Harry's cheeks nevertheless he nodded. "Aw, that's cute Mister."

"Ahem," Harry coughed. "I think we must get back to the topic. The answer to the riddle might be in the letter, y'know?"

I know I did not end it well but the word count exceeded 2k lol. 

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Miyoko x