GINNY WEASLEY AND THE CHOSEN THREE
Chapter One: Journey
By Annie Argo
Wednesday March 3rd, 2010
One of the first things I
learned when I took the job of nurse at Hogwarts was that the Hospital Wing
could become very lonely. When I didn't have and students to look after, I had
to sit in my office doing something…or at least pretending to do something
worthwhile. Now this could be easy or it could be hard, depending on what you
thought was important or worthwhile. On this March day, I found it was most
worthwhile to finish reading my latest romance novel, "The Wrong Bride." I was
just getting to the point where the groom realizes that it's the wrong woman
when there was a knock at my door. Quickly, I stood up smoothing my deep blue
robes down. I checked my appearance in the mirror. Every strand of my fire red
hair was pulled back in a lose bun on top of my head. My blue eyes were filled
with what someone once called a 'sympathetic and caring twinkle.' I put my best
smile on and opened the door after grabbing my wand from off my desk. When the
Headmaster or one of the teachers in sick, I am usually called down to their
private chambers to see how bad it is. If it is bad enough they are moved to
the Hospital Wing to be under my watch until they are better. That is why it
set an alarm off in my head when I saw Professor Dumbledore, looking healthy as
always, standing outside my office. He had an official looking man with him.
This man had on a silver and purple pinstriped suit and was carrying a black
bowler cap. He wore silver spectacles and had thinning silver hair, making a
bald spot on the top of his head.
"Good afternoon, Dr. Weasley,"
said the man as he and Dumbledore stepped past me into the office, "Allow me to
introduce myself. I am Tobias Walton, head of the Protection of Dangerous Magic
Artifacts department at the ministry. You, Doctor, are one of the three most
important women to me at the moment." Mr. Walton had a sparkle in his eye as he
said this. Noticing my novel that was still in plain sight on my desk I quickly
moved it out of site.
"One of the three most
important women to you at the moment, eh?" I murmured. Had he been around my
age (and had Dumbledore not been present). I might have started to flirt. But
seeing how he looked old enough to be my father and Dumbledore was in the room,
I decided to play it safe and ask a question. "Why is that, Mr. Walton?" I racked
through my brain, I was sure I'd heard his name before. Mr. Walton, however,
didn't answer my question. Dumbledore spoke first.
"Do you know what the
Chalice of Clarity is?" he asked me. I knew I'd heard it somewhere, but for the
life of me I couldn't think of where I'd heard it or what it was. I shook my
head.
"The Chalice of Clarity,"
Mr. Walton said, taking over the job of explaining, "is a most unusual object.
At the ministry building it is kept under lock and key." I pounced on the
opportunity that he gave me to ask a question when he paused for a dramatic
effect (I suppose).
"Why? Is it that dangerous,
sir?" I asked, fascinated. All my life, I'd been kept away from bad things.
Right before my second year at Hogwarts, my family had taken a trip to visit my
brother Bill in Egypt. While we were there, my mum wouldn't even allow me to go
inside some of the pyramids even with my older brothers. But then again, that
could be why she wouldn't let me go inside them. Mr. Walton's voice brought me
back from the memories that were playing inside my mind like a film without
sound.
"Dr. Weasley? Are you all
right?" I could feel my face burning with embarrassment.
"Yes, I'm fine. My mind
just drifted elsewhere. I'm sorry. What were you saying, Mr. Walton?" I asked,
praying that the blush would drain from my face. It did, but it took its own
sweet time.
"Right," Mr. Walton cleared
his throat and continued. "The Chalice of Clarity can be dangerous. Oh dear,
how to explain it all? Right. Well, I guess I'd better start at the beginning.
Years and Years ago, shortly after Hogwarts was formed, there were three
powerful witches. Their names were Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and
Glynda Gryffindor.
"Rowena and Helga, as you
should know, were two founders of Hogwarts. Glynda was Godric Gryffindor's
younger sister. We'll never know why, but these three young women created the
Chalice of Clarity. However good their intentions were, what they created was
bad."
"Sir," I interrupted, "If
they were powerful witches, couldn't they make the Chalice of Clarity less bad?
Even good?" I was under the impression that powerful witches could do anything.
Later, as I thought back on these days, I would laugh at my naïve ideas and
pictures I'd drawn for myself about the way the world works.
"They might have been able
to if they had the magical knowledge that we have now, or if the most powerful
of the three witches hadn't died. Rowena was poisoned by none other than
Salazar Slytherin himself. But that, my dear girl, is another story." I was
slightly offended by his calling me 'dear girl.' I was, after all, turning 23
in August. I thought better of mentioning that to him. Instead I listened as he
continued the story.
"When Rowena died, Helga
and Glynda did their best to keep their spirits up, but they knew that the
Magical World as they knew it would soon be over. It had taken all three of the
witches' power to keep Slytherin from getting his hands on the Chalice. With
it, he would be able to wreak havoc and cause chaos that would be very terrible. Even the thought of it drew
shivers to the bravest.
"The remaining two witches
found a solution. Using all their powers, they charmed the Chalice so that it
could only be used by the chosen three. The effort involved in charming it
coast Glynda her life and Helga was the only one left. After recovering, Helga
cast an ancient charm. This one would cause a new chosen three as the last
chosen one dies.
"All three witches are
needed to use the Chalice, or destroy it. Without them, all hope is lost once
again."
"That's quite a nice story,
sir, but I still don't understand why you're telling it to me." Mr. Walton gave
me a look that clearly said 'How can a doctor be this dense?'
"You, Virgina Ann Weasley,
are one of the Chosen Three!" Mr. Walton spoke in a voice that was barely above
a whisper. Never, in all my life, would I have thought that I, Ginny Weasley,
secret admirer of the famous Harry Potter, and younger sister of Harry's
sidekick, would ever become as important as Mr. Walton was making me sound.
Looking back, years from now, I will frown at my lack of confidence in myself.
At the moment, however I was sure he was making a mistake.
"Me? One of the Chosen
Three? Merlin's beard…" I whispered. Then another question came to my mind. "Who
are the other two?" Mr. Walton shifted uneasily in his chair. I looked
worriedly from him to Dumbledore, who was sitting quietly with a grave look on
his face.
"That's why Mr. Walton is
here today, Ginny." Dumbledore said. He sounded unusually tired. True, he was
getting on in his years, but for the half of my life that I'd known him, he never
sounded tired.
"If you're trying to tell
me that I'm supposed to know who they are, I assure you that I do not!" I spoke
quickly.
"No, doctor, that's now
what I'm implying at all." Mr. Walton looked as tired as Dumbledore.
"Then what-?" The meeting
was making me feel more confused than I'd ever felt.
"In the room that the Chalice
is kept in, there is a parchment and a magical quill much like the one that is
here at Hogwarts. But instead of recording al the magic children when they are
born, this quill records the chosen three when they are chosen.
"The problem is this: the
list has been stolen. We believe that it was You-Know-Who." Mr. Walton glanced
at Dumbledore then sighed and continued, "All right, Voldemort." Mr. Walton and
I shuddered at the name. "We think that he has stolen the listen along with the
Chalice itself. This means that you're in grave danger." My head started to
spin from this new information. Sure, I'd survived Tom Riddle in my first year,
but that was only because of Harry coming to my rescue. When You-Know-Who has
you on his 'to kill' or 'to capture'
lists, you will most likely die. Harry is probably the sole survivor of
You-Know-Who unless you count me surviving.
"If the list was stolen,
Mr. Walton, how do you know for sure that I'm one of the chosen three?" I
asked, scarcely breathing. I prayed with all my heart that neither of the men
would stand up and say. 'You are completely right, Doctor. Sorry to waste your
time.'
"I accompanied Dorothy Gale
as she visited each of the three chosen witches when you were babies. Dorothy
was a chosen witch herself. I remember you being a chosen witch because of your
family." I blushed deep red at this comment. Everyone always remembered my
family. "I grew up with your father, and of course you mother was so pleased
that she baked me three cheery pies. I made the mistake of taking a piece of
pie to work one day…her pies are famous now." Mr. Walton smiled as if he was
remembering the taste of the pies.
"Ginny, because Voldemort
knows who the chosen three are and he has the Chalice you three are in danger."
Dumbledore said.
"Do you know what this
means?" Mr. Walton asked me. A million different ideas flew into my head, but I
was unsure of which, if any, would be right, so I shook my head.
"You'll need to go into
hiding. Go start packing. You'll need to leave with Tobias tonight. Tell only
who you must good-bye." Dumbledore spoke urgently.
"But who will run the
Hospital Wing? And what about my family?" Question upon question filled my
mind, but, sensing the situation's urgency, I only asked the two that were most
important to me.
"Madame Pomfrey has agreed
to come out of retirement until the end of the year." As if on cue. The elderly
witch came into my office. She took one look at me, and swept me into her arms.
"You poor girl! Where
should I put my things, Albus?" The hug was too quick for me to react in any
way.
"Here will be fine for
now," he said, pointing to the floor in front of my desk. "Ginny, you must
start packing." Dumbledore stood up. "Come Tobias. We have much to discuss."
The two men bade us a goodbye and left. I stood up.
"I'll keep the Wing while
you're packing, Ginny," Madame Pomfrey turned her sad gaze on me. I guessed
that she already knew that You-Know-Who was after me.
"Thanks," I murmured as I
stood up and went into my bedroom. In hours I was stripped of my job and
freedom. Slowly I reached down and started to pack my clothes. When I was
halfway done, I glanced at my watch and saw that it was dinner time. I pulled
my hair down and brushed it.
I was a few minutes late
for dinner. The only seat available was between Snape and Tobias. Rather listen
to what Snape and Professor Vector were talking about, I turned my attention to
the conversation between Mr. Walton and Professor McGonagall.
"How many steps does it
take to get an elephant into a refrigerator?" Mr. Walton asked, smiling in a
flirtatious manor towards my former professor.
"I don't know," she sighed,
"how many??
"Three. Open the door, put
elephant in, close door!" Mr. Walton roared with laughter at his own joke that
was far from funny. The site of him laughing so hard that it was turning his
face red, however, made the whole staff table start laughing. Even Snape
cracked a smile. Soon Mr. Walton's contagious laughter had made its way
throughout most of the students. Over half the students were laughing. When the
laughter died down, Dumbledore stood up to make an announcement. The whole
student body and staff fell silent.
"Today, Dr. Weasley, was
force into early and temporary retirement. One behalf of the school I'd like to
wish her luck on her future journeys." The whole hall burst out into applause
(save the Slytherins) as my face turned very red. Then, Dumbledore continued. "Here
to finish out the year, is Madame Pomfrey, who has graciously come out of
retirement." Madame Pomfrey gave a curt nod in the direction of the students as
polite applause (along with many groans as most of the students said they liked
me better) ran out.
After dinner, Dumbledore
led me into his office. When we walked in, I expected it to be empty. There
were four men standing by the fire: Harry Potter, my brother, Ron, Mr. Walton,
and a man I'd never seen before. He had honey blonde hair and when he turned
around (with the other three) I saw that he had brown eyes. I expected Ron,
being the over-protective older brother that he is, to run over and demand how
I got myself in this situation. But he didn't. I smiled at Harry, Ron, and Mr.
Walton as I sat down in the seat that Dumbledore motioned for me to sit in. As
Dumbledore waved his wand, four chairs magically appeared. Then men sat down in
them as Dumbledore sat in his chair behind the desk.
"Ginny, this is Ethan
Longacre," Dumbledore said, indicating the man with honey blond hair. "I
daresay you know the others?" He smiled as I nodded and continued.
"Ethan, this is Dr. Virgina
Weasley. There is little time. Ginny are you packed?" Dumbledore turned his
penetrating gaze on me.
"Almost. I was almost done,
but it was time for dinner." I said. Ron gave a frustrated sigh and, out of the
corner of my eye, I saw him roll his eyes at harry who gave a small smile. I
sent a scowl in their direction.
"As soon as we're done
talking, you and Ron go back to your room and finish packing. Harry, Ron,
Ethan, and Tobias will be escorting you to a safe house tonight. Tobias will be
staying with you while Harry, Ron, and Ethan, with your help, try to find the
other chosen two. Now go, Ginny. May God be with you." He said the last part so
softly I almost thought I'd imagined it. I nodded and stood up and left the
room with Ron right behind me. We walked down the deserted hallways in silence.
Finally we reached the Hospital Wing. The poor student that Madame Pomfrey was
attending sent me a pleading look when she looked away. I stifled a giggle and
led Ron to my room. We packed my things in silence.
Finally I spoke. "Does mum
know all about this?" I asked Ron.
"She knows about you being
in a guardian and that you're going into hiding." We were silent again. When everything
was packed, I pulled on my black cloak. I didn't speak again until we were
almost to the Great Hall.
"Had you heard of the
Chalice of Clarity before now?" I asked, assuming he even knew what the Chalice
was.
"I remember mum muttering 'and
they think the Chalice of Clarity will be safe with her? Lets hope the other
two are more responsible than her' when you'd do something stupid."
"I never do anything that
is in the slightest bit stupid!" as if
on cue, I tripped over my feet.
"Right," Ron said as he
helped me up, "you never do anything stupid."
"Shut it, you." I brushed
the dirt of my robes. Harry, Tobias, and Ethan were waiting in the hall for us.
"Albus couldn't see us off.
Some poor kid's got a detention." Mr. Walton said as he saw me looking around
for the old wizard.
"Right," Ethan said,
speaking for the first time that I'd heard him. "Should we start? We have a
long way to go." We all headed out the door.
"Here's the plan," Ethan
said quietly to us we were outside, "we fly to the Three Broomsticks. Have a
butterbeer and a rest. Then we take floo Powder to our first destination. We
stay the night there. Then tomorrow we'll take the Muggle train to safe point
number two. We'll stay until nightfall then fly to the final destination."
"Where are these different
safe points?" I asked curiously.
"Curiosity killed the cat."
Ron muttered dryly. I stuck my tongue out at him, then turned back to Ethan.
"Can't say. They're Unplottable."
I sighed getting the feeling that they were hiding something from me. Then
again, I got that feeling a lot. Ethan handed me a broom and we were off.
I always loved flying. I
reveled in the coolness of the night air and silkiness of the moonlight against
my skin. I closed my eyes for a second, letting go of all my hears. Then,
remembering where I was, I quickly opened them again. We flew for what felt
like an eternity. Finally we reached Hogsmeade. At the outskirts of town, we
landed and walked to the Three Broomsticks.
"Damn!" Ethan muttered as
we walked in there. At tables everywhere, reporters were armed with Quick Note
Quills and Cameras.
"Where are they doing
here?" I asked. From what I understood, we didn't want anyone to know where I
was.
"A lot of people know that
you're a chosen one," Harry said quietly, "I guess that someone overheard us
when we said that we'd be at the Three Broomsticks." The reporters immediately
started to take pictures of us and they started to yell questions, none of
which could be understood. Harry and Ron led me to a table while Ethan got the
drinks. Ron and Harry talked quietly while I stared at the press. They were in
my face asking questions. My mind was elsewhere so I didn't hear what they were
saying. Suddenly I recognized one of the front photographers. It was Colin
Creevy, a boy who had been in my year at Hogwarts. I bit my tongue to keep from
saying anything to them. Mr. Walton and Ethan came back with the Butterbeers. I
took a sip of mine. Ever so slowly the weariness that I'd been fighting took
over. I laid my head down in my arms on the table and feel asleep.
I was flying over a
desert. I was not flying on a broom or carpet, but on the air, it seemed. I saw
a long figure in the sand, sitting. Slowly, I floated down to where she was.
She looked up at me. She had long straight black hair, violet eyes and a
delicate frame. She placed a cool hand on my forehead. In a soft slur she said,
"I am Gwendolen Chant."
I felt someone shaking me.
With all my strength, I opened one heavily eyelid and then the other to see
four anxious faces staring at me. Ron was considerably paler than normal.
"You all right?" he asked
me. I nodded my head. All four sighed heavily in relief.
"Why?" I asked. Harry and
Ron exchanged a look, then Ron started to speak, but Mr. Walton cut him off.
"Tell her. She must know."
Mr. Walton said firmly.
"You're voice went all deep
and you called out a name," Ron said, "It was-"
"Gwendolen Chant," I
whispered and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. Mr. Walton nodded.
"This means that after you
are in safety, we look for her without you." Harry said, emphasizing the last
sentence.
"But-" I started to
protest, but Ethan cut me off.
"It would be too dangerous
to have you go with us as we try and find her. Our job is to find the chosen
three and bring them to safety. If we took you with us, we wouldn't be doing
our job correctly." I nodded glumly. It all made perfect sense whether I liked
it or not.
"Let's get out of here,
now!" Harry hissed. As we were leaving the Three Broomsticks, I heard a voice.
"Ginny!" I automatically I
turned my head to see who it was: Colin. He snapped a picture before Harry and
Ron steered me out of the building.
"We can't let that happen
again!" Mr. Walton said as we stepped into a dark alley.
"Here, Ginny." Harry threw
something at me. When I caught it, I could no longer see my hands(for the
silvery material was covering it) but saw the ground instead. It was an
Invisibility Cloak!
"Keep that on you at all
times, Ginny, and for Merlin's sake keep up with us!" Ron said as I slipped the
cloak over my head.
"Now grab your broom and
lets walk to Lavender's house. We'll take Floo Powder to our safe house from
there." Ethan whispered. We kept in the shadows as we walked to a lovely brick
house. Ethan walked up to the door and knocked on it three times. The door
opened and a very pretty brunette opened the door.
"Oh, hello, Ethan. Won't
you come in?" Lavender's blue eyes showed no recognition in them as I looked
into her eyes as I passed her. They showed only a calm peacefulness that
frightened me. We walked to her fireplace.
Ethan
walked up to it, and, throwing a pinch of powder in it, he yelled "Aberilla
Cove!" and stepped into the fire. Harry motioned for me to go next.
"Aberilla Cove!" I yelled and stepped into the
flames. I'd done this so many times, it seemed to come naturally to me. When I
stumbled out of the fireplace, I was alone. I stood up and looked at my surroundings.
There was an oriental rug on the stone floor. The furniture was cheap that was
made to look grand. Harry followed me into the room and Ron was last.
"Hallo?" Ron called out. Ethan came into the room
followed by a stately woman with gray hair that was pulled back in a bun.
"This way, Miss Weasley, I will show you to your
room." The lady said. As we walked through the halls, I spoke to the lady who
did not seem to keen on speaking to me.
"Is this your house, ma'am?" I asked her.
"No, miss, I am only the keeper. Master Ethan is
the owner now that his father has passed away. Here is your room. My name is
Gabriella. If you need anything, just ring that bell by your bed." She closed
the doors behind me and I was left to look at my surroundings. The room was
pretty much bare. There was a four
poster bed with white spreads, a wooden wardrobe and nightstand and a
fireplace. On the far side of the room from the bed, there was a door that I
suspected led to a bathroom. I took my overnight bag that contained a set of
Muggle clothes that Ron had brought from home and put it at the foot of the
bed. I pulled a nightgown out of it and quickly changed. I feel into my bed
and, after muttering "Nox" I feel asleep.
What woke me up the next morning was the smell of
food. I opened my eyes to see Gabriella holding a tray of steaming food. My
mouth watered.
"Master Ethan says that you are to stay up here and
get ready and you are not to come down until he calls for you." Gabriella said
in her severe voice. I nodded mutely.
"So they want to keep me prisoner. Why not? Its not
like I had anywhere to go." I muttered to myself.
"I would kindly ask you to refrain from speaking
badly of Master Ethan," Gabriella said, making it sound like I was some
insolent little child while Ethan was some great big hero. He couldn't have
been that much older than me.
"Maybe I was speaking horribly of my brother," I
shot back.
"Do not speak harshly of Master Ethan's
associates." Gabriella said coldly.
"Oh all right!" I snapped. She smiled coolly and
left the room. I picked up my fork and started to eat my breakfast, some of my
appetite gone.
I wasn't summoned until much later that day. To my
dismay, Ethan used magic to summon me and I was in the middle of a nap. When I
didn't respond, he had to send an angry Ron up to get me.
"How was I supposed to know he was going to use
magic to summon me? I thought he'd send that old bad, Gabriella, to come get
me."
"That 'old bat' has been very gracious to us,
Ginny. You should be thanking her on bended knee along with Mr. Walton, Ethan,
Harry and I for taking you to safety." Ron scowled.
"Oh, you make this seem like its what I wanted or
what I planned! How do you think it is on me? You-Know-Who is after me and I'll
probably not live for mum to see her grandchildren, or for me to get married at
all! But no, don't worry about how this is affecting me. You are all high and
mighty. Whisk me away from the life I'd grown to love, then blame everything on
me!" a sob escaped my throat. Ron put his arm around my shoulders and sighed as
he pulled me close. Tears started falling rapidly from my eyes.
"Ginny, you know we can't help that You-Know-Who
wants you." He started. I supposed that he was trying to make me feel better.
"Shut it Ron. I didn't say that you were making him
want me. I'm just asking for you to try to understand my position in all this."
I narrowed my eyes and glared at him. We stopped in the middle of the main
staircase. I saw Harry, Mr. Walton and Ethan waiting at the bottom of it.
"Your position, as you seem to want to make it, is
the weeping victim," he hissed at me, "but that's not your part in the play we
call Life. You are to be the Heroine. But you can't get to be that part if we
go all soft on you. You along with Gwendolen and the third witch need to be
tough enough to face the future. Do you think You-Know-Who is going to ask if
it hurts if he attacks?" I cracked a teary smile as I pictured You-Know-Who
with a look of concern on his face as he tortures Gwendolen and I. "I didn't
think so. Now, lets go. We've got a long day ahead of us." I walked down the
rest of the stairs. For the first time, I was grateful to have a brother like
Ron. I didn't tell him this, of course. His head was swollen enough as it was.
Harry and Ron exchanged a look as Ron and I arrived downstairs. All five of us
walked out the door. I had the urge to stick my tongue out at Gabriella as she
shut the door behind us, but I remembered what Ron had said and I didn't want
him to be cross with me again, so I stared straight ahead.
When we were on the train, I spoke to Ethan (Ron
and Harry were having a quiet conversation, about me no doubt and Mr. Walton
was writing in a book).
"How long is the train ride?" I asked him.
"Five hours, at the shortest." I groaned and he
smiled.
"Where are we going? And for that matter,
where are we?" I asked him. He chuckled.
"Can't tell you. Sorry." I looked out the window
for a second. If it was going to be a long train ride, I might as well try and
make conversation with Ethan.
"How long has Gabriella been employed with you?" I
asked politely.
"Nearly all my life. You didn't like her, did you?"
he asked me, not unkindly, but rather like a friend would ask another friend.
"Not really. She seemed to think a lot of you. She
forbid me to speak harshly of my own brother!" I shook my head.
"When I was little, she was my governess until I
went to Hogwarts. I hated her then. I think she had something for my father," a
brief flicker of sadness crossed his face and he continued, "but when I
graduated from Hogwarts she was a bit nicer to me. Then I got a high ranking
job. I'm Mr. Walton's assistant. When my father died, she began to think that I
was all that the world needed to run. It gives me the creeps, though. That
whole house does, but its been in the family for years, so I guess I can't do
anything about it until she gets too old to work." I smiled. Ethan was very
easy to talk to.
"You were at Hogwarts? What house were you in? I was
in Gryffindor." I smiled proudly.
"I was in Ravenclaw in the year above your
brother." For the whole five hours, Ethan and I talked about everything and
nothing. We'd become close friends by the time the train stopped. We didn't
have far to walk before we reached a small white cottage with a white picket
fence.
"You go first, Harry." Ethan instructed. Harry
walked up to the door and knocked on it three times just as Ethan had done at
Lavender's house. The door opened and an old man opened the door. He looked
oddly familiar in the way that a dog or cat would look familiar to someone
who'd seen it a few times.
"Come in, come in," the old man said in a raspy
voice. We all followed him in. the house was dark; he had no lights on. I had
to blink a few times before my eyes adjusted. There was a large, squishy couch
on one end, a round table, five chairs, a kitchen and three doors, leading off
to different rooms.
"Mr. Hill, this is Dr. Weasley. Ginny, this is Mr.
Hill." Harry made the introductions. Mr. Hill seemed to know the others and
vice versa.
"This way, Doctor." Mr. Hill said. Slowly, he
crossed the room to the couch. "You'll be sleeping in here. My room is the
first door. The second door is where Mr. Potter and Mr. Longacre will be
sleeping, and the third door is the bathroom."
"Where is my brother staying?" I asked. My heart
had sunk when I found out that I'd be sleeping on the couch.
"He offered to stay on the floor in here with you."
Mr. Hill glided away. Ethan crossed the small room.
"We'll need to get some rest. It will take all
night to get to our final destination." Ethan said to me. I looked at my watch.
It was 5:00 PM. I nodded. Ron pulled out his wand and produced a fluffy purple
sleeping bag, much like the ones we'd used during my second year at Hogwarts
when Sirius Black had "attacked" the castle. I sank down onto the couch. It was
way more comfortable than my bed at home had been. Even though I'd rested not
too long ago, as I lay down on the couch, I felt my tiredness catch up on me. Minutes
later, as I drifted to sleep, someone laid a quilt over me and whisperer:
"'Nigh, Gin."
When Ron woke me up later that night, I was fully
rested and ready to ride on a broomstick no matter how long it would take us.
Ethan was standing over the stove, making something that smelled delicious.
"What are you making, Ethan?" I asked as I crossed the small room.
"Cheese omelets," Ethan said, grinning, "I learned it from my yank cousin."
"They smell really good. Are they almost done?" I looked at the skillet. A
yellow blob was being cooked.
"Yeah, the first one's done. You can have it." He
slid the yellow blob onto a plate and handed it to me. Carefully, I took a bite
of it. The omelet was as good as it smelled. By the time omelets had been made
for Mr. Hill, Harry, Ron, and Ethan, it was pitch black outside. I glanced at
my watch as we headed out the door. It was 9:00 PM.
True to Ethan's word, it did take all night to get
to our final destination. Stripes of pink were just beginning to tint the sky
when we arrived. The house was huge. There had to be at least 50 bedrooms in
the house. No telling how many bathrooms, dining rooms, and parlors it had. I
gasped.
"Nice place, eh? The Ministry confiscated it years
ago and they just recently realized still had it." Mr. Walton scowled darkly at
the thought of how disorganized the Ministry was.
"You know Fudge is doing is best, Mr. Walton. You
know he's been under a lot of stress lately with Voldemort coming back and
everything." Only Ron and Mr. Walton flinched as Ethan said 'Voldemort.' I was
becoming used to the name, as it was so quickly associated with my position in
life at the moment.
"I know, but the Ministry was disorganized before
Voldemort." Mr. Walton sighed.
"I guess it
must be a lot of work trying to those pesky Muggles from finding out about us.
But enough about that." Mr. Walton stepped inside first. Once all of us were
inside, Harry lifted his wand to the door way and muttered something that I
could not hear. The whole doorway glowed red for a moment. He'd put up
protections.
"This house is huge! It looks a lot bigger
on the inside than on the outside. How many rooms does it have?" Ron asked,
looking around. All our lives we'd lived at the Burrow and this was a big
improvement. The thought of home made my heart pang. Vaguely I heard Mr. Walton
answer Ron, but my thoughts were on my brothers. What were they doing now? Did
they all know about my…situation? Were they worried? Of course they're
worried! A little voice inside my head told me. I shook my head
unnoticeably to get the questions out of my head.
"I'll show you to your room now, doctor," Mr.
Walton said, waving a hand behind him (he had his back towards me), motioning
for me to follow him. I did. We walked up the grand marble stair case, up a
side stair, down a corridor, more stair, another corridor, and so on.
"Are we almost there?" I asked, breathing hard.
"Only half way. I was told to put you in the tower
room at the top." Mr. Walton said cheerfully. Like the miller's daughter in 'Rumplestiltskin,'
I thought to myself. When I was little, we weren't able to afford
much, so I always had hand me downs. My most treasured hand me down was my
mum's old Brothers Grimm fairy tales book. I always loved reading about how
Muggles perceived magic.
"Can we rest then?" I asked. Before he could answer
I plopped down in a large chair that was conveniently sitting beside where I'd
been standing in the hallway. Mr. Walton sat down in the chair across from me.
He wiped is forehead with a handkerchief that he'd produced from thin air with
his wand. I sat thinking about trying to produce a glass of lemonade when Harry
and Ron down the corridor, closely trailed by my poor brother who'd never been
very athletic.
"Blimey, I don't envy you, Gin," Ron heaved as the
three stopped by us.
"I expect a full apartment when I get up to the
tower room. Either that or Floo powder to travel to other parts of the house or
an easier way to get downstairs. If there isn't I may just die because I won't
be leaving that area of the house-or should I say castle?-once I get up there."
I said crossly. I was sure that others
would be staying downstairs.
"Um…" Mr. Walton looked uncomfortable for a moment
while Ron doubled over in laughter at my unfortunate luck.
"Floo Powder…" Ethan said as he sat down on the
floor (there were no other chairs empty).
"Yeah, you know that stuff we used to get to your
house from Lavender's place," I said slowly, as if I was talking to someone who
was a few sandwiches short of a picnic. I know it was rude, but I was cross,
and thinking of having to make this trip more than once everyday was not making
my mood better.
"You know, I don't think the Ministry has visited
this house in years. I don't think they knew how big it was. It has been
magically protected from deteriorating and from thieves." Mr. Walton stood up
again. "I think we should be getting along. We don't have all day, you know." I
wanted to point out that we did have all day as it was only 7 AM, but I was
too cross to even speak, so I chose to be silent instead.
"I've got it! It will take me a few days, and I
think that Ginny should stay closer to the bottom floor, but we could get this
house wired to the Floo system. Room by room, you know? But probably only one
on each floor." Ethan said, a grin spreading on his face.
"Brilliant!" I said, smiling back at him.
"How long do you think it will take? You'll need to
be back at the office soon enough." Mr. Walton said, frowning.
"I'm not sure, but if someone is needed at the
office, I could stay here with one of these two, and help out with the wiring.
It will take a lot of work, and if we all help we'd all be worn out by the end
of the day." Ethan said. His eyes were locked with Mr. Walton's as if they were
making a silent contract. Well, I thought to myself, they are. Ethan's
promising not to do anything to me that Mr. Walton wouldn't do.
"All right. Owl me when you're done. Include no
names. Now, lets go downstairs. Can you cook, Virginia?" Mr. Walton asked me.
"Ginny, Mr. Walton. Everyone calls me Ginny. And
yes, I can cook a bit." I answered. I could hear Ron laughing. I turned and
glared at him, but the look was wasted on him, as he had his eyes closed.
"A bit? Ginny, be serious. She's practically a
protégée of our mum," Ron said. The blush crept up to my face again.
"Well, lets go downstairs and Virginia- er, Ginny-
can whip us up a wonderful meal." Mr. Walton said. We all turned around, and
slowly started to descend to the first floor.
Disclaimer: Tobias Walton (Van Reid); Ethan Longacre (Lurlene
McDaniel); Gwendolen Chant (Diana Wynne Jones); Dorothy Gale (Frank L. Baum);
Ginny Weasley, Voldemort, Ron Weasley, Harry Potter, Molly Weasley, Arthur
Weasley, Lavender Brown, Albus Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Professor
Snape, Professor Vector, Bill Weasley, Madame Pomfrey, Cornelius Fudge, Colin
Creevy, Rowena Ravenclaw, Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin and Helga
Hufflepuff and other ideas such as Unplottable-ness (J.K. Rowling) don't belong
to me. Their authors are in the parenthesis. Mr. Hill, Glynda Gryffindor, and
Gabriella belong to me as does the Chalice of Clarity. The elephant joke
belongs to Tropical Fishy (last I knew) and Merlin owns his own beard.
ALL FFN OFFICIALS: PLEASE READ MY DISCLAIMER!!!
Author's note: er- you can't be too careful now-a-days, can you?
Anyways. This is my first story about HP. I'm looking for a British person who
has AIM. I need you to help me with Brit. slang and so forth. Also, I'm in need
of a beta reader. Thanks for reading, don't forget to drop a note. And
remember: They don't serve breakfast in Hell :-)
