Gin'n'Tonic Time Travels
by Peace Revolution
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Ginny rose and washed, before throwing on her stifling Quiditch robes. She reached for her broom, and after checking the bristles, dove down the stairs and out of the Fat Lady's portrait.
She raced down the Hogwarts staircases, which were frustrating, having have to wait for them to land each time. At last she made it out to the courtyard, and after weaving around, she leapt onto her broom and rose into the chilly morning air.
The grass was icy beneath her as she flew towards the Quidditch pitch. The air was freezing; it felt like icicles were forming around her hood. She was glad she'd worn trousers and not jeans.
The Quidditch pitch was empty. Ginny unlocked the Chaser balls and began practice in earnest. She thought about using the Snitch, but it was best to keep at Chaser practice. Harry may be busy this year, but he was still their Seeker.
She brushed thoughts of Harry aside; he was dating Cho Chang.
What Ginny wanted to be more than anything was to be his girlfriend, and next she wanted to be Seeker. But that wasn't possible, so she was aiming for the Chaser try-outs. It was easy catching the Quaffle when she'd been doing it half her life at the Burrow.
Like now. She slipped the Quaffle through the hoop and it bounced off the back. She caught it again with, "Wingardium leviosa," and spelled it to float round in a circle, whilst she avoided the sole bludger.
Then for fun, she let fly the snitch. She caught it almost immediately again, its small hummingbird-like wings pressing into her palm.
Just then, Katie Bell approached the Quidditch pitch, robes done up against the cold. "Hey!" she cried. "You're up early. Fancy practising with me?"
"Sure," replied Ginny, letting go of the snitch. "I'll go get the other bludger."
"No need. I can't believe you're practising with one already."
Katie Bell said, "It's my last year. Fancy trying out for Chaser, Ginny?"
Ginny blushed. "Yes, but if anything happens to Harry, I want to be Seeker. But I love being a Chaser," she gushed. "It's my favourite position at home."
"I'll be Keeper, then," said Katie. She got in front of the hoop and raised one arm. "You try to get past me."
Ginny swerved and ducked but couldn't just make it. The ball went wide, and she panted to retrieve it. She had warmed up nicely in her robes, which was just as well. Snowflakes had drifted down and turned lazily in the air.
Then lightening struck the Whomping Willow. Thunder growled across the sky, and snowflakes started pouring out faster and faster.
"We'll need to take shelter," cried out Katie. She retrieved the Quaffle from where they'd been practising.
"The snitch!" cried out Ginny. She watched it zip amongst the snowflakes. "I'll get it!"
Lightning lashed out across the dark thundery sky. The snitch was almost lost in a snowstorm of flakes, when she made out some golden flick down away to the left. She dived, snow whiskering her hood and eyes, and tried to grab it once, twice… thrice. It lay tantalisingly out of grasp. Ginny breathed in, and got lost.
.
She awoke in the Infirmary, with the curtains tightly closed and a sign on her bed reading, "Ginny Weasley, older. Could be time travelling? See A. Dumbledore for details."
She snuck off the bed to use the chamber pot as quietly as possible. When she had finished, Madam Pomfrey tucked one curtain aside.
"Oh, good, you're awake, Miss Weasley." She said. "I'll get Prof. Dumbledore." She bustled off.
"Yes, I'm fine," she almost called after her. She kicked at the bed instead. What a lousy year she'd turned out into. She wondered which year she'd been sent to. Oh no, it better not had been her first… That meant she was still writing to Tom Riddle, the Dark Lord.
It didn't take long to locate the snitch. It was tangled up in her pocket, still whirring off and on. She calmed it down with a Quidditch spell, and put it back, after feeling its tiny wings.
Then she calmed herself down, after peering out around the curtains and tiptoeing over to the large potion set. She selected a vial of Pepperup potion, and drank it down.
She was rinsing out the vial absent-mindedly, when she heard footsteps. She dove back into the billowing curtains and sat upon the bed.
"Ah, Miss Weasley," said McGonagall. "We see no evidence of time-travel upon your person. Only your robes were wet. Ah, I see you've quelled the snitch. We couldn't switch it off for some time-travel reason, just in case you used up your allotted time unit and were sent back to the future."
Ginny said, "I was practising at the Quidditch pitch during a snowstorm." She shivered at the memory.
McGonagall smiled. "Keen, very keen, Miss Weasley. You'll be a fine member of the team, no doubt."
"What year is it?" asked Ginny, her heart sinking.
"1992, October. We warn you not to venture out into the grounds due to the high Dementor population, that you no doubt remember. Sirius Black is still on the loose!" She leant in. "And no doubt you remember us catching him, but you should not tell us anything, not in the slightest."
"Yes, Professor," she replied, heart lifting despite the Dementor presence. "How do I get back home?"
"To the Burrow?"
"No, to 1996, of course!"
"Whatever caused you to time travel – the storm – is very rare. We'll have to make do at our end. Or await news from the Ministry from your time, who'll come to fetch you. I do so hope it's not too far in the future…
"Meanwhile," she continued before Ginny could get a word in edgeways. "You'll continue with your lessons here in the Infirmary because of course you cannot return to Gryffindor Tower. Ah, I almost forgot! Professor Dumbledore really needs to speak with you over another matter. We thought you may have come to this time especially over a certain diary." She peered at Ginny over her square spectacles. "It's been destroyed of course, we told you that, but—"
"Told me what?" asked Ginny, her mouth hanging open. "You mean Tom's still around."
"Well, the horcrux has gone, and the pages are blank. We presume that he's dead, for want of a better word. You'd better talk to Dumbledore." McGonagall slipped her a small bronze ornament. "Off you go!"
Ginny departed as soon as the portkey activated.
