Chapter 1
Ginny was just making her way down early to get breakfast, see couldn't sleep anymore and she knew her friends would be down later and well, she was starving. She was also exhausted she had been studying like crazy; she had wanted to do well on her exams. She would need top grades if she wanted her dream career not that she necessarily needed to study like crazy, she was naturally smart. In fact it was at the recommendation of several of her professors that she could move up a year if she chose but she didn't want to leave her friends, so chose not to do that.
She was just entering to the overwhelming smell of pancakes, bacon and sausage when her name was called.
"Hey Ginny, I was told to give you this," a boy she was sure the name was Martin something or other from her house held out a parchment for her to take.
"Thanks," she replied with a smile. She took the parchment completely oblivious to the small sigh the boy gave her when she smiled him.
Your presence is requested to the headmaster's office immediately.
"Well, looks like I gotta go to the headmaster's office," Ginny said nervously, chewing on her bottom lip. She gazed at the boy that was still in front of her, looking entranced at her mumbling, and looked at him curiously.
"Is something wrong? Are you all right?" she asked him kindly.
"W-what y-yeah I'm okay," he stuttered. Glancing down to his feet, he tried to hide his face very red face.
"Are you sure?" she asked confirming his suitable mental state, completely ignoring his blush or the reason for it.
"Yeah, I-I'm sure," he replied trying to sound convincing.
"Well if you're sure, do you think you could do me a favor?" she asked sweetly, not knowing that the smile she was giving the boy was making it hard for him to speak. The only thing the boy could do was to simply nod his head yes.
"Great! Thanks! Could you tell my friends where I've gone, I don't want them to think something has happened. Again," she muttered quietly.
"Y-y-yeah I can do t-that," he assured her that he would pass on the message to her friends when they arrived for breakfast.
"Thanks again, well I guess I better go. See ya," she waved and walked off, completely oblivious to his looks of longing.
Silently and slowly she made her way to the headmaster's office, wondering why she had been requested. The only thing she could think of was that he had indeed informed her mother of the "incidences" (there had been a few of them) and was now going to tell her what her mother had done to him. It was one of the "incidences" actually that made Ginny walk so slowly now, she was still paying for the consequences of that one. But the headmaster had promised that he would not tell her mother. If her mother was told, she knew she would have been sent home before she could say Merlin.
So engrossed was she in her thinking, she did not realize that she was in front of the headmaster's door until her hand twitched to knock. Glancing around, she realized her mistake immediately; quietly she cursed herself for not being more aware of her surroundings. Ginny couldn't remember passing anyone in the hallways and sincerely hoped she hadn't because if she had then it would only a matter of time before he heard what happened. And then…. She would never hear the end of it. Ginny shook her head she would have to deal with that if and when the time came. Ginny knocked on the door.
"Come in," was the reply she heard.
Turning the knob, she entered the office that she had visited on more occasions than she would have preferred. That was something she would never admit to her family except, perhaps, the twins.
"You requested to see me, headmaster?" she asked the wizard, as she moved to take her customary seat in front of the ancient desk.
She heard movement behind her, moving faster than a speeding snitch, she was out of her seat wand in had. Assuming the standard auror battle position, she looked at a face she hadn't seen in almost five years.
"P-professor Dumbledore?" she gasped.
"Yes, it is I," his eyes twinkling.
"Professor, what are you doing here?" she asked in little more than a whisper.
"Ahhh, that is easy Miss Weasley, I am here to take you home. It is time for you to return to England."
"Wait, Professor I don't understand. What do you mean, 'It's time for me to return to England'? I thought that everyone had decided it was best for me to remain here during the holidays?" asking several questions quickly.
"No, Miss Weasley you misunderstand me. It is time you return to England, permanently," he said
"But I still don't understand what about everything?" she asked completely baffled with the whole situation.
"I understand your concerns, however, things have unfortunately changed," Dumbledore gravely informed her.
"W-what do you mean? What's happened?" she asked hesitantly afraid that one of her family members might have gotten hurt.
"Lord Voldemort has returned," he announced.
"T-Tom, he's back?" she asked faintly throwing herself back into her seat. Face buried in hands she asked, "When? When did he return?"
"Two years ago," Dumbledore admitted hesitantly.
"What! Two years ago? And no one ever thought to tell me? Tom could have walked right up the front of the school and would have no idea because no one had the decency to tell me he was back." She knew that actually happening was highly unlikely considering that he would have no reason to look for her unless he remembered the diary and also because no one outside her family and close friends knew where she was.
"Why didn't anyone tell me?" she asked trying to reign in her anger.
"It was decided that the information was too precious to deliver through owl and since it is normally extremely hard to get an international portkey, the information what thought to not be necessarily needed. Besides, your family did not want you to get upset," he explained.
"Who decided?" she asked calmly. Trying to wait to see who it was that deserved her fury and bogeys.
"Your parents and I," he calmly told her, "we thought since you were here and the war would not touch you, it would best if you were not told."
Ginny gapped at the professor. She couldn't believe that they had made this huge decision without her consent.
"With all due respect professor, but the war, the same war that is being fought in England is being fought here as well," she stated coldly. However, she did not elaborate.
Dumbledore glanced at the headmaster of the school for any type of explanation but the headmaster was not forth coming with any information.
"Perhaps we should get back to the point, Albus?" asked the headmaster evenly.
"Yes, you're right Fernando back to the point. As I've said the situation has changed," he reiterated.
"What do you mean exactly, 'the situation has changed'? What situation and how has it changed?" asking as politely as possible, leaving no doubt that she was not over her anger.
"Well, it would seem that I am once again in need of a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Dumbledore told the room at large.
Ginny glanced to the headmaster and then back at Dumbledore, "What does your need of a new teacher have to do with anything?"
A knock on the door interrupted the answer Ginny's question.
"Headmaster you wished to see me?" asked Professor Adams.
"Hello Jonathan, it has been too long." Dumbledore greeted the professor happily.
"Hello Albus, it's been awhile, not since the last time you tried to recruit me to teach at your school," he smiled at the man unconcerned with the Dumbledore's obvious unhappiness at the point being thrown in his face.
"Yes, if I remember correctly, I tried and failed," he laughed jovially, his infamous twinkle was notably missing however. "Well, I am back again to ask if you would do me the honor of coming to teach at my school." Dumbledore asked the younger wizard.
"You have offered me this post before Albus, several times in fact, what makes you think that I will accept this time?" he asked the professor.
"Nothing really," Dumbledore admitted, "I just thought that perhaps you might enjoy continuing to teach Miss Weasley. I was of the understanding that she had become something of a protégé of yours."
"What?" startled he looked at the headmaster. Glancing pass the wizard in front of him, he saw the person he was looking for.
Dumbledore continued as if he had not been interrupted, "It would appear that one of your students will not be continuing with you next year. Miss Weasley will be returning to England to be with her family and then to Hogwarts." Dumbledore told Jonathan.
"And who decided this?" he asked barely glancing at the man, returning his gaze on his student.
Before Dumbledore could reply Ginny beat him to it, "Tom is back professor." Professor Adams seemed truly surprised to hear this and Ginny couldn't help but be happy, she honestly wasn't sure if the professor was aware of Tom being back or not but now she knew for certain that he had no idea. The professor nodded his head understanding the potential implications of that one sentence. "And as for the decision it was made for me, as was the decision to inform me of Tom's return. However I do want to go home, so I will not be returning next term." Ginny finished assuredly.
Dumbledore turned towards the young witch curiously, "Miss Weasley I was under the impression that you would be thrilled at the prospect of returning to Hogwarts, was I mistaken?" he asked, his gaze attempting to penetrate her soul.
She glared back at her now headmaster, unaffected by his soulful gaze or implication, "On the contrary professor, I am ecstatic to be going back however, I would very much appreciate if the decision to go back would be mine to decide." Ginny replied icily to her now reinstated headmaster. "However since I would have agreed anyways to return so I will not make to much fuss," she narrowed her eyes to the wizard, "but do not think that I will just let this go so easily." She nodded her head at her former headmaster and her ex-professor, glanced at Dumbledore and then left to pack.