Disclaimer: The Harry Potter franchise belongs to J.K. Rowling.
A/N: So here is the start of a new fic, this one being a TomxGinny time travel story. :) It will be quite dark and angsty, so if that isn't your cup of tea, this might not be for you. This first bit is more of a prologue and will be further explained in the next chapter, so to get a feel for the story please check out the next update! Enjoy…
Mirrors
Chapter One
For Harry
Fear and panic in the air
I want to be free
From desolation and despair
And I feel like everything I sow
Is being swept away
Well I refuse to let you go
"Map of the Problematique" - Muse
...The scream of anguish ripped through my lips before I even registered that I was making a sound. It bounced off the rock cliffs and returned to my ears in a mocking dance, reverberating around my skull. The raindrops were ice on my aching body, but as the tears fell, I could soon no longer tell what came from the heavens and what came from my painfully mortal eyes.
Then...red. Ruby. Scarlet.
My vision blurred with blood. Not satisfied with a killing curse, Fenrir Greyback had lunged for my mother's dead throat.
"No!" I screamed over the thundering downpour as my shaking fingers fumbled for my wand. Feral eyes snapped to me. Lithe muscles tensed for the kill. Someone screamed my name, and strong arms gripped my waist and I felt a tug in my navel...
..."Shhh," Hermione soothed as she stroked my hair. Her fingers snagged a knot in the mass of crimson, but I was too tired to notice. My head was buried in her chest and she cradled me like a mother would a child. The rhythm of her hand slowed my heartbeat. My breathing steadied and I slipped in and out of a dreamless sleep. I did not have the luxury of fluffy pillows, silken sheets, and a deep sleep. All too used to being awakened and pulled from my slumber to flee in the dead of night, I had to survive on these snatched moments of blissful unconsciousness. I faintly heard a pull of a zipper as two sets of feet stumbled into our tent. One cleared his throat. That was Ron.
"Kinglsey's dead."
Tears dripped into my hair from above...
...I gripped the edge of the porcelain sink as I stared into the depths of the mirror and took in my appearance. My long red hair lay lank and tangled, and the blood on my face had dried into veins of a rich brown. My eyes were dark. Hooded and guarded. Broken. Half-alive.
A year ago I would have been appalled. I would carefully brush my coveted strands until my mane was restored to its usual lustre. I would quickly wash the blood and sweat from my face lest it clogged my pores. I would moisturize, highlight, and accentuate. I would exfoliate, tweak, and primp. I would make myself look beautiful. But that didn't matter anymore. I had no reason to be beautiful. Death Eaters don't spare you if you're beautiful. Beauty doesn't help save the world.
The faucet dripped. A fly buzzed around the fluorescent light overhead as it flickered, eventually surging and further illuminating the room. I noticed that the mirror was cracked. A jagged line cut into the surface...If I positioned myself just so, it looked as if it was on my forehead. For a second, just for a second, I pretended I was the Chosen One instead of him, I was the sacrifice in the name of all good in the world, I was the one who had to die-
But big girls don't play pretend, Ginny...
...Nightmare. It was a nightmare. The flames engulfing Hogwarts created a demonic silhouette against the night sky. Smoke rolled off the structure in waves of suffocating ash. I looked to the entrance, where students were pouring out. I'd have thought that most of them would have left by now, but I suppose many were fooled by the illusion of safety in the stone walls and warm, inviting hearths. I tried to pick out faces, ones I knew, ones I recognized. But covered in dirt and blood, mouths open in silent screams, they all looked the same.
The west wing exploded in a blinding flash of light, and ash clouded my vision. Hogwarts: the one place he wouldn't dare touch. Well, not anymore...
...The Firewhisky scorched my throat as I sipped and guzzled the dusty bottle, but I didn't care. It gave me a chance to feel without danger of true pain. An impossible tightrope with a no-fail safety net. I looked to Harry as I passed him the drink. As he drained the final dregs, his eyes met mine. Neither of us broke the gaze as he lowered the bottle and cupped my cheek in his calloused hand. My skin tingled. From the touch? From the alcohol? It didn't matter as his lips descended on mine. My eyes squeezed shut. Last kiss...Last kiss...Last kiss... The words rang in my mind. I ignored them. After all, I'd been hearing them for the past month...
...Waves crashed against the rocky cliff and somewhere in the distance lightning split the sky. It was chaos. It was hell. I didn't care. They were gone. I faced the ocean and screamed. I screamed for Mum. For Dad. For Bill, Charlie, Percy. For Fred and George. For Ron. For my family...
…Too familiar. The sight of the rolling clouds molding into the shape of a skull was becoming all too familiar. I glimpsed flashes of the Dark Mark between the overhanging branches as we stumbled along through the bush. Harry gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. But we both knew the promise of safety was empty. Nevertheless, the gesture gave me a surge of hope, and with an extra burst of speed we came to a clearing. I collapsed. So did he. But we found each other and rode out the ragged breaths together...
...They faced in the ruins of the Great Hall. Quite fitting, thought the part of my brain that was not numbed from the strains of battle and the abject terror darting through my body, as I stared at the scene unfolding before me. I was crouched behind a jagged stone outcrop, hidden beneath the Invisibility Cloak. Hidden, but helpless. Powerless. Though I knew this was how it should be, Harry facing Him alone, I was maddened by the notion that this was not in my control.
Harry was calm. Embracing it. Accepting it. The Death Eaters formed a border of jeering and jostling around Harry, but not one of them dared move closer than that. Look but don't touch...
He was here now. An icy chill swept over the hall. It froze the taunts right from the mouths of the Death Eaters. I imagined them hanging crystallized, suspended in the cold air, then dropping to the floor, shattering upon impact. All was silent. Unnaturally so. He materialized slowly in front of Harry, stepping from pure, swirling black magic. A whimper escaped my lips as every instinct told m to run. To get away from this monster who had torn me apart so long ago, leaving wounds that had never truly healed. But I didn't leave. I couldn't. Not now. I had to stay strong. For Harry.
No time was wasted. Arm raised. High, cold laughter. Cruelty in human form. Harry, defenseless, not even trying. Thundering heartbeat. Mine? Harry's? His? No, not His; he had no heart. He felt nothing. Nothing at all.
Flash of green.
Life extinguished.
Goodbye, Harry.
Goodbye, my love.
Everything went black…
..."Take it, Ginny."
Hermione's tear-streaked face twisted into an expression of pleading that cut through to my soul. "We don't have much time."
The flashes of gold glinted out from within her curled fist. My mind reeled as I realized what this would entail. If I took it...It I used it...
"Meddling with time is dangerous," I whispered halfheartedly. It was a pathetic excuse. I was grasping at straws. Anything...Anything to keep from going back to him...
"I know," Hermione breathed. "But it's the only option we have left." She held out the timeturner. It pulsed a rusty glow in the dying firelight. "For Harry."
For Harry.
It took it and slowly draped the chain over my head. It felt like noose. My shaking fingers began fumbling with the tiny knob. I paused, unsure. My eyes met hers in silent question. "1943." she whispered, turning away. "His year."
Nodding, I forced back the unbridled fear that threatened to overwhelm me and set the timeturner. A golden glow began to envelop me and I felt a warm tingle spread throughout my body. A bang sounded as masked Death Eaters burst through the door, wands drawn. Quickly overwhelming Hermione, two lunged for me, but only grasped air as I faded into the blackness…
Well there you go. Hope you're not too confused! Look for Chapter Two coming soon...
In the meantime, please review!
Love, Kills