Hey people! Wow..first fic on this site! I hope I make a good impression! So any who. Um…I wrote this story long before the sixth book came out and so it'll take place like that. I'll probably make a few changes to take the sixth into consideration, but no worries. I think and hope it's pretty good. Anyways…here goes.
Oh, heh, almost forgot…DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything except the plot, and even the ideas come from another book line. Which if you've read it you'll catch it, but if you haven't then go check out Jaqueline Carey's Kushiline Trilogy, you'll see what I mean.
Love as Thou Wilt…
Chapter 1: A Spell Gone Wrong
"Now remember class, you must be extremely careful in the way you emphasize the spell. If you get it wrong…then you'd better be prepared to suffer the consequences. Just please get it right so we won't have to take anyone to the hospital wing." Professor Remus J. Lupin warned his 6th year Advanced Defense class. He couldn't believe McGonagall had actually given him the permission to allow the students to practice this spell on their partners, but she had and so they would. All he could do now was hope and pray that they all got it right. He paced through them casting a wary eye towards Ginny Weasley and her partner. But ignored it. "All right. Now, stand opposite your partner and first practice the spell without your wands."
The students took their positions at the opposite side of their partners. A chorus of "Algizette!" rang out through out the classroom.
"Very good. Now, wands at the ready. Partners take your positions. Whenever you are ready you may begin."
Ginny Weasley looked at the boy who was her partner with a tentative eye. All period they'd been saying that spell, and he still had yet to get it right. She'd been fine up until now. Now that it had actually come time to perform the spell nervousness came over her in ungraceful waves.
"Um, James, are you sure you don't want me to go first, you know, let you get the hang of the spell?" she asked semi-pleadingly. The Ravenclaw rolled his eyes.
"Of course I'm positive. How hard can it possibly be? All I do is point my want at you and say, 'A gazelle!' Not that hard Gin!" he retorted rolling his eyes again. Ginny glanced nervously over at her best friend, Colin, who gave her a semi-reassuring smile. She gulped and started praying to any deity that would listen he would get it right.
"Okay" she muttered nervously.
"Good" James said and pointed his wand at Ginny's chest, who in turn started shaking like a leaf.
"Anguisette!" James yelled amidst the other yells.
"James! You dolt, that wasn't even a real-" Ginny started, but never finished as a solid orb of Crimson light emitted from the end of James' wand and hit her square in the chest. She lost her breath and stumbled, pain rippling and burning throughout her back. She looked over at Colin who stared back at her wide eyed. "Colin…" she whispered, then, blackness claimed her.
"Mr. Creevy, I'm dreadfully afraid you're going to have to leave."
"But Madam Pomfrey, I-"
"No but's Mr. Creevy, out now!"
Ginny's eyes fluttered open, two blurry figures came into view. She tried to speak, but nothing came out, just a scratchy noise, almost like she hadn't used her voice in days. But it was enough to catch the figures attention. She blinked a few times and her vision became clearer. She finally recognized the two people.
"Lin" she whispered hoarsely spotting her best friend. He hastily sat down on the side of the bed and took one of her hands in his. Madame Pomfrey went to fetch her bag.
"Ginevra Molly Weasley you scared the bloody shit out of me!" he stated with a soft laugh, rubbing her hand.
"Sorry" she whispered with a bit of a smirk.
"Hey, now don't go apologizing to me. It's James that needs to be asking for your forgiveness. Bloody bastard, if I ever get my hands on him I'll-"
"Colin, shut up." she commanded in her hoarse whisper.
"Yes, ma'am" he replied sarcastically, sounding like a child scolded for rambling and being caught.
"Good boy, now tell me what happened to me." she stated finding a little bit of her voice.
"You don't remember?" he asked bewildered. He looked at her a little skeptically.
"Of course I remember what bloody well happened. What I meant was what's wrong with me? And how long have I been in this bloody hospital wing?" she snapped finding a little more of her voice and also a bit of her mother's infamous Pruitt temper.
"Here now woman, don't go getting your knickers in a twist. I was only asking. Bloody hell! And nobody knows what's wrong with you. Not even McGonagall. You're father's been searching high and low, he even questioned James, but the stupid blighter couldn't remember what he'd said. Do you remember what he said? Oh, and you've been in here about four days." Colin replied glaring at her a little.
Ginny didn't know what to react to first. The fact that nobody knew what was wrong with her or the fact that she'd been in the infirmary for four days. Either way Madame Pomfrey had returned with not only her bag, but also with Minerva McGonagall in tow.
McGonagall let Madame Pomfrey check her over before bombarding her with questions. The older woman sat patiently on the edge of the bed before starting her interrogation. "Miss Weasley, do you remember anything that happened the day you were, well the day this, " she motioned to her lying in the hospital bed, "happened?"
"Everything up until I blacked out." she answered truthfully.
"Good. Now, do you remember what it was that Mr. Griffin said?"
Ginny searched her brain thinking back to everything that happened that day. From waking up to the darkness that had claimed her. It all happened like it was in fast forward motion until finally it stopped right before James cast his "spell". Then it all slowed down and she remembered.
"Anguisette"
McGonagall's face showed no change in emotion, only her eyes became questioning. "Miss Weasley, I thought that the spell Mr. Griffin cast would at least be one of my knowledge, but alas, I have never heard of said spell and thus do not understand its consequences. I am truly sorry." the older woman said regretfully. The headmistress patted her hand gently before standing. "You may be assured though, I will do everything in my power to find out what has happened because of Mr. Griffin's inadequacy at remembering spells." she said before exiting the room. Pomfrey left shortly after.
Ginny put her head in her hands and sighed heavily. Colin placed a hand on her shoulder. "C'mon now, it'll be alright." he reassured soothingly rubbing his thumb in slow circles.
She looked up at him. "No it won't Colin! Bloody hell, nobody knows what the fuck is wrong with me! Not even McGonagall. Hell, I bet Dumbledore didn't even know this one. And damn it, it's bad when they don't know!" she whined. "I mean I could be dying, or worse my soul could be ebbing away! I don't want my soul to ebb away damn it! I bloody well like my soul! Or, or, what if I start growing another head! Or what if it start shrinking! Or what it-"
"Ginevra Weasley shut the bloody hell up! Damn woman, for a girl who just regained consciousness you sure do talk a lot." Colin complained during the middle of his best friends tirade.
"Look, I'm sorry Lin…I really am. It's just that there's so many "what if"'s. I don't know what that idiot did to me, and I'm really kind of scared about it." she apologized.
"I know you're scared, but I honestly don't think you're dying, or, that your soul is ebbing away." he stated with a smile.
Ginny stared at him, a smile gracing the corner of her mouth. "What would I do without you Lin?"
"Go insane" he answered with a laugh. She laughed too but stopped. It made her back hurt. He apparently caught it for sleepiness and got up. "Well listen, I better go before Pomfrey gets physical. Not to mention I'm bloody hungry. I think I missed dinner again. Oh well, I'll just have to slip down to the kitchens." he leaned over and kissed her lightly on the forehead. "Bye love"
"Bye Lin" she replied as sleep did actually begin to sink its claws in her body. She saw him walk away, then nothing as she slipped into the deep chasm known as sleep.
The next time Ginny woke it was not to the sound of voices or the sun, but rather a searing pain shooting all over her back, and seemingly inside her body. Her hands clenched the white sheets as the pain soared to all over her body, though concentrated at her back. If felt as though there were thousands of white hot needles sinking into her skin. She tried to scream out, but nothing, not even the slightest whisper came. Ah! How excruciating it was! The pain seemed to climax and her body arched. At the same instant an odd sort of ecstasy broke out over her. The pain was excruciating, oh yes, but oh how magnificent it was. She was thrown into a state of sheer Nirvana as pain burst forth one more and then finally everything stopped. Her vision blurred and she slept on.
When next she woke it was to the feel of the sun on her face, well in her eyes mainly. Madame Pomfrey hurried over to her bed after finishing with a rather sick looking second year.
"Well, you seem to be fine" she concluded after checking Ginny once again. Ginny felt like something was still wrong with her, but she couldn't remember what it could be. So, her mind told her it was nothing.
"I suppose you should go on back to your dorm. You seem well enough to continue on as normal. Just come in if anything begins to feel amiss." the older woman warned gently.
Ginny nodded and the witch retreated back to her office. She sat up and instantly regretted it. Her back hurt like hell, but, the pain was oddly good. An unusual sort of pleasure rippled through out her body. She shook it off and got out of the bed. She looked down and realized she'd been put into a pair of burgundy Gryffindor pajamas. She looked around and didn't see any other clothes. 'Oh well' she thought, 'these will have to do until I get to the dorm.' she took a step and felt cold stone. 'Oh great, no shoes either.' She rolled her eyes but headed back to the tower.
Luckily when she entered the common room no one was there. She trudged up the stairs to the sixth year girls dorm. As she entered the room she passed by one of the mirrors and stopped. She turned to face the mirror. She looked tired and worn, yet oddly prettier than she normally did. But, there were bags under her eyes, and her hair was on its way to being gross. A swim in the prefects bathroom would do nicely to remedy that. She gathered her things, slipped on some shoes and quickly made her way down to the prefects bathroom.
"Love spell" she whispered to the portrait of Aphrodite.
"No need to whisper girlie, I knew you'd be along here soon." the portrait replied sweetly. "All the portraits are talking about it, you poor thing."
"I'm fine, but I'd really like a bath. I fell really gross." she urged wanting to sink into the hot bath as soon as possible.
"Alright chick, hold on a sec" the portrait replied. It swung open and allowed Ginny entrance. Thank the goddess for no one skiving off class.
Ginny set down her things and went over to the humungous swimming pool sized bath tub and found her favorite tap. She turned the nozzle on and a waterfall of Easter lily scented water cascaded from the rim of the pool. While it was filling she undressed and magiced the curtains closed and candles the only light, then slipped into the bath tub.
Ahh, what bliss there was in a little bit of hot water. Her body slid through the water relaxing her every muscle. Even her back, which for some strange reason was the most tense of all, allowed the heat to release some of its tightness. She could see Aphrodite watching from an inner portrait smiling at her. It was in an odd way comforting to know that the Goddess of Love was watching over you. Ginny ducked underwater and swam for a moment before swimming to the edge of the pool to lather her hair with the same smelling shampoo as her bath. Just before she could reach it though, Aphrodite said something that really caught her attention.
"Hey! Nice rose! Great ink work babes! You know, you never really seemed the type to get a tattoo."
Ginny stopped what she was doing and turned around looking at the portrait and quirking an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? I don't have a tattoo. My mother would kill me!"
"Oh yes you do girlie. Go see for yourself." Aphrodite giggled pointing to a mirror.
Ginny scrambled, most ungracefully, out of the bath and ran over to one of the full body mirrors and turned around searching for her supposed tattoo. She turned around quickly returning to stay facing the mirror. Nothing. However…something black appeared on her shoulder and she turned around slowly to stare at her back. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened at what she saw.
On her back was a full length briar rose. The ink work was magnificent. The stem seemed to wind around and down her spine. The rose itself was a deep crimson at the nape of her neck. It looked like a rose just before bloom, its tips just beginning to open. Everything was dark in color and accented perfectly in black and crimson. The water on her back just added to the beauty of the work.
She stood there staring. "How…why…when!" she stammered to herself. Her mind searched. The spell, last night, he back burning…the pain…the pleasure! Oh dear goddess…the spell had given her a tattoo!
Well, what do you think. Any sort of review is accepted. Constructive criticism welcomed!
Catch you cats on the phlip side- Amy