At the Moment
A HariPo fanfic
by mew-tsubaki
Note: J.K. Rowling's characters are in another companion story to my fics To the Future, From the Past, and In the Present. As usual, there are O.C.s, but duh, because Charlie's with an O.C. Anywho, please enjoy the story and let me know what you think of it in a review. BTW: I don't know how many chapters this'll last, but it will be shorter than the companion stories.
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The Second Hint
The night before the big Quidditch game between Gryffindor and Slytherin, Miraphina went to Gryffindor Tower and chased Ginny from the Common Room. Mira had come up with a plan.
"Why can't I relax for a bit?" Ginny whined as they went downstairs.
"Oh, you'll do fine tomorrow," the Hufflepuff retorted. "You're the best Chaser the team's seen in years."
Ginny eyed her skeptically as they approached Trelawney's door. "I thought you weren't going to buy into this," she reminded Mira.
"Don't start," Miraphina chastised. "You've seen it clear as day as I have: Something's up with Grant. I just want to make sure that it's not me that's bothering him."
The redhead sighed. "Mira-"
Miraphina shoved Ginny toward the Divination chambers. "Please," she begged, a small blush brushing her cheeks, "I can't go in there; I'm too nervous. Just ask her about my future with Grant."
"But I'm not the one dating him," the Gryffindor retorted.
"It's okay. Work your magic." The Hufflepuff gave one final push and Ginny was knocking on Trelawney's door. It swung open and let her in, then slammed close.
So step one has gone smoothly enough, Mira thought while she waited outside the room. Maybe if somebody else asks about Grant and me, then the outcome will be different. And if it is different, then I'll know not to take any of it seriously. I'll know that Grant and I are meant to be.
But waiting was making her fidgety. Mira was nervous that tonight's reading, though a few nights after the first one she had gotten with the Divination teacher, would be the same. She didn't want to be told that Fate had something else planned for her, and she especially didn't want to fall into that plan. She thought it unfair that she had no choice in the matter.
What's taking so long? she wondered after almost ten minutes had passed. After another minute, Mira left to go to the bathroom. She passed a window on her way there, and the night sky distracted her. The stars are very pretty, but there's no way that they can determine one's destiny.
A couple of stars twinkled in what seemed like a response, and Mira sighed, leaning on the sill with her hands cupping her cheeks. She ignored the stars and stared at the moon instead, wishing she had never gone to Trelawney in the first place.
Who am I kidding? I wish that Grant hadn't become so disinterested, the brunette corrected. Her eyes drifted over the grounds and the Forbidden Forest and came to rest on Professor Charlie Weasley's hut. Mira watched the firelight inside it flicker, casting shadows with all the things inside. One shadow looked like the professor reading, enjoying himself. I wish I could enjoy myself again…, Mira glumly pondered. She pushed off the sill and found the girls' bathroom. Quickly enough, she headed back to Trelawney's classroom, pausing at the window only to see the light go out in Professor Weasley's hut.
Ginny was waiting for her when Miraphina came back. The redhead looked shaken, and Mira didn't like that one bit. "Was it bad?" she asked.
"Umm…kinda neutral," Ginny stated. "The rune stones don't tell you much." She linked her arm through Miraphina's and tugged her away from the tower. "Where were you, anyway?"
Mira blushed. "Sorry. No sooner had the door closed after you then I heard the call of nature." She quieted and thought for a second. "So neutral could be good," she said slowly. "Well, I'll make the most of it. Grant's mine, and I won't let anyone else have him."
Ginny distractedly nodded. "Yeah…"
As it was bedtime, they parted, and Mira felt only slightly better when she got into bed. Neutral could be good, but Ginny's interpretation of 'neutral' might be way off if she thought Mira finding her soulmate would heal the heartbreak of losing Grant. If that's what Ginny was told. But all the Weasley girl had said was 'neutral'.
And 'neutral' was just that…neutral.
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The next morning, everyone headed out to the Quidditch field for the match between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Mira met up with Grant outside the Great Hall and they went to the field together, but it was uncomfortably quiet. Grant seemed and looked out-of-place in the stands next to her. The lack-luster dullness in his eyes saddened her, forcing her to look away.
Around them, all the others were building up the excitement. Banners and noisemakers nearly drowned out the cheering, but everything altogether drowned out the opening commentary. The teams would be out soon.
Miraphina eyed the crowd. Mostly it was a sea of green and silver, gold and maroon, yellow and black, and blue and bronze. She let her gaze wander to the teacher stands and saw most of them chatting with each other. Professor Lupin was absent, Professor Black was debating something with Professor Longbottom, and Professor Weasley… She squinted. He was reading again. She wondered what it was that made him more interested than Quidditch –after all, she remembered Ginny saying he had been on the team before. But he put it away as the two teams zipped up into the field. The real commentary was starting, so Mira brought her attention back to the sport.
"Welcome, everyone! It's time for another match between rival Houses Gryffindor and Slytherin, and I, Gerald Dissinger, will be your commentator on this lovely February morning! Now that both teams are all set up, Madam Hooch will release the balls! … There go the Bludgers, and the Golden Snitch has already disappeared from sight! The Quaffle is up and… The Quaffle's in Gryffindor's hands!"
It hadn't taken Ginny very long to nab the red ball and snag the first round of points, and she and Sturgis Reaves seemed synchronized in the way that they traded off in the scoring of the points. Slytherin only managed to score a third of the points the Gryffindor Chasers had.
But the real test was Gryffindor Seeker, Nigel Creevey. He was older than the Slytherin's, who was lighter than him. The difference was rather obvious.
"And Gryffindor's Seeker has pulled up on Slytherin's but –oh! Blind-sided by a Bludger! What terrible luck!"
A black boy, Mavrick Morris, one of the Beaters, moved up in the field. He neared Nigel, ready to defend the Seeker when he next needed it.
Again, Reaves scored, but Slytherin was beginning to catch up. One of the Slytherin Beaters had sent a Bludger sailing towards Raven Crowley, Gryffindor Captain and Keeper, and Derrov Benton, the other Beater, hadn't made it in time to send it back. The black ball had rammed into her left shoulder. Despite that, however, the others held their positions.
Ginny looked around for the Quaffle and saw it in Slytherin's hands. She sped to meet the slippery Chaser and came up on his side, only to be sandwiched in between him and the other Slytherin Chaser. She shimmied to a slower speed, and drifted backwards out of their grip until-
WHAM!
"Ooh! Nice play by Gryffindor's very own Ginny Weasley! The bristles of her broom sure did send the two Slytherin Chasers twirling like they were at the Yule Ball! And it also landed the Quaffle in Weasley's hands!! Whatta play!!"
True, Ginny had caught it and scored a few more points, but Mira understood that the game had to end at some point, and both Seekers were looking dumbstruck, unsure of where the Golden Snitch had escaped to. Just then, Nigel shot off to the east side of the field.
Everyone else had been watching Nigel, too. "It looks like Gryffindor's caught sight of the Golden Snitch once again!! Their Seeker's speeding towards one of the green and silver Slytherin banners and- HE'S GOT IT!!! GRYFFINDOR CAUGHT THE GOLDEN SNITCH!!! THE MATCH GOES TO GRYFFINDOR!!!!!"
"WOOOOOHHH!!!!" Miraphina screamed; she was jumping up and down, happy to see her friend's victory. She didn't bother turning to Grant to see if he was even smiling. Instead, she watched Ginny shake herself and alight on the ground next to Mavrick, Reaves, and Nigel. She poked Mavrick, who had Crowley on his other side.
He shook his head, but Ginny 'helpfully' shoved him into Raven. All that got was a start out of the blonde, who said something to her. Mira kept an eye on them as she left the stands and made it onto the field.
"Oh, my bad," Ginny said to Raven once Mira was in hearing range. The Weasley daughter muttered something out of the side of her mouth to Mavrick. She gave him another little nudge and- "Oops."
Mavrick had fallen on top of Raven, their lips accidently locked. He quickly stood and apologized. "I'm sorry, Raven! I-!"
But Raven bashfully/angrily looked away from him. "Whatever you have to say to me, tell me later, Mavrick. Not here."
His jaw dropped and he glanced at Ginny; she was smiling. She had heard it, too. Raven had called him 'Mavrick' instead of 'Morris'!! Mira thought it rather interesting, this change in attitude, that Raven's bitchiness could suddenly become something else. She raised an eyebrow at Ginny, who raised one in return. The two of them laughed at the others.
Mira looked around then, feeling alone while in the middle of the crowd. She turned and saw Grant behind her, but his mind was elsewhere, his eyes on the ground while he stared off into space. She wanted to scream; she wanted to stomp and yell and slap him if not shake him. She wanted things to be different.
Things hadn't been different because of the stupid rune-stone reading with Trelawney. They had been different because of him.
And Mira couldn't change either of those things.
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A tad sad… And Mira doesn't even know the half of things!! This chapter coincides with chapter 16 of To the Future, so either go there to read what Trelawney told Ginny in what was actually Mira's second reading or just read that story from the beginning. For those of you joining this story because you've read one or more of the companion stories, you have my undying gratitude.
But everyone should remember to review!!
-mew-tsubaki
P.S. –This chappie is dedicated to oOBlack-SandOo. You not only gave me the first review for this story, but it was the fastest I've gotten a review after posting a new story. Thank, you, thank you, thank you! The next three chapters are yours!
