Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive

Just a short one this time.

Corporal Ginevera 'Ginny' Weasley felt sick to her stomach. For the last few minutes she along with every Gunner in the area had been doing their damnest to knock the 'Enemy' plane of the sky. She had berated the other Auxiliary territorial Service (ATS) Gunners as they passed on the corrections to the Royal Artillery Gunners who fired the Guns. The target which she know knew was a RAF Hurricane and not the Messerschmitt 109 they thought it had been. Had been flying parallel with the coast looking like it was being pursued by several Spitfires. The Destroyer below had fired its main armament in an attempt to help the chasing fighters and the ground based Ack-Ack guns had joined it on principal. She had cursed the pilot as it seemed he was about to crash his plane into the Destroyer and cheered along with the rest as the lighter anti aircraft defences on the ship had ripped in to the single seat fighter. The Gun crew manning the 3.7 inch anti aircraft gun in the gin pit next to the height and range finder Ginny and the other girls were manning were laid on and ready to finally blow the bugger out the air when the battery commander major Shorthouse ran out of the battery command post

"Check, Check, Check!" he yelled "that's a friendly aircraft cease fire!" the yells of "Check, Check, Check!" were relayed to all areas of the battery area. All the crews immediately jumped away from the Guns in order to prevent accidental discharge. The struggling plane flew over the battery on it's way inland. Ginny watched as the Spitfire's formed a protective ring around their battered comrade. With tears streaming down her face she willed the plane to stay in the air.

"Gods we're so sorry, please make it." She whispered.

"Right you lot make these bloody guns safe," the Battery Sergeant Major yelled harshly, "use this as a lesson always properly identify your target." He softened his tone, "he should be alright. It will probably do the bugger some good he if has to walk home, life of Reilly those pilots live." The assembled Gunners laughed releasing some of the tension in the air. Ginny couldn't laugh it was just too close for comfort. Her fiery personality has relished the change to help fight an enemy she had come to fear as much as the Death Eaters, she remembered the stories that did the rounds around the girls' billet of what the Germans had done in the other occupied territories and what they imagined would happen if they invaded Britain.

"Corporal, fall the Girls in and march them back to the billets". The female sergeant in charge of the ATS detachment ordered.

The building the girls had been billeted in was an old holiday chalet perched on top of the cliff a short distance from the Ack-Ack battery. Ginny detailed one of the woman soldiers to start the cooking, as the battery was still being consolidated there were no central feeding facilities yet so the battery made do. Ginny smiled remembering the first and so far only time one of the male Gunners had suggested that as women they should cook for the whole battery. She had given him an earful, her sergeant had carried on giving a new meaning to the term old battleaxe and had dragged him kicking and screaming in front of his Battery Sergeant Major who had explained in long and excruciating detail what would happen if he ran his mouth off again suffice to say they never had that problem again. Ginny picked up the field telephone and turned the handle to the side. The operator answered after a short moment.

"Battery operator Gunner Suggden speaking sir," Ginny suppressed another giggle she could hear the proud Yorkshire born gunner try with surprising success to suppress his thick accent.

"Female billet Corporal Weasley Suggs Just testing the line," Ginny replied.

"Aye lass…sorry. Corp line fine, is that all?"

"No, has any word come through about that Hurricane?"

"Aye we had word come down from RAF Hawkage a couple of minutes ago he crashed landing the dam't thing but apar' from a few cuts an' concussion he should he fine."

"Ta Suggs see you later." Ginny took a few deep breaths to steady herself. "Right ladies," Ginny called out, "once we've had dinner I suggest everyone writes up there statement about earlier you know as well as me the Major will be after them later."

Ginny tried to sleep that night but her dreams were full of Black crossed planes machine gunning and bombing her friends, of a faceless blue uniformed figure accusing her of killing him and finally Neville lying dying alone and forgotten in some Dutch field. Eventually a little before dawn she got up, got dressed and walked out of the front door stepping back in to grab her leather jerkin to keep the early morning chill out. Standing on the edge of the cliff she looked out across the channel towards France where she was sure Neville was fighting for his life.

AN 1 I am well aware that this early in the war the ATS didn't work on the Ack-Ack batteries this didn't happen until 1941-2 however this is not time travel rather a pocket universe created by a powerful being to train warrior wizards. That my excuse and I'm sticking to it. I will however try at all time to show how important the myriad Women's services were to the British war effort especially early in the war 1939-42. If anyone feels I have denigrated their service please PM me and let me know. If anyone wants more information look up the ATS (Army) WRAAF (RAF) and the WRNS (Royal Navy) or PM me and I can point you in the right direction.

AN 2 I am aware that it may seem that I am using the German people as a typical boggy man enemy. Please understand especially for the pureblood characters they don't have the hindsight that Harry and Hermione would have so the perspective would be coloured by the memories they have 'Inherited' and therefore they would be susceptible to the propaganda of the time.