Title: I Know Places
Chapter: Red
Author: dizzy - in - the - izzy
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, made money off the things I post on this site.
Summary: A war fought by children makes for broken adults, and broken adults can only handle so much. What happens when the most broken of all disappears? Post-DH, Epilogue Compliant. All canon pairings.
Loving him was like trying to change your mind
Once you're already flying through the free fall.
Like the colors in autumn so bright
just before they lose it all.
"Ginny!"
Her head turned towards the noise, scanning the trees around her. She was in some kind of forest, surrounded by lush greens and a clear sky above. Despite the shade she stood in, she felt warm and safe.
"Ginny," the voice said again, and she whipped her head towards it. She picked up her feet and began walking in its direction, her ears straining to hear… anything. The forest was quiet, unusually so, and she could barely hear her own footsteps.
She walked for what felt like days until she reached a clearing. She was standing on the edge of a lake, her eyes barely making out the other shore through the mist. She walked down to the water, her ears still straining to hear any sort of noise, when she saw it.
Ahead of her, hovering over the blue water was an orb of red. She wasn't sure if she'd actually seen it at first, as it was faint and almost translucent. However, as she walked forward, her feet reaching the surprisingly warm water, she was certain the red was there. It looked like mist, but it was more solid than that. She stopped walking as the warm water reached her knees. She reached out towards the red, hoping in vain that it would be within reach.
"No, Ginny!"
She spun on the spot as the water became cold. The sky wasn't clear, and the wind began to pick up. She struggled to escape the water, but it had swelled up above her waist and her body couldn't move through. She opened her mouth to yell, but the air around her swallowed the sound and she screamed to the trees. A mountain appeared in her vision, above the trees, in the direction she'd walked from, and she saw snow.
The water was up to her shoulders now, and she could feel the cold seeping through her body. She stopped struggling, and gazed at the mountain as the water rose up, up, up… until she couldn't breathe anymore.
Ginny gasped as she woke up, sitting up and clutching her chest. She patted the bed, her body, and swiped at the air, making sure she was dry. She quickly lit her wand and looked around the room, her hands trembling as she touched her sheets again. She shivered and looked at the window to make sure it was definitely shut. With a sigh, she sat down on her bed again.
"What was that," she whispered to her empty room.
(…)
The next few days passed in a blur.
Ginny wrote Hermione about her dream, and some other questions she had. Bill stopped by and sat in front of Harry's door, occasionally causing himself to fly backwards across the landing, much to Molly's amusement. Ginny was still able to freely walk in and out of Harry's room, and that is where she spent most of her afternoons.
She had found another map, this one under the bed. It was of Wyoming, which she recognized from the first map she had found. She had dropped her quill on the ground as she paced the room, and when she bent down to retrieve it; the map had been there under the bed.
"Bill?" she called, and she heard her brother huff.
"Yes?"
"I found another map," she said, moving towards the door, making sure she made enough noise so he knew she was walking out. She found him standing, waiting, with his wand ready. He mumbled under his breath and the map opened lazily, writing appearing around the edges.
"What does that say?" Bill asked, squinting. Ginny took the map from him and twisted it.
"Hideaway?" she said, her brows coming together. She sighed heavily, staring at the map.
"This doesn't help," she said, and Bill nodded. He took the map from her again, placing it flat on the floor. He bent over it, his eyes scanning the paper.
"Either way, I want to look this over," he said quietly, and Ginny shrugged. She was about to walk back into Harry's room when her mother's voice echoed up the stairs.
"Ginny, dear, there's a letter here for you!"
"Yes," she exclaimed, bounding down the stairs with newfound energy. She nearly fell into the kitchen, happily taking the letter from her amused mother.
"Expecting this?" Molly questions, and Ginny nodded.
"Yes, very much so. It's from Hermione," she said, smiling at her mother before moving into the sitting room. She read the letter carefully, the words comforting somehow. When she reached the end, she looked up and stared at the fireplace for a moment. The sound of Bill being thrown across the landing upstairs stirred her from her thought, and she looked down at the letter again.
"It makes sense," she whispered, looking towards the kitchen.
(…)
Hermione had seen Ginny leave the Hall, heading towards the doors to outside. Excusing herself, she jogged over to catch up with her friend.
"Ginny, wait," Hermione called, smiling as Ginny stopped walking. When she finally reached the younger witch, Hermione threw her arms around her closest female friend. Ginny's arms came up and hugged her tightly, and they stood there in the sun for a moment. Hermione reached up and held Ginny's head and she could feel her shaking. There were no tears though, just sobs that caused both of them to shake. Hermione finally let up her hold on Ginny, just enough to look into her friends eyes.
"I've missed you," Ginny croaked, "so very much."
"I've missed you too, probably just as much," Hermione laughed, hugging Ginny again.
"I want to hear everything, especially that thing about my brother," Ginny said, a smirk forming on her face. Hermione felt the blush on her face, and she nodded.
"Yes, I promise, but first I have to speak to you about something," she said, taking Ginny's arm and pulling her towards the grass outside.
They walked for a while, until finally Hermione was sure they could sit in silence. She pulled Ginny down onto the grass, taking a deep breath.
"I need you to promise me something," she said, and Ginny raised an eyebrow.
"Okay… it depends," she said, and Hermione nodded.
"Of course, but this is important," she said, and Ginny nodded. Hermione took another deep breath, looking out across the grass. Her eyes glazed over for a second, and she shook herself. She smiled sadly.
"I need you to promise me that you'll not lose hope."
Ginny frowned, tilting her head. Hermione sighed heavily, her hands coming up in wild gestures.
"It's… with Harry."
Ginny bit her bottom lip.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean… with him… don't lose hope… about, well you know."
Ginny could tell this was difficult for Hermione, so she nodded.
"I think I understand…" she said, and Hermione smiled.
"It's just… I've spent a lot of time with him this past year, and if there's one thing I'm sure of… it's that… well…" she smiled then, a knowing smile, "it's you."
Ginny felt that all familiar blush creep up her neck, and she coughed.
"It's me?"
Hermione nodded, trying to gather the words.
"His hope… it's you."
Ginny shook her head then, laughing slightly.
"I'm inclined to call bull," she said, and Hermione glared. It shook Ginny for a moment, and she sighed.
"Okay, I promise to not lose hope, but… I can also promise you that I'll have my moments of doubt," she said, and it seemed to please Hermione. She looked out across the grass again.
"Speaking of boys, there's this thing about your brother…"
Ginny grinned.
"Go on."
(…)
Ginny bounded up the stairs, grinning as she saw that Bill was on the floor again.
"You've got to let things go," she said, and Bill growled.
"I swear, whatever this kid did, it's good," he said, the wall of characters hovering near the door again. Ginny saw the red there, and felt her breath hitch.
"Bill, I have a question," she said, and Bill looked at her.
"Fire away."
Ginny fidgeted.
"What do you know about… shared dreams?"
Bill stood, dusting off his pants. He frowned.
"Why?"
"Will you just tell me?"
"Well," Bill began, "I am not entirely sure about it all, to be honest, but I do know that it's been explored. I mean, no one can accurately capture it and record it; it's such a personal thing. Dreams can vary, even if they're shared, and really the only people who can truly share an exact dream are soul bonded. I believe there is a way to… push your dreams onto someone, using legilimency. But that requires a great knowledge on the subject."
Ginny nodded, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.
"And for that, you'd have to actually be near the other person, right?"
Bill nodded, his eyes showing his curiosity.
"Yes. Now can I ask why?" he said, and Ginny smiled.
"Well, I'm not sure, but I feel like… I might have had a dream that can help me find Harry," she said, and Bills eyebrows met his hairline again.
"Really?" he said, and Ginny nodded.
"I just… I have a feeling that it was connected to Harry," she explained, her voice unsure. Bill nodded.
"Well, I suppose if you have a deep enough connection to someone…" he trailed off, his eyes boring into his baby sister. She bristled under the scrutiny.
"I don't like this," she said, and Bill shrugged.
"You're the one who dated the guy," he said, poking at her. She slapped his hands away.
"Don't be rude," she said, turning on her heel and walking into Harry's room with ease.
"Oh, who's being rude now, knowing I can't follow her?" he called after her, and Ginny laughed.
"Poor sport," she yelled back at him, and she heard him curse under his breath.
Sitting down on Harry's bed, she let out a long breath.
"I have an idea," she said, "but to do it, I need you to be quiet."
"What is your idea?" she heard Bill ask.
"I'm going to try to pull out the dream," she said, and Bill coughed.
"Are you sure you can do that?" he asked, and Ginny frowned.
"No… but I did learn quite a bit of occulmency last year… you know, for reasons, and I might be able to organize some of these details," she said, and Bill hummed.
"If you say so," he said.
Ginny moved to sit on the floor, her back against the bed. She shut her eyes, getting comfortable. Taking in a deep breath, she felt her body relax. A couple more breaths and she felt sleepy. Focusing on staying awake, she pushed herself into her mind.
She could feel her emotions deeply. She focused on pushing the emotions into the back, away from her target. She had to move slowly, as it had been awhile since she'd done this. With another deep breath, she pushed harder towards where she believed the dream would be.
Almost on cue, the red hue appeared behind her eyelids. She focused on it, pushing towards it. She suddenly felt warm, as if she was standing in the sun.
"Ginny!"
She startled at the voice, but didn't lose focus. She pushed towards it, and a flood of emotions hit her.
(…)
Harry's hand pulled her through the portrait; the giddy feeling in her stomach multiplied. He smiled at her, almost shyly, as he pulled her to him again and kissed her.
The feelings in her stomach were going wild, but she put all of her effort in kissing the boy in front of her. When he pulled back, he was grinning widely.
"Damn him," she thought, a grin breaking out on her face as well.
"Come," he said, taking her hand again and pulling her down the stairs. She kept stride with him, trying to ignore the eyes that followed them of the few students still out. Harry pulled her down through the entrance hall and out onto the grounds. She moved closer to him as the cold air hit her face, and he easily wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
They walked slowly, and she wished she had the words to speak. She could see his face fidgeting, and knew he was working on words, so she waited.
"Remember that time you put your elbow in a butter dish?"
She stopped walking, a smile forming on her face.
"Of course I do," she said, and Harry moved to stand in front of her. His eyes were shining.
"You blushed so deeply, all the way to the roots of your hair," he chuckled, and she had the urge to hit him.
"Yeah, so?" she challenged, moving to stand toe to toe with him. He looked down at her, in what seemed to be amusement.
"You were very cute back then."
That wasn't what she was expecting.
"Cute?" she asked, and Harry shrugged.
"You were eleven, that's a compliment," he said, and she laughed.
"If you say so, Potter," she said, biting her bottom lip. They stood there for a second, eyes locked. Ginny sucked in her lips, letting them pop out of her mouth with a wet noise. Harry smiled.
"Do… do you want to kiss me?" he asked in amusement, and Ginny narrowed her eyes at him.
"I think you want to kiss me."
They stared at each other.
"Yeah, I do," Harry said, bringing his hands up to cup her face. He placed his lips against hers, and she felt the smile in them. She moved her arms around his torso, taking in the feelings. There was a fire in her chest, and she felt a jolt as his thumbs moved across her cheeks. He smiled against her lips.
"Well, that's exactly what I wanted," she whispered, and he laughed lowly.
"I've wanted to do that for… months," he confessed, and Ginny looked at him. Her eyes were slightly surprised, but he was sure he saw some smugness.
"When Hermione's right, she's very right," she said, and Harry laughed.
"Oh, she's going to be so full of herself," he said, and they both laughed. Harry pulled her into his arms then, holding her against his chest. The feeling of her arms winding around his torso sent shivers up his spine, and he sighed involuntarily. He rested his nose against her hair, letting her smell fill overwhelm his senses. He hummed softly, his body relaxing.
"You're still in your Quidditch robes," he said, breaking the silence. She nodded against his chest.
"Well, I did just win the biggest game of the year while you had detention," she countered, and he chuckled.
He pulled back and examined her. Her hair was falling out of its ponytail, her face was flush, and she looked as though she'd met the ground a few times during the game. She was watching him carefully, and she crossed her arms as if on instinct. He laughed silently at her.
"You're beautiful," he said, and Ginny felt her face burst into flames.
"Alright Potter, what are you playing at?" she asked then, advancing on him. However, instead of shrinking away in fear as most people did, he met her, toe to toe. She ran right into him, and he caught her lips again in a soft kiss.
"Ginny, will you go out with me?"
She leaned back, raising one eyebrow.
"Go where?" she asked, knowing what he meant. His flustered expression was worth it.
"Where? No I mean…" he glared at her, and the idea that she was making him this nervous sent a thrill up her spine.
"Ginny, will you be my girlfriend, so I can take you out on a date?"
Ginny had to stop herself from giggling: it was all too much. She held her composure long enough to wrap her arms around his neck, bringing his head down.
"Yes," she whispered, finding his lips again. He lifted her off the ground, spinning her around in his arms. She laughed then, really laughed, and he joined her with ease. He held her there, feet off the ground, flush against his chest, as he kissed her again.
"Brilliant."
(…)
"I know where to find him."
Arthur stood in the kitchen, listening to his daughter speak. Ginny looked anxious, and her eyes were wet. Bill was standing next to her, his hand on her shoulder.
"Are you sure?" Kingsley asked from his place at the table, and Ginny nodded carefully.
"I… can't quite explain it, but I know how to find him. I just need to know a couple things."
Kingsley looked at Bill, who nodded slightly.
"Sit," Kingsley said, and Ginny took the chair opposite him.
"Where's the international apparition port located in New York City? And will my use of magic be tracked in the States?"
"Yes," Kingsley began, "the international port is located in New York, at the Ministry there. It's quite easy to go through, you just have to claim what possessions you're bringing in, and state your general business in the United States. As for tracking of magic, I do believe the legal age in America is 16, something that was set up during one of the Muggle world wars, and still in place today due to current international conflicts. So, no, your use of magic shouldn't be tracked that way, per say, but because you are travelling through the country, they will keep track on the spells your wand produces, to make sure you are not doing anything incredibly illegal.
"There are some agreements between the Wizarding communities around the world for conduct of travelers. No Unforgivable curses, of course, and if you start using defensive spells in excess, they will come to investigate."
Ginny bit her lip as she took in this information. Kingsley took a moment to think, allowing Ginny a chance to look at her parents. They looked worried, and Molly was close to tears.
"If Potter left from this property and apparated straight to the States, he might have had a bit more trouble at the port, unless he skipped it entirely. I do not want you going that route, so when you are ready, I can take you down to the Ministry and let you apparate from our appropriate location," Kingsley smiled at the youngest Weasley, and she nodded.
"I'm ready now," she said, and Molly gasped.
"Now? How are you ready now? Are you honestly packed?" she said in a hurry, Arthur wrapping an arm around his wife.
"Yes, I'm ready now. Hermione told me a few tricks on how to pack lightly, so to speak," Ginny said as she pulled out a small pouch from her pocket, and Bill grinned.
"Hermione's too smart for her own good," he said, and Molly pursed her lips.
"You're absolutely ready to do this?" Molly asked, and Ginny nodded.
"I know where I'm going, mum. I know where to find him."
Kingsley looked at Molly and Arthur, and then at Ginny.
"If you say so, I can take you down there now," he said, and Ginny perked up a bit. Molly sucked in a sharp breath, breaking away from her husband to hug her daughter tightly.
"Mum!" Ginny complained, and Molly shushed her.
"If you're going to be travelling alone halfway across the bloody world, I'm going to give you a huge hug young lady."
Ginny smiled, wrapping her arms around her mother and sighing.
(…)
Kingsley walked down the corridors of the Ministry, Ginny following close behind him. She had changed before leaving; putting on layers of clothing she could easily remove. Molly had insisted on packing a couple sandwiches for her, which were now tucked away in her pouch.
"In here," Kingsley said, holding a door open for Ginny to walk through. She entered into a large hall that was bustling with people. She could hear multiple languages being spoken at once, and a strange creature mewling off to the side. She looked up and saw signs indicating countries, along with an entering and exiting indicator. Under the talking she could hear the telltale sounds of people apparating, cracks and pops sounding through the room.
"Here, the United States," Kingsley brought Ginny back to attention, and she smiled at the woman sitting behind the counter.
"Heading to the States?" she asked, in an accent Ginny suspected was American.
"Yes ma'am," Ginny replied, and the woman handed her a form.
"Please fill out the indicated spots, make sure to be specific, and when you're finished we'll run a quick test on you to make sure you won't splinch yourself."
Ginny moved away from the window to a clear spot on the counter and filled out the form with ease. Kingsley spoke to a couple workers while he waited for her to finish, his voice carrying over the rest. When she'd finished, she handed the form over and stood still as a different woman waved her wand around Ginny's body, nodding as she went.
"You have a license?" she asked, and Ginny turned to look at Kingsley. He pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket, winking at Ginny, and handed it to the lady.
"Excellent, when you're ready, you're all set to go," she said, moving back. Ginny looked at Kingsley, and he grinned.
"I am the Minister of Magic, Ginerva," he said, mirth in his voice. Ginny laughed, holding out her hand to shake his.
"Thank you, sir," she said, and he shrugged.
"I owe a lot to your family, and to Mr. Potter. This is the least I could do," he said, and she smiled at him again.
"Now, get going!" he said, gently pushing her towards the counter again.
The woman behind the counter indicated to a spot on the floor, which Ginny saw was now glowing. She stepped into the circle, and with one last look at Kingsley, she turned on the spot and disappeared.
A/N: OKAY FIRST OFF thank you to everyone who took a moment to review, it was quite nice and made me smile. I've been having bad weeks, and anything positive helps.
Anywho, I like this chapter because I got a chance to... explore. I felt it was rushed, but at the same time, I feel like finding Harry is v important and everything they're doing is in a hurry. And before I'd merged the last two chapters together, it felt like I wasn't picking up pace at all. So, oh well. It is what it is. Also, side note, this chapters song title is like... my favorite Harry/Ginny song at the moment, so if you haven't already heard it, DO IT.
Reviews are encouraged and appreciated!
-Izzy