For Ella at The Reviews Corner: I browsed your GoogleDoc of 'ships (which made me smile), and Ginny/Luna was on the list. And I don't know that I can explain to you how much I LOVE them. So that's how you wound up with this story. It wound up a bit more... religious than intended, but that's the way the muse wandered. Hope you enjoy it!
MC4A Challenge Block
Challenges: Fem Power; By Any Other Name; Sky's The Limit; Paranormal Phantasm; Shadows of Consequence; Lessons Learned; Secondary Challenges (Advent Challenge, Sapphic September, All-Female Ships, During the War); Winter Bingo 2018 (1A); Red Moon Quindrabble; Gryffindor MC2; Long Haul
Representations: Ginny Weasley, Weasley Drama, Girlfriends, Magic, Kidnapped Luna, Learning How to Hope
Bonuses: Mistletoe; Second Verse (Not a Lamp, Clio's Conclusion, Unicorn, Mermaid); Demo (Sweetest Burn); Red Moon Quindrabble (NA); Gryffindor MC2 (Y); Long Haul (Y)
Word Count: 1831
"Hey Mum, are Luna and her dad here yet?" Ginny asked as she strode into the kitchen. The butterflies in her stomach took flight again- they were finally going to tell the Weasleys and Xenophilius that they were together. Ginny was nervous to do it, but it didn't seem so daunting if Luna was going to be there with her. Nothing seemed quite as scary with Luna by her side.
The rest of her family, from their seats at the worn table, watched her with varying degrees of… pity?
"Ginny, dear, why don't you sit down?" Molly suggested, reaching for the girl's arm.
"Ginny shook her hand off. "Why are you all looking at me like that? What's wrong?"
"Sweetheart, we know that you and Luna have come to be quite good friends this year and, uh, well you see, um…" Arthur cleared his throat and put down his tea. "Best I just come out with it- Xeno just firecalled us to see if we knew where Luna was. She was supposed to Floo straight to the Rookery from the platform, but she never made it. Given all the anti-Voldemort propaganda the Quibbler has been printing…" The idea that Luna would be far from the first political prisoner taken by Voldemort's side hung ominously in the air.
The blood drained from Ginny's face. Luna couldn't be gone. She'd just kissed her goodbye before they got off the Hogwarts Express. She'd brushed the blonde bangs out of her eyes and drunk in her pale face. She'd squeezed her hand and promised to be brave when they talked to their families…
With tears streaming down her cheeks, Ginny bolted out the back door, ignoring the way her mother called after her. She cast a glamor charm on herself just before she burst through the wards of the Burrow. She tore down the lane with no direction in mind- her only thought was to escape the painful truth behind her.
When her tears finally dried and she came to her senses, Ginny found herself at the edge of muggle Ottery St. Catchpole. She slowed her pace, trying not to draw attention to herself. She passed several quaint shops with lights on their roofs and candles in the windows. Brightly lit Christmas trees shone through the windows of most of the muggle homes, and a large group of carolers was moving through the streets, laughing and singing and spreading good cheer.
The December chill quickly crept through Ginny's thin sweater. She cursed herself for running off without a coat or mittens or a scarf- anything to ward off the cold. Just as she was about to head for the Burrow, Ginny came upon a stone church whose dark wooden door stood slightly ajar. Curious and freezing, she wandered inside.
Ginny's jaw dropped- the church wouldn't have looked out of place as a part of Hogwarts! She walked slowly down the aisle, turning her head in all directions to admire the beautiful stained glass windows, the ornate ceiling, and the sheer size of the ancient muggle-made building. She stopped about halfway down and slipped into a pew, doing her best to remain invisible without the use of magic.
A several adults sat in clumps at the front of the church, and an older lady was doing her best to wrangle many small children in robes. Ginny thought it was odd that muggle children would be wearing robes, but she shrugged off the thought as the children began to sing.
The sound of their pure voices echoing through the church was breathtaking. As the music crescendoed, Ginny felt her heart swell in her chest. By the time the children reached the last line of the song, she felt as though she would cry: "Yet in thy dark streets shineth, the everlasting light/The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight".
Something about this place- the music, the beauty, the atmosphere of peace- took her fears and turned them to… something else. Ginny felt less scared than she had since Bill's wedding, since the start of this wretched war.
Ginny sat in her pew, transfixed, for the next two hours as she listened to the children's choir. When their practice broke up, she watched the parents bundle up their kids and shuffle them out the door. She heard the heavy door slam shut and realized she was all alone. Unsure of what came over her, Ginny carefully slid down onto the kneeling bench in front of her. She'd never prayed before, but she figured that if ever there was a time to start, it was now.
"Uh, God, uh, sir," she muttered, clearing her throat. "I, uh, I'm not really sure what to do here, but I might as well give this a try. If there's any way you, or anyone else, can keep Luna safe for me, I'd really appreciate it. She's become my best friend, and I think I might really love her. I'm not sure your thoughts on any of that, but please, just keep her safe for me. Uh, that's it. Oh wait, and keep my family safe, including Harry and Hermione. I'm not sure what you'd like me to do in return for all that, but I'll try to figure something out. Just give me a sign or whatever. I'll do anything to keep her safe. Okay, now I'm done. Uhm, goodbye?"
Looking up and seeing no one other than a older gentleman who was seated several rows in front of her, Ginny stood and walked slowly toward the door.
"We're here every night until Christmas Eve," called a voice behind her. "You're more than welcome to join us. It sounds as though you may need it."
Ginny turned to see the kindly face of the man, and she returned his smile. "Thank you, sir. I may do just that." And she really meant it.
She shoved the door open and jogged back home, more at peace than she'd been in a long time.
Ginny couldn't bring herself to tell her family about her visit to the church. She shamefacedly took their verbal lashing about running away from the safety of the Burrow, "especially in a time like this!" Molly had screeched. But she needed to keep this to herself- she wasn't sure why, but she couldn't have any of her family tagging along and breaking the spell. She would go back down to pray to the muggle God and hold her own private, silent vigil for her girlfriend. Maybe that would be enough for him to keep her safe.
For the next few nights, Ginny went back to St. Mary's. Each night, she listened to the children's choir, knelt on the bench, and poured out her heart. Her fourth visit to the church was on Christmas Eve. Ginny watched as the children performed, and she listened to the lecture that the man from her first night gave. She swore he winked at her as he began talking about this being the season of hope and faith, and she knew that he was speaking right to her.
When the meeting was over, Ginny waited for most everyone else to leave before she started to slip out. Her hand was on the heavy door when-
"Did you find what you came here for?" a familiar voice called.
Ginny looked back to see the kindly man, dressed in his teaching robes, smiling and looking at her expectantly.
"I wasn't really looking for anything," she said slowly, "just a place to get out of the cold."
"We're all looking for something. Reassurance, hope… safety," he said cryptically as he approached her.
Ginny could now see that his eyes were an odd bluish-grey- just like Luna's. She wasn't much on portents or omens or Divination, but maybe this could be the sign she'd asked for.
"Then perhaps I did. Though I suppose only time will tell," she sighed.
The old professor nodded sagely. "Well, you're welcome here anytime, whether it's to pray, light a candle, or just sit with the Lord. And please let us know if there's anything we can do for you."
"I will, thank you," Ginny promised. She once more braved the cold trek back to the Burrow but this time with a warm ball of something in her chest. Maybe it was, dare she say, hope?
Ginny made it a habit to visit the little church down in the village as often as she could, but she knew that it couldn't go on forever. She would have to go back to Hogwarts, and she didn't expect to return to the Burrow for Easter. Bill had warned her parents repeatedly about getting out of the Burrow- it was too open, too indefensible, and everyone knew where it was. It was only a matter of time before her parents caved to his concerns and made them all relocate to Aunt Muriel's.
Her last night before returning to Hogwarts, Ginny visited St. Mary's one last time. She had finished her praying when the old man sat down on the bench next to her.
"I get the feeling this is the last time we'll be seeing each other, at least for a long while," he murmured, his gaze focused on the small font farther down the aisle.
Ginny nodded. "I leave for school in the morning, and I think my parents are going to move soon."
"That's too bad," he said sadly, "I've enjoyed seeing you here. I hope that you'll keep up your vigil for your friend wherever you go. The Lord rewards faith."
"I will. I just hope that it's enough," she whispered.
The old professor smiled softly. "It will be. The Bible says that everything happens in God's timing, but it also promises good things to those who are strong in their faith. And you, my dear, have the heart of a lion."
"Thank you," Ginny replied. "I hate to, but I've got to be going. I still haven't finished packing." She stood and smiled at the old man once more before heading for the exit.
"I'll be praying for you," he called, "for both of you."
"Then, with your faith, I expect she'll be found by Easter," Ginny grinned, and with that she pushed her way back to cold reality. As she slung her scarf around her neck, a small piece of paper fluttered to the ground. The old man must have slipped it into her things. In the light pouring from the stained glass windows, she could just make out:
"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1
Ginny stuffed the slip of paper into her pocket and began her brisk walk back to the Burrow with a quiet confidence in the future. Peace, hope, faith- whatever you called it, it could only mean one thing. Luna was going to be alright; Ginny was sure of it.
