Disclaimer: I am not J. or Robert Jordan and their worlds of Harry Potter and the Wheel of Time. These two created the fun little worlds I have decided to play in with no thought of profit to myself. So I promise that if I did own these I wouldn't have had Hermione with Ron, though I would have been happy to see her be married to Rand al'Thor if ever the two worlds should meet.

Chapter Six: Climbing the Beanstalk

Night time, or what they agreed probably was night, came quickly. Cold as always and, as Ginny found out after the first night, was a scrum for Harry's side. Tonight she'd bested the wily and crafty Luna. Harry's back would be finally in her possession, and she fully knew her need for Harry was not quite sane. Then again neither of their lives were anywhere near being that mundane. Few girls ever are rescued from a psychotic evil wizard and his vile monstrous pet by the love of their lives. Ginny was one of the exclusive few, and more than a little dazzled by it.

Cozying down behind her love, she whispered, "Goodnight Harry. Oh, just so you know, I still want my dances. I've been looking forward to them."

"I haven't forgotten. I'm also planning a suitable revenge on the ponce for ruining all of our Yule Balls." he chuckled grimly. "It has to be special."

Parvati giggled from her usual place in Harry's arms, "Well I don't know. We did find all this because of him. How about a fruit basket and call it good."

"We do have the peaches for it." Daphne, Ginny's newest friend and rival added from behind her. The girl had cuddled into Ginny quickly or lose out to Luna. "While we're at it, we can send some to Snape too. Sweeten him up nicely I think."

"No, the peaches would run from that one." Harry yawned then as per their usual these days, him and Parvati snogged goodnight. Even so it broke Ginny's heart just a bit.

"Harry?" Hermione hesitantly asked, "Have you thought on that egg? If we get back, you might have to compete. They didn't care if you didn't enter, why would they care about all this happening either?"

Groaning in denied pleasure, Parvati hissed, "You're right Hermione, but couldn't it wait till morning? We were relaxing rather nicely."

"All of you cut it out. We're all rather tired." Angelina barked in command. "If we're lucky Harry's competing in the tournament is for then. As is for his snogging you crosseyed Parvati. What we should be thinking on is rest and whatever this place we're going is like. It might end up being our new home if things go sideways."

"That's why I want my snoggings now." Parvati pouted sullenly, "Whatever happens, I want a happy memory tonight. Is that wrong?"

"It is if we have to hear it." Alicia countered.

Ginny didn't know what side to choose, but deeply wished to be the one Harry was snogging. By the sound of it Daphne, Hermione, and Luna may have felt the same. It was a confusing mess. Thankfully it had began to become clear that Padma was backing down from the race to be Harry's girlfriend, what with her twin in the lead to win Harry's heart.

Blaise asked one of the questions on everyone's mind, "What do we do if we all end up stuck there, wherever there is?"

"Find a way to make coin." snarkily answered her brother Fred.

"Marry a pretty witch." George suggested.

"Settle down." concurred Alicia.

"Just make do." Angelina growled in finality.

However Luna was now interested, "Would we form Circles like in the memories?"

Strangling a cough, Harry wheezed, "What? You can't be serious."

"Girl knows what she wants. Blaise my luv, you and I will need to talk I think." Tracey purred seductively to the gaunt wizard.

"Interesting offer." the fellow smirked. "If I think I understand you."

"We'll see, wizards are a bit daft on the whole." Tracey cheekily chuckled.

A heavy sigh from Neville made Ginny grow pensive. Her sweet big friend needed a girl. Both of them knew they were wrong for each other, so her being it wouldn't happen. Also, even if he fancied Ginny's best friend, Hermione was plainly and painfully not into him. Luna, sweet and gentle Luna, was an idea but she showed no inclination towards Neville. However Padma was free, intelligent, smashingly beautiful, and a very nice witch.

"An idea." she whispered to herself, expecting no one to hear.

"What is?" Daphne whispered just as quietly to Ginny.

"To get Neville and Padma together. He needs and deserves a good girl." Ginny replied hurriedly to her Slytherin friend.

A silence followed that, then the girl chirped, "I like it. You think we can do it?"

"Why not?" Ginny reasoned out with her possible co-conspirator. "If only..."

"There was a way to be Harry's?" her friend wryly chuckled.

"Am I that obvious?" she asked Daphne while her face burned hotly.

Squeezing her tight Daphne teased, "Just a bit. But who am I to talk?"

"Whoever is talking best pray I don't find them." Angelina growled in warning, "Whatever you're gabbing on about can wait. That's an order."

"Yes mummy." Fred laughed.

"Shut it you. Unless you want to snuggle ol'Pickled Ugly." she threatened. "Now scoot closer its cold."

Suppressing a giggle, Ginny snuggled into her Harry's back. He responded by reaching back to pat her thigh, "Goodnight Ginny, I tend to have nightmares, so please forgive me if I thrash about a bit." He made to take his hand away, just when she had let her guard down to enjoy it.

Daringly she acted quickly and grabbed hold of it, "Thanks for the warning but I won't mind. Me and Parvati will protect you. Now rest." She barely kept from adding my love at the end.

It was late by the time he fell asleep in her arms. Longer still for her as she reveled in the intimate feel of their embrace. Unable to resist any longer and just before she joined him in sleeping, she lightly kissed the nape of his neck. Vowing to be his witch if it killed her.

"I love you Harry Potter." she barely breathed out, "One day I hope you will love me too."

Unfortunately they couldn't have slept longer. Hunger pains gnawed at all of them, and made even her dream come true night of sleeping with her love in her arms uncomfortable. Escape out of Salazaar Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets was imperative if they wished to live.

Groaning in exhaustion, her empty stomach's cringing awoke her, Ginny half wanted to just stay laying in bed with her arms around Harry. Flickering her eyes open she gasped in a shiver of joy as he rolled over to face her. His emerald green pool like eyes were drowning her mental faculties. Flight had been her main recourse in times like these, but not this time. Fun as it were the night before, her arm had fell asleep holding him and was now pinned by his lovely warm body. Close as they were right then, they were breathing each other's air.

Tenderly he kissed her brow, "You were having a nightmare about Tom. It seemed to lessen when you could squeeze me like a teddy bear and have Daphne do the same with you. I've deflected most everyone's questions, but your brothers, Daphne Hermione, and Parvati are insisting on talking to you later."

"I've told Hermione most of it." Ginny squeaked, "What did I say?"

"Not much, except that bit about my near dying. Ginny, you know I'd do it again if it meant saving you right?" he tenderly spoke, but she could feel the truth of his words. Knowing that her love would yet again face death for her made her want to win his heart. "If you ever need to talk it over, or talk about anything I'm here for you."

What she wanted to talk over was them being a couple, as that wouldn't hurt too bad. Her heart was too raw from the shame and pain of being a tool for the likes of Tom to talk to him about it all. Unfortunately his becoming more and more Parvati's man meant even her hope of his loving her was a pipe dream. Sitting and talking with him over anything may only sharpen the pain of being the hanger on accident of her family. The reject Weasley is what she was.

Swallowing her emotional turmoil down, she replied, "Thank you Harry. Maybe... Maybe I will sometime."

"Good, now lets get up. Today we've loads to do." he hugged her tight, but more like a brother would than as the lover she ached for him to be. "Who knows maybe we'll get to eat today. That would be a pleasant change, won't it."

Growling its whole hearted agreement with that, her stomach clinched down. Not having a single bite to eat since the Yule Ball Feast, and losing most of that when they came here, she was out of sorts. Weasleys may be poor, but they did enjoy large tasty meals.

Later as the whole group was looking over the evidence, samples, and reasons to go to one of the five places Slytherin had money for. It was decided early on that money meant civilization and maybe a way to learn more about magic and a way back to the world beyond the Chamber. Maybe in time to warn the authorities of those strangers, if they were not too late already. A thought Ginny strove to avoid, and thinking of where to go helped in driving it out.

So far two of the five were discounted because of a severe lack of available knowledge. That is outside a few scorched coins, sets of clothes in poor condition, and potion ingredients that smelled off. Another was abandoned as they found more of the Blight samples bearing that mark than the rest. Justifiable fear of what may be on the other side made those choices simple ones to make. It was debating the pros and cons of the remaining two that had them locked in to a stalemate.

"A bushel of poisonous peaches is not enough to discount that marking. Look at all that Slytherin has of the place." Tracey imperiously pointed at the mounds of clothes that bore that particular sign. "It must be where he went the most often. Why else did he bring back so much compared to the rest?"

Rubbing his eyes wearily, Neville countered, "Don't forget that eyeless head was also from that mark, as are those scorched banners. I'm certain it didn't happen near a common cook fire. One maybe, ten is beyond reason."

Closing her own tired eyes Ginny tossed her head back groaning what troubled her most about the other place, "I don't think dresses with collars like a pets is a good sign either. I may love to pet Hermione's Crookshanks, but I don't have to emulate him."

All the girls in were in total agreement on this stance. The implications were not good in their opinion. Voicing their side rather pointedly, Padma tried to make Neville, Blaise, and Ginny's brothers see reason. By vote the boys would lose, but this was not a snap decision by show of hands. It could mean life or death. Or as the girls rightfully feared, slavery. "Do you not see that the place you're wishing to take us clearly does not see women as more than property? I know I come from a culture not renowned for its treatment of the female gender, but that does not make me eager to go where it is markedly worse than my homeland. If we go there, we might as well put on leashes before we go. Possibly even learn to grovel and simper too."

"But what if there is nothing left there? War could have destroyed everything Slytherin had found." Neville said as the spokesman for most of the boys, "We don't like the slave aspects of this choice but we need to discover the magic that must be part of Slytherin's quest to find in the first place. If no one is there we could be in for it."

Meanwhile Ginny saw that Harry was fingering two dresses that could very well have been made by the same hand, for the exact same customer. That is except one was collared and from the place the other boys wished to go to, while the other came from the place with the poisoned peaches. Exactly the same in colour, cut, and frills save the gilded collar and leash on its high lace neck line.

Tears were building in the boy's eyes as he compared the two side by side.

"Wars end. Slavery can last for centuries till it drags all of civilization down. What do you think the meaning of that life with the witch Rhoda was, outside of her inability to fight that Circle?" Hermione snapped. "This is why House Elves should be freed. Slavery only creates anger and decline."

"What witch? I never saw anything about a Rhoda." Blaise asked with confusion painted plainly across his thin dark face. It was mirrored on the other boys' faces as well. "I saw one of a wizard being captured to be sold as a sorcerous gladiator, or of a man trying to rescue his wife and children. But there was no Rhoda."

"What?" the girls all gawked at that admission.

"Well what of the witch getting married and the cousin with the wand?" Tracey incredulously leaned forward to ask the boys. "That one where they were scandalized about a man wishing to teach his daughters magic."

"There was one of a groom talking with his heirless neighbor who had a load of daughters and no wealth to foster them out." Neville remarked which only raised more questions in the lot of teenagers.

Shaking her head in building irritation Ginny spoke up. "I can't believe this. You didn't see what we saw? What fat lot of good that does."

Standing while holding aloft both near identical dresses, Harry took charge of the discussion. "We go to the poisoned peach place. Make sure none of us eat any while we're there by the by. I won't go where slavery is expected, and not a sinful crime."

He walked over to Ginny with the collar free dress and held it out to her, "I think it would suit you. It's as pretty as you are." His tender eyes and attention made her want to giggle madly. Once she took the dress he turned to look them all in the eye, "What good would slave magic do us? Now think why Slytherin made it that a witch and wizard go as a pair? I'd wager it was to show the whole of it and for them to share. Or us as it turned out."

"But what if there is nothing there?" Neville still asked.

"Then we'll make do as best we can. I refuse to expose the girls to this." he violently tossed the slave dress to Neville. "I'm worried too, but none of our number should live that way. We're better than that sort who enslaves others."

Pulling out some empty parchment, Hermione frowned, "Padma please tell me we have more of your spare ink. Mine is all gone."

"Spare ink?" George inquired with a shared weird look from Fred.

"Where did you hide the ink?" Fred asked incredulously at the pair's tight fitting dress robes they wore.

"Rowena's Code #153, Be prepared to take notes at all times. It saves confusion later." Luna and Padma grinned then recited in unison as if they had practiced at it.

Tracey rolled her eyes, "Ravenclaws, and you might as well be one Granger."

Hermione sniffed in offense at that but set to work anyway once she had a bit of ink. "Okay , first and foremost we need to decide what to bring and how."

Smirking Blaise eyed the coins, "We'll need the money. Obviously a number one."

"Harry has money with him already." the aggrieved Hermione cooly eyed the wizard.

"Hermione? I only have around seventy galleons. I seriously doubt that will be enough. That's if they will take goblin minted coins." grumbled Harry, "Plus we don't know trade values. It's not as if I can just pop off to Gringotts for a bag or two more."

"We could use an undetectable extension charm on our purses, and with all the stuff here we can find some for the boys too." Alicia happily spoke up. "The more we bring the better. I'd hate to starve from being too frugal."

"Excellent." Blaise's eyes glowed with unbridled desire, "We need plenty for each of us to survive alone if something untoward jumps us. Plus I suggest smaller purses for any public displays of wealth. Keep our money hidden and avoid trouble from the unsavory sorts."

"Clothes, we'll need plenty to fit in or incase we're stuck." Daphne giggled with a grin for Tracey. "I'd hate to spend too much of our stash on a sufficiently suitable wardrobe. Also I absolutely refuse to wear out my dress robes."

Tracey and Parvati nodded in agreement.

Ginny's practical knut pinching raising opened her lips to add, "Wealthy and everyday wear. I'd not fancy trying to find either if it comes that we need them."

"Smart idea girl." Parvati clapped for that.

"Weapons and the potion stuff." George grunted. "Otherwise we'll find we need pointies too. Just like Gin-Gin suggested."

Fred yawned in support, "Hate to run into Mr. Pickles back there with nothing but my wand and a tickling charm."

All of them shivered at such a thought. Pickles gave her the willies.

"Oh so true brother mine." George concurred.

"We'll need some of his notes if not all of them." Hermione furiously scribbled out what everyone was adding while she spoke. Ginny noted they were low on ink while listening.

"Lets try for it all. If we don't have it we'll need it." she firmly cut through all this silly list making, "Well besides Mr. Pickles and the other grim preserves. We have the drawings, I don't fancy lugging the real thing about." Ginny's best friend looked troubled by that.

"What if we lose all of this?" the bookish brunet bit her lip with honest worry.

"Lets do a triage of all this stuff. Afterwards we'll have a clearer idea of what we want with us." cut in Harry with a hug for Hermione. "I'll start off. The not quite right potion ingredients are a no. Same with all the herbology and creature specimens."

Having a pensive twist to his face, Blaise jerked his head in a disgusted shake. "Only the coins from our destination. The others have matching but are different. We really don't want to have a band of irrate goblins after us. Or whoever handles currency for them. We'll leave the Gringotts coins we have here as well. They may raise questions we should avoid. Its bad enough to be using a thousand plus year old coin or two as it is."

"Lets leave the notes on any place except the ones from our destination too. We don't want to get confused about things in a moment of crises and make a fatal blunder by poor information." Padma sighed reluctantly.

Quietly Luna wandered over to the column, "No, we may have missed a point or two. We'll also need them for when we learn how to use those." The wispy blond pointed to the collection of magical artifacts. "But I wouldn't bring many with us."

"None of those go." Harry became very agitated suddenly, "If lost, they're irreplaceable. If we could get away with out Slytherin's writings I would. But it's a no go to lose those artifacts. If we find others we'll keep and use them."

"Why not a few?" Blaise scratched his peach fuzz thoughtfully.

"What if we do find someone to train us but they demand we give them our stash?" Harry cut across that firmly. "I know we have a chance of never coming back, but if we do...?" He left that last hanging. It made sense in Ginny's mind. Why give up what they don't have to if they don't even have it close at hand.

"And besides that we don't even know what we have over there." the retiringly shy Neville hesitantly spoke up.

"Good point." Harry scanned the group, "Well lets pack then. Parvati may I talk with you privately please?"

Angelina smirked, "Later lover boy. We have work to do."

A thread of terror flittered in Ginny's mind at what he would want to talk with the too bubbly Patil about. If only her own mind didn't begin to freeze up when he looked her way just now. It wasn't fair!

"Wait!" Tracey barked to get everyone's attention. "Lets try out the clothes to see what fits. That's one thing we can do to avoid excess."

It must have hurt for the girl to say that out loud. Ginny felt the Slytherin girl was a bit of a clothes horse to even challenge the likes of Lavender Brown.

Nodding emphatically Hermione seconded that motion, "I agree. Some of that is made for people as big as Hagrid or Madam Maxime. I'd rather have room for more useful articles."

"And where are we going to be doing this changing at?" Alicia squawked while waving around the open room, "I know I might one day fancy a boy seeing my bits, but not right now."

"Here! Here!" Padma exclaimed while blanching a sickly green.

The boys looked none too chuffed about this either. Both Harry and Neville were turning a fine beet red in the process. Only Blaise looked mostly unconcerned. Then again he was a continental, those sorts are all a bit funny Ginny considered by her mum's teachings.

With a swish and flick the dresses and suit coats the size of tents began to float upwards by Hermione and Daphne's commands. Neither had said a word before beginning to work.

Tracey pointed to the banner poles commanding them to move as well, commenting brightly, "We make a separation for us. Now this is important. Clothes provide an illusion of what we want people to see us as. Just think of this as a shopping trip. It'll be fun, I promise."

That had Harry look a bit peeked in addition to his earlier blush, an emotion Ginny could relate to. Seeing an opportunity though, she moved to his side, "It'll be okay. We can do this."

"Maybe." he replied staring off into space pensively, then he smiled dazzlingly once he met her gaze, "At least we can see if I was right about that dress."

"Right." she responded while wishing to crow in victory that he noticed her, "Plus none will cost us a single knut."

He burst into a soft laughter with a wink for her, "And nothing here looks like Ron's dress robes."

"The blessings keep coming." she chuckled with him, but still fought down the flighty flutters of her hammering heart.

The erecting of a stable and suitably semi-private changing areas for the boys and girls took time. What made it more daunting was the sheer number of selections. For a supposedly crotchety old hermit of a wizard, he had went to great lengths to find a huge array of clothing for a collection.

Once the stacks were set out into likely sizes, the group split up by gender. Tiny tingles of a sense they were all a bit naughty for being so tantalizingly close flitted through Ginny's Weasley raising. Just a small crack and either side would get an eyeful. Thoughts of what it would be like to either sneak a peek or give a show teased her conscience terribly.

However she knew in truth that she would be mortified if the boys caught a glimpse. It was bad enough that the school didn't have private bathing facilities as it were. They were only divided by House and gender, nothing else. She missed the secluded privacy of home.

Stripping down to her knickers and training bra, she valiantly tried not to notice the other girls. Praying they did the same for her. Brief, unintentional flashes made her blush horribly. For instance the older girls were wearing lacy underthings compared to her cotton. It was humiliating is what it was.

"Oooh look. I have a tattoo on my chest." Luna airily spoke up. "I thought I had seen it when I put on my new dress earlier. But then it had been dark."

"So do I!" yelped Tracey, "Mum'll kill me!"

"Bugger!" Neville squawked, "I have one too. Great ruddy snake at that."

Taking a deep breath for courage, she glanced down under her wear worn training bra. What she found there made her feel sick. She had one as well. A gold, red, white, and black metallic shimmering thing eating its own tail, around a yin-yang. Her mum and dad would kill her if they saw it. Thankfully it was not in a normally visible location.

"We all have one over here." Harry choked out.

Looking up and nodding at the other girls who were doing the same, she squeaked, "Same with us. Where could we have gotten them?"

"It's obvious that we were gifted the bleeding things for our trips down memory lane, little sister." George's voice sounded conflicted. "Little reminders is what I'd wager."

Fred commiserated unhelpfully, "Look on the bright side mum'll butcher us only if we tell her. And I plan on avoiding ever doing that."

"I second that family mine. Why bother them with troubling things when its completely unnecessary." George chuckled wryly. "So itty Ginnikins, we hold it to you to not speak a word. It wont hurt them to not know they should be for flaying us."

Sniffling Ginny tried not to sound timid, "I'm not a Percy. I keep secrets I know."

Hurrying to finish finding their clothes selections, everyone had at least four sets when they were done. With the girls deciding to remove the slave collars from the other place's batch to give them eight to nine changes apiece. Though the selections were not all totally to their likings, as both the witches and wizards had some dodgy discoveries. Breeches that fit as snugly as tights for the boys, meant to be worn with knee length boots. The ladies had nixed sets of dresses that had ovular holes centered around their abdomens that extended to just shy of obscene up top and below. However they did find luck in that they all found matching footwear for all their new wardrobe's additions. Plus the girls all liked the pretty cuts and designs of what they had chosen for themselves.

For a thousand year old sets of clothing, these were rather fine finds. Even if they were snug in some of the numbers, they made up for it in how stylish the embroidery and lace work appeared. The boys cut fine figures in the clean lined cloaks and that lay among all the huge collection available. As for her dress her Harry gave her, it fit fabulously and made her look and feel a gorgeous princess.

She swore to surprise him with it at some opportune time. Hopefully she would dazzle him utterly into falling for her.

Finally done with this orgy of clothes picking out. The lot dressed in the simpler sturdier things they had. To get used to them and as a way to save their dress robes. Daphne had raised a few eyebrows at her joy in plain simple shoes compared to her fancy Yule Ball footwear. To Ginny it was extremely odd to not prefer her pretty silky soft slippers over the pair of stiff buff leather loafers that were scrounged up for her. Consoling herself that the delicate slippers would be kept safe for later.

Creating bags for them to carry this all took just a matter of a few flicks and muttered incantations. Watching Alicia and Angelina carefully, all of them had learned how. Though the boys did take a much longer time in getting the charms to cast. Never mind they were impeccable with their wand work. Further proof that the Ancients had been real and very much right about teaching magic.

While most everyone packed Harry and Hermione studied to find clues about using the column. Both had their heads bent together, with their knees touching, the duo strove to make heads or tails out of the notes. Seeing how they blushed now and then, Ginny felt the growling snarl of jealousy at the sight of them. Shoving it down took time, but she refused to be like Ron and ruin everything for everyone.

"Well at least its not Parvati." Daphne hissed in a whisper for Ginny alone, over the stacked load of books they were packing up. Meeting the girl's eyes, she had to crack a smile. Her rival and friend held the same gleam of the green eyed monster raging in Ginny's heart.

Sorting and packing claimed the rest of the day, and everyone were glad to be finished with it at the end. Exhaustion spurred their decision to try their luck at leaving tomorrow morning. Disappointingly Harry and Hermione stayed up, as did Padma and Neville in a bid to decipher any more tiny but vital details in Slytherin's notes and collected works. This forced the weary Daphne, Ginny, Luna, and Parvati to snuggle up without Harry at all for a change.

When they awoke in the morning all four whom stayed up were incredibly already up and looking grim. Yet what they said gave everyone a glimmer of pure hope.

"It's time. We think we understand how it is done, more or less." Harry tiredly announced for the group. "Plus we want to point out that Slytherin left us six other symbols not on this column. We hope one is a way home, but what he wrote of them was in one of the unknown languages."

That chilled the lot of them. This very well could end up a one way ticket into the unknown. Sadly no one they knew would likely ever learn of their fate. Ginny wished she could go back in time and hug extra tight all her family one more time. Even Ron and Percy, but maybe not Aunt Muriel. She really hated that old bat.

"I don't have one. But would like to say that even if I did, we don't have the luxury to object. Staying here means starving." Tracey pointed out with one hand on her hip.

Angelina laughed, "Then lets do this. Just remember to avoid eating the peaches."

"Alright everyone lets clear the place around the column and then gather around here." Harry instructed, "It may be best if we all held on to each other. I'm not certain though."

A flurry of levitation charms later, and they were ready. Bunching up tight, the whole lot clung to everyone else. Only Harry and Hermione were not clutching onto the others with both hands. Instead both of them were entwining their spell casting hands together about their wands.

In unison the pair cast together while touching the chosen marking, a simple triangle inside a circle. "Locomotus Maxima!"

This was the group's last hope of salvation, and they had no way of knowing if this was actually their swan songs.

The world started to shimmer, then all that Ginny saw began to flicker rapidly.