The Hourglass: Chapter 10
XXXXXX
XXXX
XX
XXXX
XXXXXX
Ginny had barely finished twirling before she hastily regained her balance and stormed out of the now-empty cave. What the hell was wrong with Blaise? She hadn't liked the attitude of that one at all. He was worse than present-day Blaise; not wanting to help people or take any action at all. What had caused this change of attitude in him? Was it just a phase that Blaise went through in his early twenties? Ginny hoped so. She leaned against the face of rock outside the cave and folded her arms. Now she had the lovely task of figuring out when she was again, and coming up with some sort of message to leave Blaise for the future.
If she ever were to meet him again before the time of her last visit, she had to be ready. She could write some sort of message on the wall of the cave for him. But that somehow didn't seem like a good idea, in case some random travelers or something came into the cave and saw it before Blaise moved in. She could leave a letter, though. It would have to be somewhere hidden a bit, so that casual passerbys wouldn't notice it, but easy enough to find that someone living there would discover it…
Ginny fumbled through her pockets and was pleased to find that her habit of carrying around scrap parchment and a quill had come in handy. She settled herself down on a rock outside the cave so she would have enough light to write by.
How to begin? She spun the quill around indecisively. "Dear" sounded awkward, but just writing "Blaise" seemed rude. Finally she settled on writing a 'To Blaise—" on the top. She began to write slowly, wondering what he would think of this letter when he received it in the future. She was creating another alternate universe by writing this. The thought was disconcerting, but she just didn't see how else to ensure that he would know her on the next visit. She found it was difficult to say what she meant in a simple letter, when it was so difficult to say even in person.
After a few minutes, she lifted her quill to examine her work.
To Blaise—
Your friend Ginny writes you from the year 1994. I've found a time-turner at Hogwarts and I'm using it to commute with you during the period that you live in this cave. Hogwarts is in trouble and that's why I need your help forming a plan of combat for the Battle of Hogwarts. Please expect me to visit you one day.
-Ginny Weasley
It was definitely a very odd letter, and one that would make no sense to anyone who didn't know Blaise or Ginny, which was good. Ginny doubted whether Blaise himself would believe it upon reading it in the future. He might think it was a trap of some sort or else total nonsense. But all those suspicions would be dispelled upon seeing her for real and at least this way, he would not be as shocked.
Ginny shook her head and sealed the letter. She had added the bit on the end so that Blaise would know what she wanted from him when she came to meet him. Maybe he could straighten out his priorities by then and be of some use next time.
She looked at the paper in her hand, pathetically thin and fragile, and quickly cast a waxing charm on it so that it would resist both moisture and heat and preserve for years. She re-entered the cave to plant it in a dark corner and then left again, but not before re-burying her bronze Knut outside the cave entrance.
For the first time since returning, Ginny noticed that outside the cave, the sun wasn't up yet. The sky was a pale, cloudy white of earliest dawn. That could either mean she had managed to make it back on the right day, a few hours later, or else was she in a completely different time zone again. Either way, the earliness of the hour afforded Ginny the lucky opportunity to skulk back to the school without being stopped or sighted.
Ginny started to make her way down to the village, wondering vaguely how she was going to get past the dementors that were on the outskirts of the Hogwarts grounds. She didn't like the idea of being caught like a criminal—perhaps she should wait until the sun rose a little bit more and then go out to the Quidditch field and pretend she was out for an early practice? Students weren't technically supposed to be on the field before or after hours without a teacher's permission, but she could pretend not to have known. After all, it was better to be thought stupid than caught trying to break into a side entrance, which would be significantly harder to explain.
Hogsmeade was sort of beautiful at this time of day. Her feet whispered through the silent streets and the place had a peaceful and quiet aura. Ginny watched her breath rise before her and passed the closed shops at a brisk pace. She was so focused on getting back that she did not notice a light go on in the post office as she passed. She was a good fifty yards away before the silence was abruptly and cruelly shattered by the sound of a door being roughly thrown open and heavy footsteps descending steps.
Ginny barely had time to turn or pull her wand before someone in a black cloak that smelled foully was nearly upon her.
"And where do you think you're going, Missy? Thought you'd take a nice little after hours stroll?" the swarthy figure brandished the tip of his wand at her throat while she cringed at the intensified smell.
"I'm—a student up at the school!" she said as bravely as she could manage with the bit of wood poking her windpipe. "I just had to go to the station—it was an emergency—" was the only thing Ginny could think of to say.
"An emergency, eh?" his voice was thick with sardonic amusement and he gave a nasty laugh. "Well, I didn't get any message about an emergency. We'll just see about that. We'll just see how the Carrows take to this news—"
He stuck one hand up the left sleeve of his robes, pressing his skin, and suddenly, it clicked. Ginny shrank back in horror.
Death Eaters in Hogsmeade. It's come true. She remembered thinking, panic shooting through her fogged disbelief before she was grabbed roughly by the collar of her cloak and dragged forward towards a carriage that was waiting at the village entrance, against which she half-heartedly struggled. Had she completely messed up the time travel? Was she still in old-Blaise's time or what? And who the hell were the Carrows?
Back up at the school, the Death Eater marched her through the dark corridors, not caring, it seemed, how much noise he made. Indeed, he seemed to want to wake up as many people as possible. When Filch furiously rounded a corner, brandishing a mop and a terrible scowl, the Death Eater curtly told him that he was taking a student to see the Carrows and Filch's objections immediately ceased, intensifying Ginny's sense of fear. If Filch approved of it, it had to be lethal. The Carrows must be Death Eaters as well—or worse.
To her surprise, however, she was not led to a dungeon or anything of the sort, but merely along the familiar corridors to the Defense Against the Dark Arts office. She stood in utter bemusement as the Death Eater knocked sharply and then entered the dark office. A figure that Ginny didn't recognize was standing with his back to the desk. He turned around as they entered. "And who have you brought for me now, at this hour?" was his comment before stopping short at the sight of Ginny.
He was a squat, doughy figure and he gave a short laugh at the sight of Ginny that made her hair stand on end. "You may go, Avery."
The man called Avery looked annoyed at being dismissed without so much as a thanks, but it seemed that he was in the inferior position, because he merely backed out of the room with a glare and shut the door with a snap.
"So—Miss Weasley, isn't it?" said the man Ginny supposed was Carrow.
She didn't know what to say. It made her uneasy that he knew her by face, but there was no point lying.
"It's good to finally meet you," he said in an amused sort of voice after a pause. "For it's really all thanks to you that my sister and I are now the punishment administrators of Hogwarts." He gave a horrible little giggle again.
Ginny felt a sick lurch in her stomach. What did this guy mean? How much time had she missed? What…what the hell was going on?
"But you've been missing for some time," he continued. "And then one day you just show up prowling the streets of Hogsmeade. Care to explain that?" his voice took on a menacing edge.
"I…" Ginny couldn't think of any explanation whatsoever. There was absolutely no reason for her to have been in Hogsmeade at that time. "I…don't know how it happened…"
"And yet you seem quite aware of yourself right now," his tone further sharpened. "I assure you, if you cannot explain where you were all this time, I can find some way of assisting you—"
"Wait!"
The door to the Defense Against the Dark Arts office crashed open and Ginny jumped back in shock as Carrow looked up sharply.
It was McGonagall, in her tartan robe, looking utterly frantic. Relief began to clog Ginny's senses as McGonagall crossed the room, saying, "She's back, then? Really, Miss Weasley needs to go to the hospital wing right away!"
"Weasley and I have not finished our discussion!" snapped Carrow, looking at McGonagall with livid eyes, though he seemed a little taken aback by her intensity. "And I have not called for you yet; you have no business here—"
"Perhaps you have forgotten the conditions under which you were employed at this school?" McGonagall spoke over him in a superbly authoritative, confident voice, though Ginny knew she must be afraid. "You and your sister were commissioned because of the very instance of students' disappearances, so that you could keep a closer eye on this school. Miss Weasley may have been abducted and is possibly traumatized. She needs to see Madame Pomfrey immediately!"
"I—you will respect your administrators!" was the only thing Carrow managed to shout out, in view of his relative surprise to McGonagall's reaction. "I won't have you telling me how to run this school!"
"I intended no such thing. But this distressed student has no more business here tonight. You may speak to her in the morning. The Minister of Magic will hear about this—"
Carrow's face worked furiously and he and McGonagall both looked at Ginny, who quickly realized that she should appear traumatized and tired in this instant, but her face was probably already in that expression, so she did not have to work much to change it.
McGonagall seized onto Carrow's moment of hesitation and grabbed Ginny by the arm, steering her out of the office with surprising strength. "In the morning, Carrow."
The two of them half-ran down the corridor, heading towards the hospital wing, Ginny utterly amazed at her escape and half expecting Carrow to chase them.
"Professor, what—"
"Not now." McGonagall silenced her as expected. Ginny was so confused right now, so utterly wrong footed by all these events that she could hardly contain herself as they rushed up the stairs to see Madame Pomfrey, but she understood that she had to remain silent. Although Ginny wasn't feeling in any particular need of whatever Madame Pomfrey was likely to prescribe, she understood that she had to pretend to be ill. Clearly, that was the only way that McGonagall had been able to think of to get Ginny out of the office. And Ginny was extremely grateful for it. McGonagall had saved her, yet again.
They finally arrived at the wing and after being fussed over by the nurse and forced into bed, Ginny called out before McGonagall could leave.
"Professor, please, wait!"
McGonagall who was close to leaving, slowly turned and doubled back to the bed as Ginny threw the sheets off and stood up. "What is it, Miss Weasley?"
"Professor, what's going on now? How long have I been gone?"
McGonagall sighed. She was clearly reluctant to discuss it, but the utter confusion and desperation in Ginny's eyes seemed to strike a chord with her.
"Twelve days." McGonagall spoke seriously, but very softly, looking directly at Ginny. "You were gone twelve days, and as such, there are things you don't understand right now. I'm sorry I had to exaggerate this illness, but it was the only way to get you out of there."
"Who was that man—Carrow?" Ginny's head was wild with questions.
McGonagall looked down. "We should discuss this later. You need rest—"
"No!" Ginny didn't mean to sound so cross, but she might explode if she didn't get answers now. "Professor, I have to know what's happening!"
McGonagall sighed again, and shut her eyes briefly before opening them again. She seemed to be trying to think of the fastest way to summarize. "Miss Weasley, the Carrow siblings, Alecto and Amycus, are the new discipline administrators at Hogwarts. They were installed just last week."
"But they're Death Eaters!" Ginny cried, to which McGonagall shushed her.
"The Ministry has been under the control of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named since last year. A figurehead puppet Minister was installed to do his bidding because he refuses to come into public, but he controls the school all the same."
"That Carrow said that I was the reason he was in power—" Ginny blustered, unable to control herself.
"So far, Hogwarts has done all it can resisting Ministry influence," McGonagall replied. "But after the disappearances of several more students, it could not be kept from the Ministry what was happening at Hogwarts. They feel we're incompetent and sent the Carrows as overseers and administrators."
"What do you mean, several disappearances? It's just me, right?"
"No, Miss Weasley. Other students have been…taken."
Ginny looked at her in horror as she realized what this meant. It was Nott all over again.
"But—but this is madness!" she finally cried when she found her voice. "It's the Death Eaters who are doing it! How can they send Death Eaters to stop what Death Eaters are doing?"
"I know that. But we can't prove it and the Ministry was just looking for an excuse to move more reinforcements into Hogwarts," McGonagall said sharply. "An excuse that the public could understand—to gain support for the government…"
Ginny looked down at her feet, wanting to cry. She had never felt responsible for the school's administration until now. "I'm so sorry, Professor. I never meant—"
"It's not your fault, Miss Weasley!" McGonagall said immediately, as if reading her thoughts. "The Ministry has just been waiting for an opportunity to extend its influence in Hogwarts all year. The disappearances were just an excuse. If not this, they would have found another way."
This didn't make Ginny feel much better. Rubbing her nose, she looked up, realizing she had forgotten another key piece of information. "Who else has disappeared?" she asked.
McGonagall swallowed. There was a moment of silence and Ginny realized that McGonagall had been trying to delay this moment.
"Various…students of half-blood parentage," she said finally, deliberately enunciating. "And—" she paused. "Miss Luna Lovegood."
Ginny felt as though the air around her thinned. She stared into McGonagall's bespectacled eyes, unable to believe what she had heard. Slowly, she shook her head, hoping McGonagall would confirm her doubt.
But McGonagall nodded, breaking eye contact and looking at the floor. "It was just before Easter break," her voice was surprisingly thick. "The students were leaving through Hogsmeade. And one of them took her out of the station, right off the train—"
Ginny covered her ears so she wouldn't have to hear more. She sank onto the bed, feeling a hopeless fear and nausea overtake her. Nott, she could handle. But what would she do without Luna, her right hand? How could she have let this happen? She had been so obsessed with the future that she hadn't given a thought to the present, and now this had happened.
McGonagall too, seemed momentarily taken with emotion and unable to speak. Professor McGonagall, Ginny realized, had done her duty. She had been here, in the present, where she was needed, helping the students who were defenseless and not off somewhere making illustrious plans for the future. How could Ginny have been such a fool? She thought back to the letter she had written to Blaise and felt ashamed. This was it. She was never going to time travel again.
"Thank you…" Ginny said finally, her voice thick. "For helping me."
McGonagall looked at her. "Of course," she said. "But…" she lowered her voice. "Miss Weasley, do you know where you have been these past few weeks?"
Ginny paused, looking at this woman who had just saved her from cruel punishment, and knew she would not be able to lie. Very slowly, she nodded yes.
McGonagall regarded her. "Can you tell me?" it was a gentle request.
Ginny shut her eyes. She shook her head.
McGonagall nodded and didn't press the matter. "They will be back for you in the morning. The only thing that keeps the Carrows in check is fear of being regulated by the Ministry, because they if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has to take time to deal with their actions, they are in trouble. Your best bet is to act like you can't remember anything, because in fact, it's not been abnormal for students to have their memories modified these days. I will ensure that they don't use Veritaserum."
Ginny stared at her, awed that McGonagall was not forcing her to explain her absence. It was just one more of the magical things about the Transfiguration teacher.
"You may join your house tomorrow. Until then, try to get some rest. You'll need it."
Ginny nodded dumbly and watched as McGonagall retreated from the hospital wing and descended the staircase.
A/N
Working faster now, yes? It still takes me a while because I edit obsessively, and yet there are still typos and stuff that drives me crazy.
I know I'm going off the book in several ways right now, but hey, that's the 'fiction' part of this site! :D
Double digit chapters!