Blissfully Ignorant, Chapter 10, Not My Boy, Please!
Disclaimer: J. owns everything Potter related. I only own the plot.
"That was a wonderful meal Charlie I enjoyed it a lot, thank you." Ginny said as she patted her full stomach.
"It was my pleasure Ginevra." He smiled at her playfully.
"Well Charlie thank you for lunch but myself and Ginevra must speak in private for a while." Madame Melinda told her grandson and he left, albeit reluctantly.
"Now," Melinda began after having drawn the curtain, cutting out the light so that only a dim glow could get through the thick material "The prophecy. Long ago - twenty one years ago to be exact- I had a vision-dream of a powerful witch being born, the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter. Seven being the most magical number in the wizarding world led me to believe this baby girl would grow to be something quite spectacular. Through the years the vision-dream continued, my visions are much less accurate in the form of dreams, they are unpredictable, unfocused and often hard to remember. I had to use a pensieve to store my memories of the dreams before they slipped from my mind forever. The vision-dreams continued for seventeen years, I saw this baby girl grow up, face difficult times in her life. Her friendships as a young child, her love and school problems as a teenager and then… her true love as a woman, a love even her family –the closed people to her, the ones who knew her the best- could not break. After seventeen years the vision-dreams changed to that of a boy, an infant boy who, in my dreams, was always shown with an aura of powerful magic surrounding him, even as a baby. When the boy was four years of age he predicted a prophecy, revealing himself as a seer among other things. The prophecy scared me, that vision-dream was more like a nightmare. I started seeing far into the future, further than my mind had ever taking me before. I saw darkness, nothing but creeping, smothering black that crept along my skin until I was sucked into its blank depth as the rest of the world was. I felt the pain of the world, every agonising torture the wizarding people went through at the hands of one man. This dream occurred more than once and it made me hate my gift. For the first time since I discovered it I truly felt that it was more of a curse than a blessing. Every night for months I had to endure the pain of thousands. They eventually stopped, the pain at least. Then the darkness was pieced with rays of the purest light, fighting a raging war with the persistent blackness that covered the once beautiful world, the battle continued for decades, it wasn't possible to tell which was in the lead, the light was outnumbered but the darkness was growing weak, not used to being touched by something so strong, pure and powerful, it was overwhelmed. But the darkness had its advantages; it had ruled for so long that the world was accustomed to it; it too fought against the light, the thing that they wanted but were afraid of. Change is something this world does not welcome however promising it may seem. But the light never gave up. It fought on against all odds with passion and hope." Melinda stopped.
"And then what?" Ginny asked eagerly "Which won out in the end."
"That is undecided. The vision-dream never ends; it just carries on until I wake." Melinda looked at Ginny, her eyes, hooded and tired were troubled.
"And what does it mean, how does it relate to my son? Does this mean he's… he's evil?" Ginny asked doubtfully.
"Ginevra, what you must understand is that the future isn't set in stone. Things change, scenarios differ. Just because this is the future now doesn't mean that it will be in twenty years time. It all depends on how people act; the smallest of things can have huge consequences- good and bad. I had a vision just last week where I saw a man in his early thirties throwing himself under a car because his job was stressful. The next day I saw a kind faced woman compliment the man on his work and the whole scene changed, his confidence was boasted and those two will eventually marry. You understand the importance of our actions?" Ginny nodded "The world is always changing Ginevra; nothing is determined, definite or impossible."
"But right now? What are your visions telling you now?"
"That indeed your son will become a Death Eater." She told Ginny solemnly.
Ginny gasped, the room was closing in on her as she forget to breath. When she did, her breaths came out in short, sharp gasps. She sat very still, trying to block out the panic that was engulfing her. She gulped past the lump in her throat "That's what the prophecy means 'The one with the power to aid the darkness is here… he will sit at the throne of evil and vanquish the light… decades will he reign, years of darkness, years of terror…' it's speaking of the darkness you saw in your vision-dreams and it means my son!" she was hyperventilating, salty tears were stinging the corners of her eyes as she tried without success to in take oxygen. She was turning blue.
"Charlie!" Ginny heard Melinda shout before the world went horribly black.
&&&&&
"Ginevra? Ginevra?" The beautiful image of Charlie was blurring to and fro across Ginny's warped vision.
"Hmm?" she managed and tried to sit up, finding that strong arms were stopping her, she scowled.
Charlie laughed "Don't try to move just yet." He warned her.
She sighed and closed her eyes vaguely acknowledging her head pressed against Charlie's board chest.
&&&&&&&
Ginny groaned and rolled over in her sleep. "Argh!" she yelled. Her eyes flew open as she felt herself fall through thin air.
"Steady there!" Charlie cried and caught her, pulling her back onto the chair she'd been dozing in.
"What happened?" She asked, sitting back up dizzily "I had a horrible d- wait! It wasn't a dream! Oh Merlin my baby is evil!"
"Hush." Charlie commanded. Passing her a glass of water "we don't want you passing out again drink this. Breath. And try not to panic."
"Not panic!" Ginny exclaimed, all thoughts of manners out the window "Not panic?! My son will become a Death Eater and you're telling me not to panic?!" Ginny took deep breaths. 'In through the nose, out through the mouth. My goodness I feel like I'm about to give birth! This is stupid; I have every right in the world to panic!'
"How are you feeling?" Melinda asked as she walked into her living room with a tray sporting several ingredients. Madame Melinda sat down next to Ginny, her old muscles cracking in protest.
"I really don't know." Ginny answered truthfully.
"Here. Swallow this it'll help, I promise." Melinda offered Ginny a wooden spoon heaped with a greenish mush. Ginny grimaced at it but she trusted Melinda and so swallowed the goo. It didn't taste half as bad as it looked. Melinda then feed her a few potions.
After her treatment Ginny felt much calmer, reassured almost relaxed; that woman could work miracles.
Once Ginny was feeling normal again she had time to think over her previous actions. "Oh no! I'm so sorry I freaked out like that. It was totally rude of me." Ginny hung her head in embarrassment but Charlie just laughed loudly, a calming, soothing laugh that some how made things seem better, like the atmosphere around them that was once bleak was now peaceful. With just one laugh.
"Don't worry about it, Ginevra." Charlie waved it away with a swish of his hand "You had quite a scare it was completely understandable." She smiled gratefully and looked up at the clock.
"Oh no! It's ten o'clock!" Ginny scramble to her feet. Charlie helped her up with his arm around her waist, scared she may fall over. "Really, I'm fine now. Your grandmother's potions were very helpful." Ginny nodded at Melinda, smiling in thanks. "I have to go pick up Scorpius, Narcissa will be wondering where I am. Thank you for your hospitality and… the information Madame Melinda." Ginny struggled with the words.
Melinda stood up and put a hand on Ginny's shoulder "Don't set to much store in my visions Ginevra for they are both inaccurate and incomplete. I hope I am wrong, child. I really do." Madame Melinda nodded her head in agreement to what she was saying.
"I know. But should it be the truth? Then what shall I do?" Ginny asked, worried.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, just keep a careful eye on him. If you wish to speak with me again, I urge you not to hesitate in coming here. I will always give you whatever help I can."
"And I am extremely grateful for it Madame Melinda. You don't know how good it feels to finally not be alone in all of this, to have some help." Ginny explained to her, conscious of the time.
Melinda smiled "Go now, to your son. I'll be here if you have use of me."
And, with a parting wave to Melinda and Charlie, she disappeared on the spot.
"Watch over her Charlie." Melinda said staring at the space Ginny had just apparited from, Charlie looked at his grandmother in shock "But with discretion, she's stubborn and would refuse your protection." Melinda explained.
"Grandmother! You want me to spy on her?!" Charlie asked incredulously.
"No you silly boy. I want you to watch for danger. You are more equipped for this than others and so are best suited for this job I ask of you. Do you deny me?" Melinda asked challengingly.
"Of course not." Charlie said in defeat, before moving as if to apparite.
"Discretion Charlie!" Melinda shouted before her grandson twirled and disappeared from the room.
&&&&&&&
Ginny walked up to the gates of Malfoy Manor briskly, her thoughts a million miles away or twenty years away may be a more accurate description.
The gates opened for her as they always did. Ginny looked at the ground as she walked through the garden, thinking hard about what she, one woman, could do to change the future. She'd promised herself that she'd keep him safe and yet here fate was making her break that promise. Melinda that told her that the future wasn't set in stone, that certain actions can have huge consequences, but she didn't which actions would help and it was infuriating. To know that something bad is going to happen to the most important thing in her life but being unable to do anything about it.
She sighed and looked up, knowing that she'd be met with the front door of Draco's old home. Her sigh turned into a gasp of horror. The door, old and solid lay smashed on the ground in front of her.
Ginny jumped over it and into the ransacked hall. Priceless ornaments, ancient paintings in rich frames and posh, expensive furniture lay scattered and broken; a layer of debris.
The atmosphere was thick was recent magic. A fight or raid or maybe an attack! 'Oh Merlin! Scorpius!' Ginny ran through the hall, dodging the remains of a sofa and tripping several times over unknown objects or more probably: pieces of object.
"Narcissa! Scorpius!" Ginny yelled as she made it to the door of the vast kitchen.
She yanked open the door and skimmed the room with her eyes which were slowly filling with tears of horror. She heard a strangled sob "Ginny!" Ginny turned on her feet, following the noise until she found Narcissa curled up into a small ball, makeup running down her usually immaculate face. "T-they…" she stuttered before breaking down in a fresh bout of tears.
Ginny feel to her knees and cradled her mother-in-law in her arms "Shh, it's ok, everything will be fine."
"N-NO! It won't! They t-took Scorpius! The Death Eaters!" she cried out.
Ginny froze in pure horror, her mind trying to block out the awful images in the mind. Her ears didn't want to hear what Narcissa was saying to her. It couldn't be! Not so soon! Not her boy… not her boy.