A/N:Thanks so much for the reviews! I did have one complaint, which is that this story handles Occlumency differently from how it was described in the books. I haven't decided yet whether I'm leaving it up to Artistic License or whether I'll try to come up with some explanation for it... but in the meantime, I'm sorry if it bothers anyone. You'll notice some things in the story are definitely AU, including a new branch of magic I introduce at the end of this chapter that obviously wasn't in the books. I don't mind hearing complaints and I'm always appreciative of (constructive) criticism, but some things just can't be changed as per the nature of the story. So sometimes you'll just have to deal with it or stop reading. Having said that, I hope you enjoy.
In spite of her best efforts, Ginny found herself being ushered down to the Great Hall the next morning by her dorm mates under order of Hermione Granger. Surprisingly, the fact that she had disowned herself hadn't seemed to bother any of her classmates for the most part (excluding a few pureblood enthusiasts), but Rita Skeeter's mention of the Chamber of Secrets and Ginny's possible involvement had set the rumour mill flying all over again. She was right back to where she had been four years ago, with students staring at her fearfully when she walked past and backing away nervously if she made an attempt to approach. It was both frustrating and annoying, because in this case, she wasn't entirely sure that the truth was better than the rumours.
The thought made her sigh, and Harper Vance, who had been placidly walking beside her up to that point, practically leapt backwards at the sound. Ginny rolled her eyes, straightened her jumper, and sailed past the small, anxious group with her chin in the air, trying to pretend that the staring and whispered comments had no bearing on her. It helped to see that an angry Hannah was surrounded by several sheepish looking Hufflepuffs, and Luna slipped her a copy of The Quibbler on her way to her seat. She took a quick peek at the cover and was gratified to see that it already contained an article questioning The Daily Prophet's integrity. One could always count on Luna Lovegood; the rest of Hogwarts didn't know what they were missing by not being friends with her.
There was a spare seat beside Hermione and across from Harry, one that would have normally been occupied by Ron. Ginny couldn't help but notice that her ex-brother was at the other end of the table, looking at Hermione was nothing short of longing in his eyes. His expression turned colder when he noticed Ginny sliding into what had once been his seat beside his girlfriend. He openly scowled, but Ginny ignored him in favour of spooning some scrambled eggs and bacon onto her plate. As far as she was concerned, it was too early to begin a fight at the table, and she was still too highly aware of all of the less than subtle glances in her direction to risk doing anything that might attract even more unwelcome attention.
"How is your ankle today, Hermione?" she asked, smearing strawberry jam across a piece of toast. Across from them, Harry's nose was buried in a Potions textbook, and he was sending off the kind of alarmed vibes that meant someone had a practical exam and had forgotten to study. She smothered a smile.
"No pain at all, finally," said Hermione, dabbing at her lips with her napkin. "I still have to take it easy, of course. I have to admit that magic is much faster than the muggle way, but then you can't really compare the two."
"What's the muggle way?" a third year girl asked with interest.
Hermione's brown eyes lit up, and she began eagerly explaining the concept of a cast and several weeks of recuperation to a horrified set of children. Smiling, Ginny turned back to her toast, only to see that a letter had been dropped in front of her when she wasn't looking. Her name was written across the front in simple script that she didn't recognize. A frown touched her lips as she opened the envelope and shook out the parchment that was inside. Much to her surprise, it appeared to be blank at first. Only after she'd examined it for a few minutes did words finally fade into view. She read the letter quickly, her face growing pale, and quickly crumpled it into a ball when she was finished. Harry chose that moment to look up, and his eyebrows drew together in confusion.
"What are you doing?" he asked, puzzled. He grew more concerned when she still failed to respond, and he was conscious of the fact that a few other students had begun to look at them. "Ginny, what's wrong?"
Ginny didn't answer at first. She was too busy trying to squeeze the parchment into an even smaller ball. Harry finally reached out and took the bit of parchment from her. He gently unwrapped it and smoothed it out so that he could read what it said. His eyes widened and then narrowed, rage burning behind the vivid green as he read an extremely detailed account of what the letter writer thought should be done to dark witches who were corrupting the Boy-Who-Lived. By the time he was halfway through, his magic couldn't take it anymore. The letter burst into green flames and many of the children surrounding them gave high-pitched yelps of fright.
"Harry!" Hermione gasped, startled by the reaction. She took one look at the faces of her friends and frowned deeply, the fascinated third years instantly forgotten. "What's the matter?"
Harry just shook his head and stood up, storming away from the table without a word. Ginny looked too queasy to go after him, so Hermione took it upon herself to rise and follow after her friend as fast as she could. As they left the Great Hall, Ginny still didn't move. Her eyes were still focused on the table, and she couldn't stop thinking about that letter. It was the only she'd gotten so far, which was surprising, and no doubt the professors had probably put measures into place to hold back the majority of the hate mail. That letter had been delivered after the normal Owl Post, which was likely why it had slipped through. What she couldn't believe was the depths of cruelty and hatred that someone could hold towards a person that they had never even met. Or maybe she could – if Ginny ever had the fortune to meet Rita Skeeter, she was going to kill the woman with her bare hands, wand be damned.
A sudden, small commotion up at the staff table distracted her from her thoughts momentarily. She glanced up in time to see the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor brush Dumbledore's gently restraining hand away and finish standing up. The man – Chance Astrum, she thought his name was – came around the far end of the table and began walking down the middle aisle. Their eyes met briefly, and his hand twitched in a subtle 'come hither' motion that most people would have missed. Ginny looked back to the head table in time to see Dumbledore's annoyed expression. That was enough. Without a word to anyone at the table, she got to her feet and followed.
NIR
"Harry Potter, would you wait up?" Hermione called, deeply exasperated. In spite of her words towards Ginny, her ankle definitely wasn't prepared for a sprint through Hogwarts, and Harry could move bloody well fast when he really wanted to. At her words, Harry stopped suddenly and turned, a guilty look on his face. She shuffled the last few steps towards him and swung her bag off of her shoulder. "Now, what's this all about?" she asked once she could breathe normally.
"That letter..." he muttered, his hands convulsively closing into fists. "Some utter bastard sent it to Ginny. You should have read it, Hermione. No, I wouldn't have wanted you to have read it. I'm ashamed that Ginny had to read it. He said... he said that she was no better than a common muggle, and that she should be immediately expelled, thrown into Azkaban, and made into a toy for the Aurors that guard the prison for daring to lead the Boy-Who-Lived off of the path of light." His face grew even darker with rage than before, and he whirled, punching the wall hard. Hermione flinched as he spat, "It was disgusting. How could they hate her so much for something that's not even true? If I ever get my hands on Rita Skeeter, I swear to Merlin..."
Hermione was pale, and suddenly she was quite glad that Harry had burnt the letter before anyone else had a chance to read it. "You know that people are rarely reasonable," she said quietly, wondering how Ginny was coping with the contents of the letter. "It's horrible that one disturbed person got the chance to write Ginny a letter like that. Worse still that she read it. But you can't let it get to you like this. Harry!" She reached out and caught his fist before he could strike the wall again. "Stop. Damaging yourself won't do any good."
"Then what will?" he asked, sounding almost desperate. His hands gripped her shoulders, holding onto her tightly. "I don't know what to do, Hermione. No one has ever done anything like that for me. Ginny told me that I wasn't the only reason, but I..." He trailed off, confusion blooming across his face. "How can I make it up to her? What do I do?"
"Sometimes you can't do anything," she answered, knowing that wasn't the response that he wanted. "Harry, it was Ginny's choice to disown herself. As cruel as it sounds, she has to live with the consequences, even if this wasn't one that anyone could have foreseen. No one could have known that Rita Skeeter was going to bring up the Chamber of Secrets." Her jaw tightened. "I'm sorry. There's nothing that you can do for her. It's not as though you can go back in time and prevent her from disowning herself to keep her out of the public eye. I'm afraid that this time around, you'll just have to content yourself with being a good friend."
Harry covered his face and groaned loudly as he slumped against the wall and slid to the ground. "But that doesn't seem like enough," he said heavily, dropping his hands to his lap.
"It's going to have be," she said softly, causing a heavy silence to fall between the two of them. Hermione leaned against the wall and looked down at one of her best friends with a thoughtful expression. She wanted to help Harry, but for quite possibly the first time in her life, she honestly didn't know what to say to him. Sometimes it just wasn't possible for magic to fix things. That was a fact of life that most wizards had the tendency to forget. But he looked so miserable that not having an answer was making her feel guilty.
"What if she had a family name?" he asked suddenly, turning to look up at her with impossibly bright emerald eyes. "I remember the goblins at the bank looked at her strangely when they realized that she only had her first name, but I never realized that it would cause such an issue in the wizarding world. That letter she got... it was like the writer thought she could be guilty of being a dark witch just because she didn't have a family."
"I don't think that would help," Hermione said, hating to see his face fall, but she didn't want him suggesting something like that to Ginny. "It's all about having a past, Harry, and a family and a status to support you, not necessarily a family name. Ginny could easily make up a family name and have it registered through the Ministry, but it wouldn't make a difference. People would still see her as the witch who willingly disowned herself. That's not a good thing in the wizarding world, and it wouldn't change the fact that people have probably always wondered about her connection to the Chamber of Secrets." She sighed, disgusted. "Plus, I don't really think it would make her feel better about herself."
There was a thoughtful look on Harry's face that suggested he was contemplating something entirely different, and Hermione's eyes narrowed as she began to understand how his question could be interpreted in a different way. She opened her mouth, intending to caution him, but closed it when she caught sight of the determination in his eyes. It wouldn't make a difference, she realized, even if she explained that what he was thinking about might only make the public angrier. When Harry got his mind set on an idea, he wouldn't allow anyone to dissuade him from it. He had come up with an idea that might help to protect Ginny, and he was no doubt dead set on seeing it through no matter what the personal cost or how someone else might see it. Hermione swallowed her protests, appreciating all over again what a hero complex he possessed, and sighed.
"Just be careful, okay?" she said reluctantly. "Familial bonds can be dangerous, Harry. There are many kinds and each one means something different. Don't do anything rash."
He shot her a sheepish smile. "Don't worry, Hermione. I wouldn't do anything without taking a page from your book and doing tons of research. Besides, I don't even know if it can be done." As he spoke, Harry got to his feet, as though having a plan had given him extra strength. "I won't even ask for your help, since I know you're busy trying to catch up with classes and researching for Ron."
"You must really feel bad," she said in amazement, staring at him.
A flush spread up his neck and into his cheeks, and he looked away, embarrassed. "I told you, I just don't really think it's fair," he mumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Ginny deserves more. I know what it's like to be ostracized and criticized for things beyond your control. She's worth more than that."
A speculative gleam flashed into Hermione's eyes, and a slow smile curved her lips. "Of course she is, Harry. I think it's very sweet of you to want to make Ginny's life better."
"Err, we should go to, err, class," he muttered hastily, blushing an even darker shade of red. Hermione muffled her laugh with her hand, pleased in spite of herself as she watched him hasten down the hall. He was moving too quickly again, but this time it didn't bother her as much. She'd seen something very promising in the last few minutes, and as much as it would kill her to take a step back and remain quiet no matter how badly things went, she made a silent vow to do just that.
NIR
Chance Astrum leaned back in his chair and surveyed the girl sitting across from him, taking careful note of the auburn hair and gold-flecked eyes. It was a complete change to the orangey-red hair and plain brown eyes that he'd seen before, but it suited her far better. Ginny was sipping from a cup of hot chocolate and didn't appear to have noticed his close level of scrutiny, but there was no doubt in his mind that she was fully aware of him and his office and was calmly waiting for him to make his move. She had been, after all, the sister of the twins, and that meant she had both patience and a devious mind in spades. As guilty as he felt for having forced her to make that promise, he was relieved that she had chosen to follow through with it. Harry would need those qualities during the war. He just wished that he could tell her as much.
"I'm sure you're wondering why I called you in here," he said at last, smoothly breaking the silence that had fallen. "Do you prefer to be called Miss Ginevra, or is there another name...?"
"You can call me Ginny," she said with a tiny smile. "Just Ginny."
"Ginny." He nodded. "Professor Dumbledore explained to me that you would be absent this week. I gave all of my students a rough quiz to gain a better understanding of where their level of defence is at. I'd like you to make an appointment with me to take the same quiz before class on Monday so that you won't be too far behind." It wasn't the way that he would have liked to have begun his classes, but he'd figured that it was important knowledge to have on file. Most of the students were clearly suffering from a basic lack of defence knowledge, and that would only serve to hurt them when it came time to fight in the war if he didn't fill the gaps.
"I'm available at any point," said Ginny, shrugging. "I could take the quiz now if you like."
"I have strict orders to let you rest," Chance told her. "Otherwise, I wouldn't mind at all." Actually, he would have preferred it. Out of all the people that had known Sirius Black, he firmly believed that Ginny had the second best chance of figuring out his real identity. Remus, of course, would have had the best chance, but everyone knew how close that the two of them had been, and for that reason, their interactions would be heavily monitored by Dumbledore. However, only Remus was aware of the fact that Sirius and Ginny had become quite close during the summer, having spent several nights together in the kitchen. He couldn't quite let go of the hope that Ginny might recognize the truth if she were to spend enough time around him.
Unfortunately, the same really couldn't be said for Harry. As much as Chance loved his godson, he wasn't all that close to Harry, as their time together had been short at best. It was something he wanted to be sure to rectify as soon as possible... and that meant he had to find some way to get out from under the wizard's oath that Dumbledore had asked him to give. He couldn't run the risk of telling anyone that he was Sirius Black, but if someone else just happened to figure it out, well, that was a whole different story. With that thought in mind, he leaned forward and looked intently at Ginny, who raised her eyebrows and shot him a curious glance.
"I've heard from several of the professors that you're a rather proficient young witch, Ginny. They've told me that you helped Harry Potter to run a defence club last year?" he asked.
"Harry did most of the work," she said immediately, without missing a beat. "Actually, he did all of the work. Him and Hermione Granger. I was just a student, that's all."
"A good student," he pointed out. There hadn't really been a need for him to ask the other professors about her progress. He already knew that Ginny was one powerful witch. Her presence would be invaluable for a defence club, and it was the perfect excuse for them to be around each other a fair amount. "I've been thinking that the club was actually a really good idea and I'd like to start it up again. It gives students the chance to practice duelling with different ages and power levels, and, since there's only so much that can be taught in a couple hours a week, more education." A wry smile spread over his face. "I think that it would be beneficial for a lot of students to join up. I was hoping that you, Miss Granger, and Mr Potter would be able to give me a hand with it."
"Really?" Ginny's eyes widened slightly with interest. "Wow... Are you sure you wouldn't rather have Ron Weasley's help?" Her lip curled at the name, but she pressed on. "He helped Harry and Hermione more than I did, last year."
"I'm sure," Chance said firmly. Even if he had been unaware of the problems between the Golden Trio, he wasn't sure he would have wanted Ron to be in a position that would require him to teach other students. The boy was a brilliant strategist, but he had a quick and explosive temper. Not the best of qualifications when it came to being a good or reliable teacher. "If you're concerned about the demand on your time, it would be minimal. You'd be required to show up at every meeting, which would probably be a couple of nights a week, but you'd get extra credit, and I might have the occasional opportunity to teach you an extra hex or curse."
Ginny gave him a small smile. "Maybe I could think about it," she concluded. "If you really think that my quiz score will be good enough, then I'd love to help. The D.A. was a huge help last year, when our professor wasn't... well, she wasn't very good." She spoke the words with a certain amount of tact that Dolores Umbridge hadn't deserved.
"I've heard," Chance said with a shake of his head. "That's one of the reasons that Professor Dumbledore decided to allow me to teach at the school in the first place. He was concerned that the Ministry would try to send someone like the toad over." He grinned when Ginny choked on her hot chocolate. "And for good reason. Most of the students I've spoken to have memorized last year's textbook, but their practical skills are suffering. That's where I'm hoping the defence club can come in."
"Well, just let me know what Harry and Hermione say," said Ginny, placing her cup on the corner of his desk. She folded her hands in her lap. "When would you like me to come in and take the quiz?"
He pretended to consider the question. "How does Sunday afternoon sound? That gives you time to go to Hogsmeade on Saturday if you want. I remember how important that trip is. You can come in around three. The quiz shouldn't take more than half an hour, but I'd also like the opportunity to test your duelling skills before the club. I might ask Mr Potter and Miss Granger to join us."
"Sure, that sounds great. Thank you, Professor." Ginny stood up.
"No, thank you," Chance answered, rising to see her out of the room. Once he was sure she had gone, he sat back down and gazed thoughtfully at the desk. The talk about the defence club seemed to have temporarily smoothed over whatever had been making her so upset, and he was glad for that. Her depression weighed heavily on his conscience. One thing that he had never had the chance to talk to Ginny about was the fact that no one except for his immediate friends had taken it well when he'd been disowned – and he hadn't even been slandered by the press nor had an event like the Chamber of Secrets hanging over him. He had the feeling that trouble was only just beginning, and that she, along with his godson, was going to be in the thick of it.
A small silver orb on his desk began to whistle, distracting him from his thoughts. Realizing that it was nearly time for his first class to begin, Chance sighed and began to gather his things together, knowing that it wouldn't look right if the professor was late. The meeting with Ginny had gone as well as he could have hoped; the basis had been set both of the defence club and for her to realize that he was truly Sirius Black in disguise. All he could do now was sit back and wait for things to take their natural course. Too bad that waiting was the one thing that he had always sucked at the most.
NIR
The small clearing on the far side of the lake, away from where the usual Hogwarts student would choose to go, offered privacy and a little shelter from less appealing weather. Loosely encircled by trees and shrubbery that kept anyone walking by from seeing what they might have been doing, the clearing had gradually been warded with the strongest silencing and privacy spells that they could think of, keyed only to their own personal magical signatures. Every year, as the four girls learned more, new spells were added on, until it was a place that even an exceptionally strong witch or wizard would have had difficulty breaking into. In short, it had become something of a sanctuary, a place where no one else could get to them.
Ginny couldn't help giving a soft sigh of relief as she strode through the barrier and just stood still for a moment, relishing in the fact that she didn't have to worry about prying stares or owls from the disapproving wizarding world. Since that morning, she'd received nearly a dozen more letters, each no doubt worse than the last, and she'd learned to burn anything, including packages, that came from a person she didn't know. It had gotten so bad that Professor McGonagall had stopped her in the hall after she'd left Professor Astrum's office and told her that from that moment on, spells had been set in place to insure that all of her mail would be directed to the woman's office so that she could personally check for dangerous hexes, curses, or anything else that might be an attempt to hurt Ginny before passing it along. Apparently the house elves had been charged with the task before, but there had been so many letters that the tiny creatures had been unable to get them all.
"Bloody wizarding world," she muttered, running a hand through her hair. If it weren't for Rita Skeeter, the news likely would have been accepted with a lot less outcry. But considering what had happened at the end of last year, when Harry's claims about Voldemort's return had been proven right, the public was in need of a new person to take the fall. Apparently her decision to disown herself had come around at the perfect time.
"Don't blame the wizarding world for one obnoxious bitch," came a voice behind her. Ginny turned slightly and saw that Astoria, Luna, and Hannah had arrived in a group. Astoria pulled her scarf loose and frowned in Ginny's direction. "You know that if Rita Skeeter weren't blowing things out of proportion and mentioning the Chamber, most people wouldn't really care."
"Maybe your father could do an issue in The Quibbler, Luna," said Hannah, dropping her bag on the ground. She arched her back in a stretch, wincing. "In addition to the one he did today. You know, get the truth out there?"
Luna swept her long blonde hair over her shoulder and considered this. "Perhaps. But only if Ginny would be alright sharing an issue about fluxies. My father has been waiting a long time to do an article about them and they really only come out during the first weeks of Autumn. But they're very bad luck and even just being written about in the same magazine could make it spread. That's why he planned to devote a whole issue to them."
"I'll have to think about it, then," Ginny said, trying not to laugh. It was amazing how much better the presence of her friends made her feel. "I feel like I've already had bad luck in spades. Not sure I want to do anything else to attract more."
"Oh, I don't know. If the bad luck you've had resulted in that picture of you and Harry coming out of Gringotts together, I wouldn't mind a little of it," Hannah teased, tying her shorter, dark blonde hair into two pigtails to help keep it out of the way. She grinned when Ginny blushed. "I thought you two looked very cozy."
"Do shut up, Hannah," Ginny mumbled, pulling her robes off. Underneath she was wearing a simple jean skirt and a white blouse. Her friends were dressed similarly. "Did we come here to train or not?"
Hannah smirked. "We'll drop it... for now." She turned towards Luna. "What do we want to begin with?"
"I know we were supposed to duel today, but I could really use some time to just connect and get back into tune," Ginny said hesitantly. "Do you mind?"
"Of course not. You and Astoria go ahead," said Luna, her voice unusually gentle. "Hannah and I can duel. I picked up some new spells the other day from the library that I'd like to try before we connect."
"Leave me to be the guinea pig," Hannah muttered, drawing her wand out of her pocket.
"I thought that's what Hufflepuffs were for?" Astoria said innocently. She dodged the stinging hex that Hannah aimed at her and beckoned to Ginny, leading the other girl over to a corner of the clearing. While Luna and Hannah waited in the center, she drew a quick ward around herself and Ginny that would prevent them from being struck by any stray spells or hexes. With a quick nod to her friends to let them know that they could begin, she glanced at Ginny. "You want to mediate alone or connect?"
"I need to connect. I feel so rattled lately," she confessed, taking a seat on the ground and folding her legs. Astoria sat down in front of her, so close that their knees were touching. Ginny reached out with her left hand and took Astoria's right hand, twining their fingers together, and held her wand up with her right. A small smile playing around her lips, Astoria lifted her wand with her left hand and touched the end to Ginny's so that the tips crossed. Both girls closed their eyes at the same time and summoned their magic. Both wands began to shimmer, one with a golden glow and the other with a silvery sheen, both of which turned a pure white where the wands crossed.
Two sets of lungs inhaled together, holding for the same count of seven before releasing. Ginny shivered slightly as their magic met and twined together in a familiar dance. She would never get tired of the feeling of their combined magic. It was extremely dangerous, what they were doing: it would have been easy for her to cripple Astoria's magic irreparably or vice versa. At that point, a single thought was all that it would take. That was why the ancient practice of partner magic, while not forbidden, was severely frowned upon in spite of how much more powerful two people were when their magic was combined. Complete trust was required between the two partners for a connection to even be formed, and it had taken both Ginny and Astoria a great deal of work to be able to get to the point where their connection could be formed almost instantly with just a touch or their eyes meeting.
The disowning meant that Ginny's magic had changed a bit, and she could feel a strange fizzing as Astoria's magic investigated and adapted to accept the differences. She could sense that Astoria was smiling and felt her own lips curving in response. For the first time in over two weeks, she dropped all of her shields, allowing her partner to feel the full range of her emotions. Astoria reciprocated an act which had always been difficult for the reserved Slytherin. Feelings that weren't her own bombarded Ginny in a rush, and it took her a moment to work through all of them. Fear, surprise, concern, happiness... she drew them into herself and sighed, contented.
It took several minutes for their physical, emotional, and spiritual states to come together and blend. At that point, Ginny became aware of the duel that was going on just outside of their own comfortable sphere. She cracked an eye and watched Hannah and Luna duelling, both of them using spells well beyond what an average fifth or sixth year student would use. Neither of them had connected yet, she could tell, which was surprising. Unlike she and Astoria, who challenged each other separately first, Luna and Hannah usually preferred to connect first before duelling to put them on more even grounds.
"Shall we?" Astoria whispered, both inside Ginny's head and out.
"Let's," the redhead agreed with a giggle.
"Aguamenti!" they said together.
A waterfall of water exploded out of the ends of their crossed wands and scored a direct hit on the unsuspecting Hannah and Luna. Poor Hannah got the brunt of it, as she'd been closest. She was completely saturated by the time the spell had ended. Ginny and Astoria burst into laughter as the Hufflepuff gasped and shoved her sopping hair out of her face, glaring at the both of them. Even Luna was having difficulty keeping her amused smile off of her face. Even though she had been hit as well, her clothing and hair was just damp in comparison to Hannah, who was actually dripping.
"Very funny!" Hannah complained, a small smile breaking across her face in spite of herself. "The two of you are connected. That gives you an unfair advantage!"
"So connect and let's get to it," Ginny proposed, a wicked glint in her eyes as Astoria grinned. As she had hoped, connecting with Astoria had soothed her in a way that few other things could. She felt calm, confident, and ready for a duel, no longer ready to fly off the handle at the next problem that popped up. Hannah and Luna exchanged exasperated but fond looks when they heard her tone. They were in for an interesting fight.
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