Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter! I don't really have too much to say...I'm not feeling too great at the moment and I've got babysitting again tomorrow, so I've got to get myself ready for that...ugh. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter including my favorite long awaited twist! (Seriously something I've planned since the beginning.)
We made 150 reviews! I'm so excited! Can we try for 165 this time?
Tell me what you think!
-Jenn
Strangely enough, it wasn't that bad. Naturally though, Miranda left out the fact that she and Harry were in love, deeming such a topic inappropriate to discuss over sandwiches and tea. Ginny was nice, and offered Miranda a bed in her room to spend the night.
Against her better judgment, Miranda agreed and that night, after a dinner bigger than any she'd ever eaten or even seen in her life, settled into the bed across the room from Ginny's. It was nice to sleep, for the first time since she woke up, in a bed that wasn't terrible. Ginny and the rest of them had kept her up until nearly midnight asking questions, each of which required intense thought on Miranda's part about how much could be told.
"Miranda, does Harry talk about me?" Ginny asked when they were in bed. The redhead was sitting up, waiting for an answer.
Miranda just stared at the ceiling. She should have expected this question at some point, but it seemed to blindside her. "Um..." The dark haired girl started hesitantly, "They all talk about you...that's how I know so much about you and your family. You're Ron's baby sister, Hermione's best girl-friend, and Harry's ex-girlfriend. I know that you're amazing a Quidditch and your signature spell is some...Bat Bogey Hex or something like that. There's not much to do out there but to talk."
Ginny sighed, "So I'm the ex-girlfriend now." She red head hung her head, her hair shimmering in the moonlight that beamed through the window. "I should have seen that coming."
"Ginny, I'm sorry." Miranda said, ashamed that she was the cause of the other girl's distress.
Ginny shook her head, "Don't be. Unless..." She looked at the older girl intently, "You."
Miranda stood up, putting a hand on the wand in her pajama pocket. "Ginny, I'm sorry. Really, I am. Harry and I...we love each other."
Ron's little sister clenched her jaw, "He used to love me." She said harshly.
Miranda waited for the rage to flare up again, but the monster inside her stayed at rest, allowing her cooler side to sooth the girl. "Ginny, I don't know what happened in the past and I do feel bad, but until he decides otherwise, he and I are together. I'm sorry if that hurts you. I don't want to hurt anyone. That was never my intention."
Ginny flopped back on her bed, "Well at least you didn't say anything in front of my parents. They would have ripped you to shreds on my behalf."
Miranda took her hand off of her wand and sat on the edge of her bed, "You're taking this rather well."
Ginny smiled grimly at her, "I have six brothers, I know how guys work. I guess I'd sort of prepared myself for this. At least you're nice. If you were a total bitch, I would have probably hexed you."
Miranda laughed, "Well thank you for not hexing me. I was rather afraid I wouldn't survive staying the night here."
Ginny put her covers over her, "The night's not over yet. I still have time to change my mind and be angry." She shrugged, "I guess that means I'm single again, right? If we weren't in the middle of a war, I could have a rebound boyfriend in ten minutes."
"You wouldn't really do that, would you?" Miranda said with a smile.
"Nah." Ginny replied and the two girls stayed up talking for another hour.
At breakfast, something wasn't sitting right with Miranda. Molly tittered on about Ron, Harry and Hermione, and Miranda listened intently, at least until a strange noise floated to her ear. "Do you lot hear that?"
"What?" Said Deep Voice, who she now knew to be named Kingsley.
Miranda stood from the table, excusing herself quietly, "That...hissing." She followed the noise, nearly running into a door and fumbling with the knob.
"I hear it too." Arthur said, hopping up from his chair and opening the door for Miranda, "It's coming from my garage!"
"Honestly, Arthur, what on earth have you got in there now?" Molly said, striding towards her husband's workshop. Miranda could imagine that her face was as red as her hair was likely to be in her frustration.
"Nothing, Molly, nothing! I haven't got anything..." He trailed off, "I did bring home a cursed little trinket from the office. They couldn't get the spells off of it. The thing bites. Yaxley brought it to the department for it to be investigated." The muggle fanatic said.
Miranda stopped, "Did you say Yaxley?"
"Yes, I did. How do you know about him?" Arthur said.
Miranda's eyes steeled, "He stole something from me, and I believe it's trying to come back to me." She made the final strides to the workshop and flipped the latch she found on the door.
She stopped once she entered, closing her eyes. She nearly cried when she felt the warm pulsing metal on the top of her foot, trying to slither up her leg. "Careful!" Arthur yelled, "It does bite."
Miranda bent down and picked up the thin silver snake, her eyes still closed. "It won't bite me."
"Bloody hell." Arthur said, watching a girl, barely any older than his youngest son holding the silver snake that had nearly killed two of his coworkers when it went for their throats.
"I'm sorry if it hurt anyone. My father made it like that so no one would try to steal it from me." Miranda said, holding the snake to her face and sighing contently and marveling at her luck. "It helps me see."
"What?" Molly asked.
Miranda opened her eyes and Ginny gasped. "Your eyes are blue! They were hazel last night!" She exclaimed.
"So I've been told. I helped..." Miranda began.
Kingsley was staring at her, his wand pointed in her direction, yet again. And Miranda scowled at him yet again, "Yaxley took that off one of the girls that broke into the Ministry." He said, his tone demanding an explanation.
Miranda smiled, "Yes, that was me. I thought I told that last night? I was quite upset when I lost this." She looked at Arthur, "I must thank you for bringing it home with you. I can be a lot more use to everyone now."
"How could a silver snake bring back your sight?" The huge black man asked her, still keeping his wand trained on her.
Miranda shrugged, "I haven't the foggiest. I was just a child when my father gave it to me. He never explained the fine details and I didn't know it bit people that got too close without my permission until it bit my best friend's youngest brother when he tried to sneak up behind me. Past that, it's just a torc."
Ginny approached cautiously, "It's really actually quite beautiful."
Miranda smiled, "Thank you. I always thought it was too. This thing changed my life. I was almost totally blind for the first eleven years of my life." She looked the other girl over, "You're pretty. The red hair suits you better than it does Ron."
Ginny laughed and slung an arm around her new friend's shoulder. "Don't I know it? Speaking of Ron...any news, mum?" She asked, looking at her mother.
Molly run her hands, "He's at Shell Cottage with Bill. He doesn't want us to come see him." She looked upset by being rejected by her youngest son.
Miranda put a hand on the Matriarch's shoulder, "You shouldn't take it personally. He just doesn't want to put you in danger. He is supposed to be here sick in bed, right?"
Molly nodded, "I suppose that makes sense. Will you go see him?" Miranda murmured her affirmative. "Oh, alright, come on, girls, we might as well get a start on lunch."
She arched an eyebrow at Ginny as they went inside, "Didn't we just have breakfast?"
The red head shrugged with a smile, "Mum likes to cook when she's upset. I think it's part of the reason the Order has mostly been based here. Who wouldn't pass up free food?" Miranda felt so great, standing amongst people who were so nice.
Ginny was a whole new sort of creature. Miranda had never met someone who simply glowed the way she did. As the day wore on and her time to apparate to Shell Cottage approached, she began to feel insignificant in comparison to Ginny. What could she offer to Harry that Ginny couldn't? Nothing. Ginny had a family, and Miranda knew that that kind of background and support was invaluable.
It didn't matter anyway, after the war was over, when the truth was out, she and Harry would be over, one way or another. She was sitting in Ginny's room when the other girl found her. "Miranda, aren't you ready to go yet? Mum has the fireplace set up already."
Miranda had found a sweater of Harry's in Ron's room and had it draped over her lap. It was what she had found in the pocket of the pants under this sweater that had her wanting to kill something to make herself feel better. On a worn piece of paper, she had found a prophecy written, and she could only assume that this was they prophecy that Harry, Ron and Hermione had spoken of so frequently:
'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives.'
Harry had interpreted it as that he just had to kill Voldemort, but Miranda read it differently. No one had factored her into the reading of this prophecy. She had to be a part of it, because she was Tom Marvolo Riddle's twin sister. She knew, deep down, that she was the 'other'. She blinked back tears at the thought of the implications of what had to happen if she was indeed, the 'other'.
"Ginny. I-I need to ask something of you." She began softly, her chest tight.
Ginny sat next to her, concerned, "What's wrong."
Miranda felt like crying, at the blatant injustice of what she had just discovered. "Nothing yet, but, Ginny, if I don't make it through all of this, I need you to promise something."
"What is it?"
"I know we haven't known each other long enough to really be friends yet, but I think we could be. We need to talk about Harry. At the end of the war, if he's still alive, he's going to need someone to be there to pick up the pieces." Miranda said.
"Miranda, I know you don't believe that I'm really okay with this, but I am..."
"No, Ginny. I want you to be the one that takes care of him if I can't."
"What do you mean if you can't take care of him?"
"I'm going to be quite plain. Ginny, if I die, if you still care about Harry, I give you my blessing to get back with him." Miranda said bluntly, wincing at her own words.
Ginny's hand snapped across her face. "You bitch!" Miranda just stared at the younger girl, stunned, her cheek stinging. "You make it sound like Harry's a pet we both want to adopt! He's not something you can just give away to anyone!"
Miranda felt like she could cry at any moment, her throat was tight and her jaw felt like jelly, "That's not...not what I'm saying..." She didn't know how to tell Ginny what she meant without telling her about the prophecy. "I just...I don't want him to be alone."
Ginny's expression softened, "You know, it doesn't matter if he's not my boyfriend, Harry will always be my friend, and I'm going to be with him whenever he needs me." She shook her head, "Even if he did want to get back together, who's to say I would even still feel the same way?"
"I...understand." Miranda whispered.
Ginny pulled her to her feet, "Come on, if you don't go to Shell Cottage now, I think Mum will go in your place."
Miranda gave her a watery smile, "I just hope your brother doesn't hex me again."
Ginny laughed, handing her a handkerchief, "You have a problem with that, don't you?"
Miranda couldn't help but to giggle as she wiped her eyes, "Yeah, this is actually the best introduction to new people I've ever had."
Ginny hugged her before she stepped into the fireplace, her bags a little heavier, with food and some things the other three had left, as well as the folded piece of paper in her front pocket. "I think you and I are going to get along just fine, Miranda Peverell. You just make sure to bring them all back to us in one piece."
Miranda smiled at her new friend, "I'm going to do my best, Ginny. I really am." As she stepped into the fire, she braced herself for what would happen next, even though she knew that no amount of forth knowledge would make a difference. To bring her brother down, good people were going to have to die. The only thing she could do was make sure he went with them. And if she had to go with him, so be it. There was no way she could choose. She just couldn't.
"This world will never be what I expected,
And if I don't belong who would have guessed it.
I will not leave alone everything that I own,
To make you feel like it's not too late, it's never too late.
Even if I say it'll be alright,
Still I hear you say you want to end your life.
Now and again we try to just stay alive,
Maybe we'll turn it around 'cause it's not too late,
It's never too late.
No one will ever see this side reflected.
And if there's something wrong who would have guessed it?
And I have left alone everything that I own.
To make you feel like it's not too late, it's never too late.
Even if I say it'll be alright,
Still I hear you say you want to end your life.
Now and again we try to just stay alive,
Maybe we'll turn it around 'cause it's not too late,
It's never too late.
The world we knew won't come back,
The time we've lost can't get back,
The life we had won't be ours again.
This world will never be what I expected,
And if I don't belong,
Even if I say it'll be alright,
Still I hear you say you want to end your life.
Now and again we try to just stay alive,
Maybe we'll turn it around 'cause it's not too late,
It's never too late.
Maybe we'll turn it around 'cause it's not too late,
It's never too late.
It's not too late, it's never too late."
Eep! So, Miranda can see, Ginny isn't a bitch, and Miranda is going to have to...well, I'll let you guys guess. Leave me a review with your idea or any questions, and I'll get back to you!
Next chapter should be up in the next week or so, maybe sooner.
Thank you!
-Jenn
(P.S. The song is Never Too Late by 3 Days Grace. It is one of my favorite songs, and also was a big influence on the future of Miranda's state of mind...check it out!)