"Look, all I'm saying is that we're obviously missing something. We know for a fact that we have the right hallway."
They were standing in that exact hallway on the third floor, peering down at the three sets of armor that lined each wall. The hall stopped at a dead end, with a huge painting staring back at them. It was vibrant, displaying a battle sequence over and over again. A large man with rich auburn hair like a lion's mane whipping in the wind as he brandished his wand against a group of medieval Muggles was depicted within its frame.
The suits of armor were each distinct from one another. Each had a different heraldry with a wide range of colors, and most of them held different weapons. Luna was going from suit to suit, inspecting their armor, their insignias, their weapons. She would lift pieces up, sniff it, stare at it, and then move on to the next.
"Yes, Luna, I know." Ginny, on the other hand, was bored. She'd already been in this hallway for too long. She should have been studying; not everyone could breeze through their exams like Luna could. Knowledge just seemed to fall out of her head and land on the parchment in front of her.
Then again, this painting was far more interesting than any studying she'd done all year.
"Maybe the suit of armors are metaphors for something?" Roni asked.
"Yes, possibly, but for what?"
The painting had just started over again, and Ginny paid close attention. The large, brawny man was covered head to toe in what looked like a mixture between wizarding robes and Muggle armor. He fell back into a stance, putting all his weight on his far leg before making a 'come hither' motion with his spare hand. His wand was held aloft in his main hand, high above his head and pointed towards the six Muggles.
One of the Muggles let out a shout and charged at the man. The wizard wiggled his wand slightly, and then ran forwards at full speed. As he moved forwards, there was an explosion of smoke between the two charging combatants, and he leaped into it. The smoke cleared, and the Muggle was in a headlock, the purple feather plumage of his helmet sticking out at a funny angle. The man tapped his wand against the Muggle's armor, and the Muggle slumped over, knocked out.
"Maybe if we knew what the room on the other side was, we might be able to determine which of these six suits of armor is the seventh? Or perhaps where the seventh was taken?" Roni continued to prompt Luna.
"Well, it's supposed to hold a goblin treasure, otherwise Karthuk wouldn't care so much. So maybe it's a treasury of some kind."
Two Muggles in the painting looked at each other then and nodded. They clanked as they ran, or so Ginny assumed because the wizard looked over at them as they charged him from behind. He leapt back, far farther than he should have been able to almost as though he was floating through the air, and began slinging spells. Jets of light flew at the Muggles, and Ginny was once more shocked to see the Muggles defend themselves! She paid closer attention than she had before, and noticed one of them dodged and weaved effectively, while the other blocked some of the spells on his shield! How did a Muggle get an enchanted shield?
The Muggles got in close, and the wizard began to laugh. He bobbed around sword strikes and cast a Shield Charm against huge, whopping swings of a giant spiked ball on a wooden stick. His face broke out into a wider and wider grin the longer he avoided their strikes. In a lightning flash move Ginny only followed because she'd watched this scene so many times and knew to look for it, the wizard slipped between two strikes and pulled out a sword. In one smooth motion he dispatched both Muggles and re-sheathed his sword.
"Have we checked any suits of armor for gems or similar treasures?"
"I haven't seen any, but we can check again. Maybe check out that suit in the middle. Its heraldry is purple; isn't purple the color of royalty?"
"That's true! I'll check that while you search for gold or gems. Ginny! Come help us search!"
"Yeah, in a minute!" She shouted back. The best part was coming up.
The wizard turned to the remaining three Muggles and stood proud against them. Once more, he settled into a fighting stance and beckoned towards them. The three Muggles paused and Ginny felt her heart race in anticipation. This was her favorite bit, and she watched intently.
One Muggle stepped forward and gave a salute. He pulled up his sword and rapped it against his shield as he marched towards the wizard. His helmet was open near the face, and she could see the frown of his lips etched permanently into his cloth face. Step, clang, step, clang, step, clang. She imagined she could hear the echo of metal on metal as the Muggle marched towards his fate.
She admired this Muggle. He'd seen three of his comrades taken down with grace and ease, but he marched on. All he had was some bits of metal to protect him, and honestly his was in worse shape than the other Muggles, yet he walked forwards still. He was up against a wizard, for Merlin's sake, and a good one too! Yet he didn't run away.
The lunge surprised Ginny every time, even though she knew it was coming. Like a coiled spring being let go, the Muggle sprung forward at blinding speeds. The wizard's face broke into a smile as the Muggle charged, and he leapt into action as well. Ginny couldn't understand it, the first time she'd watched it. The wizard clearly had an advantage at long range, being able to cast spells from a distance, yet he allowed the Muggles to close the distance, time and time again.
Ginny watched his face intently. Was it arrogance? Was it hubris? Was it a strange reckless desire for danger, a thrill seeker's drug of choice?
Even magically animated, Ginny had a hard time deciphering the look on the burly wizard's face. She could see the smile, see the glint in the amber of his eyes, but there was no life behind those eyes. It was a pale imitation of the real thing.
The wizard wielded his wand like the weapon it was in close quarters. It was unlike anything Ginny had ever seen. Normally elaborate twists and twirls of the wand to create spells were shortened and choppy, but effective as shields sprung to defend him and bursts of spellfire battered the Muggle. Dazzling lights followed by flashes of flame and gusts of wind. The Muggle would flag under the sudden weight of his sword or his shield as it became unbearably heavier, then lift it up at the last moment to defend himself as new spells were cast.
Then Ginny finally saw it, a momentary glimpse of delight on his face. The wizard was enjoying himself! He could have won easily from afar, but in close quarters it would be harder to aim a Stunning Spell or a Disarming Charm. Up close he had to get creative, had to work for his victory, and it was the brightness of the smile she saw in an instant that explained it.
It was pure joy on the wizards face as he fought against the Muggle, a sense of euphoria in testing himself, in living on the edge. Ginny marveled at it as she realized the picture of a perfect Gryffindor before her, fighting boldly and bravely, with chivalry to give his opponents a fair chance.
She admired the Muggle, too. It was a gentle touch, a slip through his shield that allowed the wizard to touch his wand to the front of the Muggle's armor and blast him back fifteen feet. The Muggle skidded and slid, bumped and banged his way along the ground.
Then he got back up.
The wizard sent a spell careening towards him and knocked him back again. He shouted something, a silent plea as the tapestry hadn't been enchanted with sound. The Muggle got up anyways, and once more the wizard sent a spell flying towards him. There was no forceful knockback this time. Instead, the Muggle slumped to the ground.
The wizard stood tall, and made a gesture with his hands that Ginny didn't recognize. He turned back to the two remaining Muggles and Ginny couldn't help but giggle when he jumped in surprise at being charged by them.
"Ginny! Stop lagging about and help us search! You have more important things to do than watch that paintingfor the millionth time."
"I certainly do, but you won't let me study! Besides, it's good! I see something new each time I watch it."
"Just let her be, Roni, she won't be any use like that. She's too distracted."
"This, coming from you!"
"I'm never distracted. I'm always thinking about exactly what I'm supposed to be thinking of."
Ginny let their squabbles as they searched fade into the background once more as the action on the tapestry picked up. The remaining two Muggles had charged at the wizard and taken him off guard. Once again, he was at a disadvantage fighting up close and against two opponents, but he dodged, shielded and danced around his opponents.
The tapestry came alive in bursts of spellfire and flashes of iron swords. Ginny watched with baited breath as she waited for the moment she knew was coming, was dreading from the painting.
There! An arrow, flying high through the sky of the tapestry, unseen by any of the three fighters until it pierced the shoulder of the wizard. It was a clean shot, and the wizard let out a silent, anguished scream. Unluckily for the Muggles, it was his non wand arm that had been wounded.
He leapt back as he had before, magically assisted and high into the air before landing gently on the ground. He switched seamlessly from the short, choppy wand movements of before into an elegant swirl and swish. The ground rumbled and shook as huge spikes of earth lanced up and out towards the two remaining Muggles. They dived out of the way but were still bludgeoned by spears of stone, their armor keeping them from being killed instantly.
A final Muggle appeared on the scene, walking into the frame of the tapestry, a bow hung limply in one hand and a sword grasped in the other. He stood, proud and imperial, as he stared across the battlefield depicted on the tapestry at the wizard. His armor was resplendent and ornate, gleaming magically in the sunlight. He lifted his sword arm as he let the bow drop, and appeared to let out a battle cry. The wizard gave a simple flick of his wand, and the Muggle flew across the battlefield until he was suspended in the air before the wizard. His helmet was knocked off in the flight, and his face was stricken with terror.
The wizard heaved an over large sigh and gestured, releasing his spell so that the Muggle fell to the ground. He scrambled to put his helmet back on, before lifting his sword to charge the wizard. He was flung away again with a casual wand wave.
He picked himself up, righted his helmet once more, and charged the wizard again.
Again. Again. Again.
Eventually the wizard must have grown weary, as he transfigured a set of chains and bound his opponent to the ground. The Muggle barely paid the departing figure any mind, however, as he stared down forlornly at his sword, straining against his shackles to pick it back up. A look of shock graced his face as the shackles disintegrated, along with the sword he'd been wielding. The wizard then pointed towards the fallen Muggles he'd already defeated, laying broken and beaten, before turning to walk away from his final opponent and the destruction he had wrought.
The Muggle reached to his side and a small blade appeared from nowhere in his hand. An enchanted dagger! The small dagger held tightly in his hand, he reared back and flung the blade at the departing wizard. It tumbled end over end, until it just nearly touched the wizard's robes. At just the last moment, the dagger paused and hovered for a few moments, suspended in midair.
The wizard turned, his arm stretched out and wand held aloft, a scowl upon his face. With a violent flick of his wrist, the dagger flew back through the air towards the Muggle. It embedded itself in the ground before him but the wizard didn't stop. He made large, sweeping motions overhead with his wand and fire spilled out of the tip, constrained only by the wizard's willpower. The wizard spoke once more and gestured even more fiercely with his free hand towards the Muggle's fallen allies. Looking back over at the Muggle, Ginny saw fear etched on his pale face, frozen in his spot in terrified awe of the power the wizard commanded. The wizard took a step forward, flames trailing in his wake, and the Muggle bolted, darting about the battlefield as quickly as he could.
The wizard shook his head, and Ginny saw his lips move slightly; for the first time since the scene had begun, he was turned completely forwards and she was able to make out the word he uttered.
"What was that?" Luna asked. "Who's a coward?"
Oh. Ginny hadn't realized she'd spoken out loud. She turned to speak to Luna directly "Just the last knight in the tapestry. The wizard calls him a coward after he tries to stab him in the back then runs away."
"That's terrible to hear, but it won't help us find the secret room in this hallway. We've already checked behind the painting, there aren't any secret passages, and the seventh knight isn't hiding behind it."
The sound of metal against stone interrupted their conversation, and they turned to see a suit of armor stepping out of the tapestry. An exact replica of the last knight to fight the wizard, gleaming and ornate he was more imposing in real life than he ever could have been in the painting. Roni let out a squeak while Luna took a few steps closer to peer more intently at the animated armor.
"Whoops?" Ginny said, mostly to herself.
"You have witnessed the scene of my greatest failure. I, the great Fernando Cavallero. I rose to knighthood from peasantry and worked tirelessly throughout my life for Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar. I was his right-hand man as he ruled over Valencia. Who would dare call me, Fernando Cavallero the Shining White Stallion of Valenica, a coward? Step forwards and explain yourself!"
All three girls had huddled together over the course of the animated suit of armor's speech, and they glanced at each other as he invited them to speak. Surprisingly, it was Roni's who spoke first.
"You snuck up on him, with your bow. You attacked him while he was engaged with other people in a fight. I'd call it cunning, but a Gryffindor would call in cowardice; I'd bet anything you're a Gryffindor." She gave Ginny an apologetic glance, but Ginny didn't have time to be offended as the armor pulled out his sword from his scabbard, flipped it upside down and slammed the hilt of against the stone floor before booming back its answer immediately.
"No! Surprise is a valued strategy. Ambushes work! It is a foolhardy and reckless man who throws away an advantage, not a brave one. This is especially true against a superior opponent! A chivalrous man can still be cunning! Consider Robert Guiscard!"
"I don't know who that-."
"Next! Who would dare to call me, Fernando Cavallero the Rampaging Bull which Trampled Aragon, a coward!"
Luna and Ginny glanced at each other briefly, before Luna's eyelids fluttered shut. She mumbled to herself lightly, but Ginny didn't catch any of it. Eventually her eyes shot open, and she announced her conclusion. "You fought dirty. Cheap shots after he'd turned his back and an enchanted dagger didn't make for a fair fight!"
The Knight banged his hilt once again, and his voice echoed through the corridor. "False again! My opponent had a natural advantage as a wizard! Using all the tools at my disposal was in no way cowardly! While not adhering strictly to the rules of chivalry, and fueled more out of a desire for revenge than for justice, it did not make me a coward. If I had been successful, I would have completed the task set to me by my liege lord!
"Twice I have asked, and twice you have failed. I ask once more! Who would dare to call me, Fernando Cavallero the Greatest Right Hand, a coward!
"You ran away," Ginny whispered. It was supposed to be an accusation, but her voice was too faint. "You should have rescued your comrades, healed them or helped them up, but you let your fear rule you. You left them behind to save your own hide." Her voice rose in pitch and strength as she went on, her resolve firming the longer she spoke.
"Correct!"
All the witches covered their ears at the booming voice.
"Cowardice is simply the result when one succumbs to their fear. Recklessness is the result of one who disregards their fears. True courage shines when you confront your fear, you face it down, and you choose to move beyond it. It still harries at you, like a dog nipping at your heels, but you train it like a pup into a bloodhound, until it works for you rather than against you. When I was faced with a wizard, a man with power I'd never encountered, I didn't realize right away how truly out matched I was. When I truly understood my predicament, I allowed fear to grip my heart and I fell to cowardice.
"The first challenge has been completed. Now, on to stage two! Words are all well and good, but words without action carry no weight. Prepare yourself!"
He lifted his sword above him, and it burst into flame. Ginny saw Luna and Roni both go pale at the sight, and knew she likely had too. The suit of armor began to swirl the sword, and the flames slowly billowed out, like a cloud slowly inching across the sky. "Tell me then, of your accolades! You have proven you know cowardice; now prove to me you know courage! Beyond me is the greatest of treasures, the most precious of riches. Impress me and you shall be granted entrance. Regale me with your tale of bravery!"
The swirling flames left dancing shadows across the corridor as he spoke, flickering all around them. All the while the heat climbed steadily higher, building in ferocity as the flames increased their intensity. Ginny felt the heat prickling against her skin, the hair on her arm wilting and crisping as sweat pooled at her back. On the armor's last command, as nearly the whole hallway above them was filled with flames, the suit of armor stamped its foot, and a stream of fire fell from above them, erupting between them and the enchanted armor.
"Run!" Ginny screamed, grabbing Luna and Roni by the hands. Both were frozen in place, petrified, and Ginny pulled them along with sharp tugs at their wrists. She ran and ran and ran, her breath coming in deep heaping gasps and her chest tightening with each stride. Her fingers ached from how tightly she gripped her friend's wrists, but she refused to let go.
They didn't stop until they were three floors away, and on the completely opposite side of the castle. Ginny bent over, breathing ragged, and she clutched at a stitch in her side.
"Well. That was unexpected."
"Yeah, Luna," Ginny answered. "Yeah, it really was. Let's maybe give up on Karthuk's quest, yeah?"
"I am in favor of that plan!"
"Fine," Luna let out a melodramatic sigh. "For now, anyways. Maybe we'll revisit it after we learn some ways to protect ourselves from fire."
"That might invalidate the test. It's definitely against the spirit of it."
"Roni, I'd rather fail and not get burned than fail and get burned, wouldn't you?"
"Well of course, but-."
"Exactly. It's settled."
"You'll be the death of me, Luna, one of these days. That's for certain." Ginny couldn't help but smile, though, as she said it. She wasn't at all surprised when Luna smiled right back.
Ginny grumbled as she flicked and swished and twirled and twisted.
"It's no use! I won't get it! You've nearly gotten it, why've I got to learn it as well?"
"Because," Luna said, placidly as she made another attempt "I might not be able to Charm every object by myself in time. And anyway, it might be useful someday"
They were sequestered in one of the spare classrooms they frequented. The room itself was pristine, impeccably sterile courtesy of the Cleaning Charms they'd used to blast everything in sight. They had laid out in front of them on one of the desks a small smattering of objects. A textbook, a quill, a pair of radish earrings, and a few pairs of socks.
"You said that this Emphasis Charm was supposed to be easier than the Forget-Me Charm, right?"
"That's what the book said, anyways."
"Well that's a load of bollocks. My head is pounding, we have finals coming up, and I need a break! I'm going to sit and meditate or something until my brain feels less like mush and more like a brain."
"Beware of Creeping Craniums. They'll suck out all your thoughts if you aren't careful!"
"I will be, Luna."
Ginny settled down on top of a desk, cross legged and back straight. She closed her eyes and decided to start by listening. Luna, muttering to herself. The swish of her wand through the air. She focused on each fwip, fwip until everything else fell away.
She let her attention wander out further. Straining, she could just make out the muffled sound of footfalls from the far-off hallways in the castle.
She quickly fell into her comfortable breathing pattern, focusing on inhaling, holding, exhaling, holding. She counted out the breath in her head, until she fell in to a rhythm. She focused on her breathing with everything that she had, until the entirety of the worlde seemed to fall away.
It was easier now than it used to be, and Ginny found herself coming to almost enjoy her daily meditations. There had even been days recently, like today, where she'd used it as an exercise to center herself and focus when life around her became too much to handle. It was especially useful when she'd studied for too long.
She shifted her attention from her breathing to her body. She focused intently on each inch of herself. The stiffness of her legs, the tightness in her stomach, the feel of her robes draped across her shoulders. She felt the light pressure of her hands against her knees. She moved her attention up to the crown of her head, and then meandered her way back down again. Slowly, so slowly that she almost didn't notice she was doing it at all, she let her attention wander away from the physical.
As it always did when she meditated, her mind struggled to find calm. It ebbed and flowed, sometimes simmering like embers on a bed of coals, other times flickering like the flames of a campfire.
Though sometimes, like now, and generally when she least expected it, her mind would calm itself only to suddenly roar to life like a bonfire. Scorching and searing all other thoughts away, her own memories assaulted her. The first time it had happened, she had fought against it terribly, and had been nearly comatose for almost a whole weekend. Hermione had told her she looked hung over, while Luna had inspected all her things for Nargles.
Ginny had learned much since then and knew to roll with the direction her mind chose to take her. Often times it was mostly innocuous, just wandering the hallways of Hogwarts late at night. Occasionally it was casting strange spells she couldn't recall, or speaking in an arcane, slithering language.
Every now and again, though, even after all these months she'd catch more than just glimpses and glances of the terror that she lived. It overtook her now, the coarse sound of scales against stone and the hiss of her own voice with wordless meaning.
She stalked the hallways looking for prey. She had to move quickly, things were escalating now. Footsteps echoed, and she knew the mudblood would be the only other one in the castle.
A hiss escaped her lips, low and sibilant and all too sweet for what it meant.
Kill.
Her beast shot forth, but a hand peeked out around the corner before it had time to strike. Ginny saw one hazel eye peek in the reflective mirror the hand held. Glee warred with fury as she was glad to see a mudblood fall, but raged at her inability to kill yet another useless prey. She had to leave, quickly now, before the match ended and she was caught. She turned the corner, following the King of Snakes, and saw another girl lying petrified on the ground next to the mudblood. Why did she look familiar?
Did it matter? Of course not.
Yet another burst of memory assaulted Ginny, ripping her further back into her year. One of the first nights she snuck out of her dorm room, back when she was still mostly in control. Just a bit of fun. She thought she'd remembered the whole night, but the memory diverged from her recollection as she wandered down a hallway and heard noise coming from a classroom.
She snuck through and peered through the door.
Percy stood with his back turned to her, late at night, breaking the rules, and certainly not alone. Treasured knowledge, the potential leverage against a prefect made Ginny giddy. Oh, and also she could tease her brother!
But who was the girl? She just needed them to turn around, shift a little, just let her see!
They broke apart, and she saw the girl's face. It was pale and frozen, still in petrification.
Her meditative state shattered like glass and her mind felt ablaze. She screamed and screamed, distantly aware she should be thankful for the Silencing Charm she'd set around herself and Luna.
She felt Luna's arms grasp her, but she was too far gone. Shocked too suddenly out of her meditative state, too deep within her psyche when her own surprise broke her concentration. Anguish gripped her as she came to the realization of just what she had done, just how terribly she had harmed her own family.
"Hush, sister" came the whisper in her mind, like a stream across the burning embers of her psyche. "I'm here for you. Listen to the sound of my voice, count in time to my breath."
One, two, three, four, in, out, in, out, Ginny counted each breath as it came and went.
Slowly, agonizingly slowly, she felt herself float back into awareness of anything other than the discordant brokenness of her own mind. Her eyes fluttered gently as she opened them, Luna's large, silver eyes staring intently back at her. "That was a bad one."
"Yeah, it was. I need to go."
"Oh?"
"I need to find my brother. I'm either going to hex him or hug him, I haven't decided yet."
"Would you like any help? I give great hugs." Ginny reached out and stole a hug for herself from Luna.
"I know you do. Thanks. But I should go do this alone."
"Mmm, okay. I'll see you at breakfast in the morning."
Ginny hummed in agreement before letting go of Luna. They packed up their things in silence, and the moment Luna was out of sight Ginny dashed toward the Common Room. She burst through the portrait, eyes narrowed and on a swivel, looking as intently as a seeker after a snitch. Two tall swathes of flaming hair, the same exact height. Neither of them was the sibling she was looking for, but they were a good start.
"Percy," she demanded, as she stalked up to them.
"Swot."
"Bookworm?"
"Oh perfect one?"
"Oh perfect prefect?"
"Yeah, him." Ginny cut them off before they really got going. "Where is he?"
"Not sure, wandering about I suppose? Making little firsties cry for using the wrong knot on their tie? Snogging his book?"
"He's snogging something," Ginny couldn't help but mutter.
"Oh? What was that, dear Ginny? Dear sister of ours, light of our life, gem of our soul?"
"Do you know anything about our dear brother that we don't?"
"No, I just need to talk to him."
"Methinks the young trickster is tricksing with lies and half truths, George."
"Too true, brother mine. Too true. Why-."
"Percy!" Ginny saw her eldest brother still in school come through the portrait door. "Come with me!" She marched towards him and pushed him right out back of the Common Room and into the hallway. Her identical brothers tried to follow as well, but she slammed the Fat Lady in their face.
"Sorry, Nellie! Didn't mean to shut your portrait so hard."
"Oh, that's alright dearie. Tell that wonderful friend of yours to come visit again soon!"
"Of course," she murmured again while dragging Percy by the hand.
"Ginevra? Ginevra, where are we going? Why are you pulling me?"
"Because I need to talk to you!" She shoved him into the first empty classroom she could find, slamming the door behind both of them.
"What did I do? I'm sorry for whatever it is, I assure you."
"You didn't do anything, you just, I, what I-." Ginny stumbled over her words as her emotions roiled within her, too fast and too violent for her to grasp any singular one or focus on it. She was furious and miserable and pleased all at once. It was disorienting.
"I saw you last year. With that girl, Penny-what's-her-face. Kissing."
The color drained from Percy's face, and he very quickly rushed to grabbed her hands as he pleaded "You mustn't tell the twins, I beg you! Letting them know about us would be the worst thing that could happen right now!"
"I won't! It's just, I don't understand." She looked up at him and felt water prick her eyes. His bewildered look was even harder for her to take. "How can you not hate me?" She whispered, just barely audible as she breathed it out.
"Why would I hate you?
"Because I almost killed your girlfriend! I didn't realize she was with Hermione when I almost killed her too!" Ginny trembled where she stood, as she shouted at her brother, eyes shut to ward off the tears.
"But it wasn't your fault? I know that Ginny." She felt him lightly lay a hand on her shoulder and she just squeezed her eyes shut tighter.
"But it was! I grabbed that book, and used it even when I knew it was wrong. It was a mistake, but it was a mistake that I made and why don't you hate me for it? How could you look at me, all year long, knowing what I'd done?"
"Because I know you'd never really do it, Gin." The use of her nickname caused Ginny to open her eyes. Percy never called any of them by a nickname, not if he could help it.
He was bent over slightly, and he lifted his hand from her shoulder to pull out a handkerchief to wipe away her tears.
"You're my sister, Ginevra, and I love you. I know you love me too. Family sticks by one another. When one of us makes a mistake, the other ones need to be there to wipe them off, pick them up, and give them a nudge back in the right direction. So, just in case none of us have said it to you yet, directly, I'll say it now.
"Ginevra, you made a terrible mistake. You played with a Dark Artifact you knew nothing about, and it caused grievous harm to our family, our friends, and our school. You were foolish, and you really should have known better. You were lucky to come out of the whole ordeal alive."
Ginny felt his words like the echoes of her own thoughts and fears, rattling about in her mind. Chipping away at her, day after day, doubt on top of doubt.
"I forgive you. You don't need it from me, I know that. I don't really think you need it from anyone. I've seen you this year, growing and putting your past behind you, and I'm so incredibly proud of you. I don't think you need my forgiveness, or Penelope's, or Hermione's, or anyone else's. But just in case you do need it, or you want it, you have it. I don't blame you for making a mistake. We all make mistakes. I still love you regardless."
She darted forward into him like a Stunning Spell, knocking the air out of him with the force of her hug. She felt him wrap his arms around her, and heard him mumble "I know Bill's always been your favorite sibling, and even though we're not supposed to have favorites, you've always been mine."
"Bill's more like a second Dad, than anything else," she murmured. "I love Dad, but when I was really little he was always gone so often, and Bill would help out around the house as much as he could. I know why Dad was always gone, I know seven kids going to Hogwarts isn't cheap, but still."
"I am aware of the money situation, but it really isn't something you should worry yourself about."
"I won't if you won't," she shot back at him. He only rolled his eyes. Ginny, feeling more relaxed than she had in a while, and mischievous with the release of all the tension she'd built up in the last few hours, smirked at Percy. "So, when do I get to meet Penelope? It's been at least a year now, hasn't it?"
"Ah, well, things are a bit up in the air, what with school ending. We haven't, er, had that discussion yet."
"Do you love her?"
"I really don't know. I think it's possible that I could."
"Hmm. Well, figure that out first, I suppose, and then go from there."
"That does sound like good advice. Come on, Ginevra, I have studying for my NEWTS to do, and I'm sure you have finals as well."