A/N: OK, has anyone heard Rammstein's new CD? It's a really kick ass album. The only reason I bring it up is because I've been listening to it non-stop for the last couple of days, so my writing might reflect that. Um, let's see, someone asked if I had written the poem in the last chapter. Yes, though I was kinda pressed for time, so it didn't turn out as well as I would have liked. I'm glad people liked it though, especially since I'm no poet :). About that dream in the last chapter . . . ok, the way it works in my head is that Turners dream of things that have happened, and things that could happen--possibilities. They aren't true divinators, but they do have a sense. So, take from it what you will :). The title was something I came up with because I didn't like any of the others I thought of. Besides, it was a bit of a laugh for me, so I used it *grin*.
Alyeeandra: This chapter is for you, since you asked me to post it so quickly. I hope I got it up in time ;).
Disclaimer: See Chapter One.
Chapter Ten
'Loyalty Will Be Tested'
It was mostly the force and the volume of Ron's voice that penetrated Harry's brain and caused him to jump backwards as if he had been stung. Course, there was really nowhere for him to jump backwards to, having been against the wall, so he merely ended up pulling away from Ginny swiftly and banging the back of his head against that very same wall. Pleasure was very rapidly replaced by pain.
"Ow!" he muttered, bringing his hand up to the back of his head. As he was rubbing it, he focused on Ron, who was standing across the common room with Hermione, and immediately the pain disappeared as his heart sank into his stomach. The look on Ron's face was one of unparalleled fury. He'd seen Ron be angry and upset before, but he'd never, ever seen him this furious. At that look, his attempt at joviality-"Hey Ron, how was Hogsmeade?"-died on his lips. Instead, he smiled weakly. "Hi Ron," he said quietly.
Ron narrowed his eyes, and Harry felt his heart start pumping with fear. "Just what do you think you're doing, Harry?" he asked with a very quiet and very dangerous voice.
Harry's mind whirled as he tried to think of an answer that wouldn't just make Ron more upset. Somehow he didn't think, "I was just kissing your sister," would go over well. At all. He gulped a bit, and opted for ignorance, if for no other reason than to stall for time. "What do you mean?" he asked, trying to sound more confident than he felt. Based on the look on Hermione's face, he didn't think he'd done a very good job at it.
Harry wasn't sure how, but Ron's face grew even darker at the question.
He started walking towards Harry, and began speaking in the same quiet,
dangerous voice he'd used after his original outburst. "You know very
well what I'm talking about."
Harry decided that if he were going to go down, he'd go down with style
and dignity. He stood up straight and smoothed out his robes, then turned
to look Ron in the face. "Yes, I do," he answered with as strong
a voice as he could muster. This seemed to surprise Ron a bit and he stopped
moving forward. His face, however, remained one of anger and rage. "I
was kissing your sister." This really caught Ron off guard, but he
recovered quickly.
"So I saw. Why?" he demanded.
"Because I like her. A lot."
"WHAT?!"
"I like Ginny. I have for some time now, and," he said, turning his head to Ginny, "she likes me too." She smiled up at him and nodded. Feeling much more confident, he looked back at Ron and smiled a little. "We were just discovering that when you walked in." Harry thought he saw Hermione look a little smug, as if she had figured this whole thing out ages ago, under her worry at the way her boyfriend was acting.
Ron was fuming now, and Harry was surprised that smoke wasn't coming out of his ears. "I had no idea that swapping spit was a means of discovery," he spat out venomously. Harry was about to say something to this, but Ron turned to Ginny. "What about Justin? I thought you were still with him."
Ginny glared at her brother, but her voice was calm. "I broke up with him yesterday. You knew I was having doubts about him. You're the one who encouraged me to do it."
"Yes, but I never expected you to be enchanted by my best friend!" he yelled, glaring at Harry menacingly.
Harry was about to make a haughty reply to that, but Ginny beat him to the punch. "He didn't enchant me Ron. I. Like. Harry. It's one of the reasons I broke up with Justin in the first place."
Ron didn't know what to say to that, apparently, so he attacked from a different direction. "What about the Turner, hmm? I thought that was who the love of his life would be." He'd said this last bit sarcastically.
Harry looked apprehensively at Ginny, wondering if she was going to tell her brother the truth. He saw the determined and exasperated look on her face, and knew she was going to do it. He couldn't help but admire her bravery.
"Oh for Godric's sake, Ron, I'm the Turner!"
Ron was so surprised that he nearly lost his balance. The anger drained away from his face and was replaced by a look of disbelief. "What?" he asked quietly.
"It's true," she confirmed, just as quietly. "I'm the Turner."
Ron, however, didn't seem ready to accept this. "How is that possible? What makes you so sure?"
Ginny hesitated, then answered her brother. "I had a dream this morning, and someone told me I was the Turner." Ron looked ready to dismiss this piece of evidence, but Ginny didn't give him a chance to speak. "And then, when I woke up, I saw a book that hadn't been there before. The title was Turning for Turners."
Ron closed his mouth, still in shock. Harry would have laughed, but he couldn't imagine what Ron must have been going through at that moment. He'd had two big bombshells dropped on him within the space of ten minutes. Harry couldn't help but feel for his friend. Ron stumbled over to one of the chairs in the common room, and plopped himself into it, still trying to digest everything. Hermione went over to him and sat next to him, placing a comforting arm on his shoulder, while giving Harry and Ginny a small smile.
The room was silent, as everyone allowed Ron time to take everything in. It was a few moments later, though, that Ron's head snapped up, as if he'd just figured something out. He turned to look at Harry, his face full of anger and . . . hatred. Harry shivered involuntarily. "This is all your fault," he spat, his eyes never leaving Harry.
Harry, though, was at a loss as to what Ron meant. "W-what?" he asked, not sure he'd heard him correctly.
Ron stood up, and glared coldly at Harry. He pointed at him. "That prophecy. If Ginny's the Turner, then that means she's going to help you defeat You-Know-Who."
He was still in the dark as to what Ron was on about, but he didn't want to agitate his friend any further. "Yeah, I suppose s-"
"That prophecy made mention of a sacrifice, Harry," Ron interrupted. Harry nodded, numb with disbelief at the cold fury radiating from his best friend. "What if Ginny is the sacrifice, huh? Did you ever think of that?"
Harry could feel himself getting a little annoyed. He could understand Ron being upset about having walked in on what he had walked in on, but he was getting a little carried away with this whole "big brother" thing. "Do you think I'd want that, Ron? You act like I asked for her to be in danger from Voldemort."
He saw Ron flinch, but it didn't deter his anger, or the point he so obviously wanted to make. He never got to say what he wanted to say next, because Ginny spoke up again. "So what if I am? If I'm to die, then I'll do so fighting. I'm not about to go hide in a corner when I could be doing something constructive, like fighting Voldemort." Harry could see that her words had upset Ron, but it didn't stop her from saying more. "I was put into Gryffindor too," she said quietly and somewhat soothingly. "I'm not afraid of death, and if I can help, then come hell or high water, I'll help."
There was quiet after she had said her piece, and what she had said confirmed to Harry what he had found so wonderful about her. He watched Ron closely. It seemed that, for the present, he had grudgingly accepted the situation. But Harry had a feeling that this argument wasn't over. Ron could be pretty stubborn when he wanted to be.
It was then that the entrance to the common room swung open, and Professor McGonagall walked in. She looked around, and her eyes landed on Ginny. All of the occupants in the room already seemed to know what she was there for, even before she spoke. "Miss Weasley, the Headmaster would like to see you now."
Ginny nodded her head, and followed her out of the room, but not before giving everyone a wave and a smile, though Harry's was the brightest.
The room was silent after she had gone, the tension in the room so thick that it was almost stifling. Ron stood, and Harry watched with trepidation as he walked over to him. He stopped a few feet away, and looked at Harry, his face deadly serious. "Harry," he spoke, so quietly that Harry could barely hear him, "I may not be able to stop her from doing what she wants, but I'll always be watching out for her. And for you." His voice was calm, but the threat was clear. "If anything happens to her, I'll never forgive you."
Harry looked Ron straight in the eyes. "Nothing will happen to her," he replied firmly.
Ron just nodded, then walked out of the portrait hole. Hermione followed him, but not before giving Harry an encouraging smile, which seemed to say that everything would be all right eventually. But, after she had left, Harry couldn't help but fear that things would never be the same. Their friendship might be repaired in time, but something had changed today. He didn't know what was different exactly, but whatever it was had changed and things would never go back to what they had been.
***
The walk to the Headmaster's office was a long one for Ginny. She knew what the Headmaster wanted to see her about, and she found that she was excited to learn all about it.
They arrived at a gargoyle that she had seen a few times, but had never really paid much attention to before. Professor McGonagall muttered something that sounded like, "pepper imps," and then the gargoyle opened to allow them in.
After ascending the stairs, the two walked into the Headmaster's office, to find Professor Dumbledore sitting behind his desk, obviously working on something. He looked up. "Miss Weasley, please have a seat." As Ginny sat, he turned to Professor McGonagall. "Thank you Minerva," he said. She inclined her head and left the room.
Ginny watched the Headmaster anxiously, nervous excitement flooding through her. A few moments later, he turned his attention to her, and she could see his eyes twinkling under his glasses, though his face remained calm. "Ginny, I believe you know why you're here?"
Ginny nodded, wanting to ask the thousands of questions that she had asked herself all morning. The only one she gave voice to though, was, "is it true?" The moment it was out of her mouth, she felt silly. Of course it's true. I wouldn't be here if it weren't! She could feel herself turning pink.
The Headmaster, however, considered her question and answered her. "Yes, it's true."
She nodded, relieved that he'd confirmed it for her. "What does it mean, though?" she blurted out. Immediately, she realized how that had probably sounded, so she worked to clarify. "I mean, what can I do? And how do I fit into that prophecy?" She knew she sounded like an overexcited first year, but she couldn't be bothered to try and hide her excitement. Her curiosity was getting the best of her.
Professor Dumbledore smiled at her, which caused his eyes to twinkle even more. "As for the first question, I believe you'll find the answer in the book you received earlier." He paused, and Ginny registered surprise that he'd known about that, but waited to hear the answer to her second question. "As to the second, well, that is difficult to say." He was silent for a moment.
"Why?" she asked, hoping he would shed some light onto this mystery for her.
"Because-as I'm sure you'll soon discover-the future is never completely set in stone. There are some true divinators out there-Celestia Moon was one-but they only see so much. They never see everything. Life is part fate, part chance, and part luck."
Ginny nodded again. She was dying to ask something else, but she wasn't sure if she should. The Headmaster seemed to sense her hesitation and nodded slightly at her. She took that as a sign of encouragement and fired away. "Professor, how did you know it was me?"
Ginny could have sworn that his smile turned wistful and fond, but she couldn't be sure. "A couple of things. The prophecies of Celestia Moon are over a thousand years old. They have been studied for nearly as long. She was remarkably consistent with her metaphors, and the name Brighid-always in conjunction with either the Moon or the label Turner, sometimes both-shows up a few times in her other prophecies." He chuckled lightly and continued. "And we met long before you were a student here."
Her mind whirled at this information. That would mean that she'd traveled
to the past at some point in the future. That's really confusing.
She really hoped she would get used to the concept of time travel and the
havoc it could work on English grammar.
Professor Dumbledore politely cleared his throat, bringing Ginny's focus
from her thoughts to the world around her. She saw that his face looked
a little more serious. "Ginny, the main reason I called you here was
to ask that you please be careful. I suppose Mr. Potter has told you that
Voldemort intends to use your abilities for his own purposes."
Ginny nodded, blushing slightly at the mention of Harry's name. She saw the Headmaster's eyes twinkle slightly at her blush, though his face remained serious.
"Then you understand how important it is for you, along with your brother, Mr. Potter, and Ms. Granger to follow the school rules. They are there for your safety and protection." She nodded solemnly. The Headmaster sighed. "It would be the perfect opportunity for Voldemort if even one of you gave him an opening."
"I understand, sir," Ginny said quietly, knowing intimately how cunning Voldemort could be when given the opportunity.
The Headmaster nodded once. "It would be best if you would begin working on learning how to use your abilities as soon as possible. It won't be easy, but you will get it."
Ginny smiled at him. "I will sir," she said. She stood, knowing she should probably leave, and anxious to get back to her dorm to learn everything she could about being a Turner. She headed towards the door, then stopped and turned around to face the Headmaster again. "Thank you sir," she said quietly.
He smiled gently at her. "You're welcome Ginny. If you ever need to see me, my door is always open."
Ginny grinned gratefully. "Thank you again sir." At his smile, she turned and left his office, walking quickly back to Gryffindor tower, feeling a little more relaxed about her identity.
***
She returned nearly an hour after she had left. Harry knew this because he had waited for her. Not without trepidation, mind you. They really hadn't had a chance to talk things out before being interrupted. He just hoped that they could figure out where they stood.
He watched her walk in, and he felt the now familiar pounding of his heart at the sight of her. She spotted him and smiled, then walked over to him.
"Hey Gin," he said quietly, a smile on his face.
"Hey Harry," she replied, and smiled back at him.
There was silence, and Harry knew he should say something-anything-to fill it in. "So, um," he began, still looking at her, "what did Dumbledore say?"
Her smile got wider. "He told me that we'd met before I was even a student here."
Harry felt his eyebrows rise, and he gestured over to the loveseat, where they both sat. "Really?" he asked.
She nodded. "Yeah. You know what that means don't you? It means that at some point in the future, I go back in the past!"
He found her excitement amusing and chuckled slightly at the eager expression on her face. She mock-glared at him. "And just what is so funny?"
"You are," he answered.
Smirking at him, she grabbed a pillow off a nearby couch and smacked him with it.
"Hey!"
"That'll teach you!" she managed to say, laughing as hard as she was at the wounded expression on his face. A few moments later, he laughed with her, not able to hold his expression in the face of her amusement.
When he had calmed down enough to speak, he asked her if Dumbledore had said anything else.
Ginny's expression became a little more serious. "Yeah. He said that the four of us need to be careful, because we know that Voldemort wants to use my abilities."
Harry also grew more serious, nodding contemplatively. "Yeah, well, he's not going to get you," he replied firmly. He looked over at her, and he knew that he had to bring the subject up now, before he lost his nerve. "Um, Gin?"
"Yeah?"
"So, uh, where do we stand now? I mean," he added hastily, seeing her open her mouth, "we like each other. That's a start. But, well, I'm not sure what happens now."
Ginny closed her mouth, and Harry thought she was trying to figure out what to say. "Well," she said at last, "first of all, I want you to know that I like you very, very much. I always have." He nodded, and she continued. "But I just got out of a relationship, and it didn't end well."
This surprised Harry. "What happened?"
"Well, I began to realize that I had never been over you, and that I would never see Justin as anything more than a good friend. So, I decided to break up with him." She sighed here. "He didn't take it well. I mean, on the surface he was fine with it, but I know him. He's hurting really badly right now, and I feel so guilty for having put him through that. I need to make sure he's going to be ok before we . . . start something."
Harry nodded, feeling at once disappointed that they couldn't just jump into the relationship that they both wanted, and relieved that he would have more time to work out what was supposed to happen next. The expression on her face was somewhat depressed, so Harry wrapped his arms around her to comfort her. She smiled up at him, and he smiled back. "I think you're right Gin," he said. At her confused look, he elaborated. "We'll just take things slowly, see how they go. I guess the first step is to get to know each other better, right?"
"Right," she said, grinning at him now.
He grinned back. "So, Ginny, tell me all about the life and times of Virginia Marie Weasley."
She giggled at him, and began to talk.
They stayed that way for hours, cuddling together in front of the common
room fire, just talking about anything and everything they could think of.
When thinking about it later, Harry realized that he'd never had quite
so much fun.