Disclaimer: I don't own any of it. I would ask for the rights to George and Fred… and Ron while I'm at it for my birthday, but I doubt JKR would be willing to give them to me. L
Author's Note: Ahhh!!! I forgot to thank my reviewers last chapter. So I'll take care of that this chapter:
Thanks to GeEtErZ and Julienne for reviewing the first chapter and Persephonie, Pseudonym Sylphmuse and GeEtErZ (again) for reviewing the second one. You guys have no idea how much that means to me. I'm trying to get these chapters up as quickly as I can.
So with that said, on with the show!
Red Cover, Red Hair, Red Tears…
Red Year
By Weasley Gurl
Chapter 3: Façade of a Utopia
The water of the lake felt like silk against Ginny's hand as it glided along beside the small boat. She was shaking, shaking with excitement and joy, and with the knowledge that this was it. The boat was small, but just as a boat should be, after all everything at Hogwarts was perfect. She shared the boat with two other passengers, each of whom were staring with just so much awe at their surroundings as to give away their lineage. Definitely of Muggle birth.
The first was one young Colin Creevy, son of a milkman and lover of anything to do with photography. He was small, and mousy looking, and Ginny liked him at once. After all, he was going to Hogwarts, so he must be a special Muggle-born.
The second was a girl with long trailing hair, black as the night and hanging straight and flowing save two small braids, which curved from either side of her face to meet in the back. She wore glasses with thin silver wire frames and had gray-green eyes which sparkled in joy. She was pale-skinned and thin and had numerous freckles sprinkled across her nose. Ginny had only caught her name, Allison McKinney, before the girl had fallen silent at the beginning of the boat ride, but she saw no reason not to like this girl, either.
It was all so perfect, like a land out of one of her old bedtime stories, from the lake to the many boats holding her fellow classmates to the black robes which she had donned on the train. Ginny suddenly felt that she were part of some wonderful fairy-story, in which everyone goes to a perfect school and has many friends and everything is good and happy and friendly. Ginny looked once again upon her surroundings and at once thought of the Bible and the book of Genesis, which her mother had quoted to her at various points in her life: just as the Lord had looked upon his handiwork and saw that it was indeed good, so Ginny looked upon this lake, these people and saw goodness in all of it. Then they turned a corner and Ginny was filled with a knowledge that she had longed for during her entire existence.
She suddenly knew what the castle of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry looked like. It wasn't just good, it was extraordinary. She let out a small gasp and gave a small shudder, forgetting all thoughts of how mature persons were supposed to act. So also did Colin give a squeal and Allison, at the head of the boat, clapped in joy. The full moon cast a majestic glow upon the castle, putting into bright light the towers climbing higher and higher into the air, which seemed to reach all the way to the heavens.
The boats came to rest on the bank and the booming voice of Hagrid, the gamekeeper, announced that they were to follow him. Allison and Colin climbed out of the boat, and Ginny soon followed. Her stomach felt like a billion pixies were trapped inside, and she shivered in delight as they began to climb the flight of stone steps which lead to a towering door which could only be the entrance to Hogwarts. They congregated in front of a woman with strict eyes and dark hair pulled into a tight bun.
"Welcome," the woman said, as her piercing gaze swept across the mass of students. "I am Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts. If you will follow me, please." With that, she turned and the doors swung open, allowing the woman to enter.
Ginny followed, grinning from ear to ear. She looked around at the candles floating around the ceiling, entranced by the sheer air of majesty that this place possessed. She was dimly aware of the woman's continuation of the speech which had begun outside, but she hardly caught any of it.
"Houses… like family… Ravenclaw, Gryffindor… Slytherin." She glanced at the woman. She was talking about the school houses, but Ginny knew all about them. She had heard Ron and… and Harry talking late into the night about the great rivalry between the houses and the victory which they had experienced last year in breaking Slytherin's winning streak. She had even caught mention of a hat, and was very nearly sure that this hat was meant to have some importance in the sorting of students into the four houses.
They were left in a small room, which was instantly filled with an air of excitement and nerves. Many had not heard of magic before receiving their letter, and the majority of the wizard-born children still had no inkling as to the processes which would lead to their sorting. Ginny had a heads-up on this matter, and though nerves struck her just as fiercely as they did the others, they were entirely different nerves. Less like butterflies and more like manticores. She was sure that she would be sorted into Gryffindor; every Weasley had for generations back far enough that count had been lost long before she was born. But would she be a Gryffindor? She surely wasn't courageous around Harry. Perhaps she would be put into Hufflepuff. That suited her well: loyal and caring and a sweet little Virginia who loved everyone and blushed around her brother's friend…
Her stomach knotted. Slytherin. Though the thought was entirely improbable, it still lingered enough to send a fit of shivers down her spine. She looked to the Slytherin table and… How had she gotten here?! It suddenly occurred to her that she had been lead into a colossal dining room without even realizing she was moving. So this was the Great Hall. Again, she looked to the Slytherin table. They ranged from silently contemplative to smirking quite menacingly to just about any other unpleasantness you could imagine. She hoped with all her heart she wouldn't be sent there.
They had formed a line, and McGonagall was now calling them forwards to take their turns at being sorted. "Creevy, Colin." It was the small boy from the boat. He sat under a strange, patched hat for a while before it bellowed "GRYFFINDOR!" The table to the far right busted with clapping. Ginny recognized Fred, George, and Percy, along with Lee Jordan, who she had met briefly only two years before. She scanned the table for Ron, but only found bush-haired Hermione Granger glancing worriedly between the sorting ceremony and the massive doors on the other side of the room.
"Hall, Kent"
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Irvana, Leslie"
"SLYTHERIN!" (The Slytherins roared menacingly.)
"Jackson, Samantha"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Jeffreson, Ben"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"McKinney, Allison" The quiet girl from the boat crept forward. The hat had hardly touched her head when it roared "RAVENCLAW!"
"MacDonald, Olivia… Pratt, Penelope… Roberts, Andy… Smith, Laurie… Thompson, Hannah."
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Weasley, Virginia" Ginny walked forward, once again searching for Ron before the world went black. Spots swirled before her eyes as they trained themselves to the shroud of darkness which had engulfed her. The hat covered her entire head, slipping down over her neck even to barely brush against her shoulders and she suddenly wondered why she couldn't have been tall, like her father. Instead, she was petite, with a head that looked as if it could be found in some witchdoctor's hut for all it's size.
"Virginia Weasley. Weasley; I have heard this name many times in the past decade. Do you offer me no diversion from the mold your brothers have set?" It occurred to her that the voice ringing through the darkness was the hat itself, and she began to answer it.
"I don-"
"Of course you are no different. You needn't tell me the obvious. It is you and those accursed Malfoys that give me this grief. Year after year, generation after generation, and still no difference, no challenge, ad- Never you mind. It is pointless to carry on as I do when the young man still to be sorted is bouncing as a young one does when it has wet itself. GRYFFINDOR!"
Ginny, realizing that the hat had declared this to the entire hall, lifted it off her head and set it once again on the stool. She was sorry to have disappointed it, but at the same time, grateful to join her brothers at the Gryffindor table. She sat between George and Hermione Granger, who was chattering worriedly about the missing boys, as Williamson, Derek was sorted into Slytherin.
June 21st
Tom?
Yes, Ginny?
I'm at Hogwarts. I'm in Gryffindor. Isn't it wonderful?
Terrific. Where are you now?
In bed, in my dormitory. It's all red and gold, which are the best colours ever and guess what! Ron and Harry flew to school in Daddy's car.
I thought you said students traveled by the school train.
Well, usually they do, but something happened to them at the platform. I'm not sure what yet, all I know is they crashed into this giant tree and got loads of detentions. But no points taken off- no thanks to Professor Snape, though, I imagine.
Professor who? I missed that.
Snape. I saw him at the feast and he's just as bad as everyone says, all greasy and scowling, and oh, I hope I don't have potions tomorrow. Snape teaches that, and he's head of Slytherin. I've heard that he knows a lot of dark spells and stuff and I heard Fred say that he killed his first Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher so he could get the job.
And did he? Get the Defense the Dark Arts job?
Oh, no. That went to that man, Professor Quodpot or whatever Ron called him- the one who kept You-Know-Who on the back of his head.
I haven't heard of that one yet- but another time. Tell me more about your dormitory. Where is it?
Up in a tower somewhere. But Tom, wouldn't it have been in the same place when you were at school?
You're assuming that I was in Gryffindor.
Were you not, Tom? You seem so brave. Oh, I'm so sorry that you can't have seen the house commons then. They're so wonderful. What house were you in, then?
Tom? Are you there?
Ravenclaw. I was in Ravenclaw.
Oh, I was so stupid to not have known that, it fits you so perfectly. You'll have to tell me about Ravenclaw one of these days.
Alright, then. But not tonight, it must be late.
Yes, it is late. You want to know something funny, Tom?
Go on.
For a moment there you had me convinced you were a Slytherin.
Author's Note: Ahhh!!! I forgot to thank my reviewers last chapter. So I'll take care of that this chapter:
Thanks to GeEtErZ and Julienne for reviewing the first chapter and Persephonie, Pseudonym Sylphmuse and GeEtErZ (again) for reviewing the second one. You guys have no idea how much that means to me. I'm trying to get these chapters up as quickly as I can.
So with that said, on with the show!
Red Cover, Red Hair, Red Tears…
Red Year
By Weasley Gurl
Chapter 3: Façade of a Utopia
The water of the lake felt like silk against Ginny's hand as it glided along beside the small boat. She was shaking, shaking with excitement and joy, and with the knowledge that this was it. The boat was small, but just as a boat should be, after all everything at Hogwarts was perfect. She shared the boat with two other passengers, each of whom were staring with just so much awe at their surroundings as to give away their lineage. Definitely of Muggle birth.
The first was one young Colin Creevy, son of a milkman and lover of anything to do with photography. He was small, and mousy looking, and Ginny liked him at once. After all, he was going to Hogwarts, so he must be a special Muggle-born.
The second was a girl with long trailing hair, black as the night and hanging straight and flowing save two small braids, which curved from either side of her face to meet in the back. She wore glasses with thin silver wire frames and had gray-green eyes which sparkled in joy. She was pale-skinned and thin and had numerous freckles sprinkled across her nose. Ginny had only caught her name, Allison McKinney, before the girl had fallen silent at the beginning of the boat ride, but she saw no reason not to like this girl, either.
It was all so perfect, like a land out of one of her old bedtime stories, from the lake to the many boats holding her fellow classmates to the black robes which she had donned on the train. Ginny suddenly felt that she were part of some wonderful fairy-story, in which everyone goes to a perfect school and has many friends and everything is good and happy and friendly. Ginny looked once again upon her surroundings and at once thought of the Bible and the book of Genesis, which her mother had quoted to her at various points in her life: just as the Lord had looked upon his handiwork and saw that it was indeed good, so Ginny looked upon this lake, these people and saw goodness in all of it. Then they turned a corner and Ginny was filled with a knowledge that she had longed for during her entire existence.
She suddenly knew what the castle of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry looked like. It wasn't just good, it was extraordinary. She let out a small gasp and gave a small shudder, forgetting all thoughts of how mature persons were supposed to act. So also did Colin give a squeal and Allison, at the head of the boat, clapped in joy. The full moon cast a majestic glow upon the castle, putting into bright light the towers climbing higher and higher into the air, which seemed to reach all the way to the heavens.
The boats came to rest on the bank and the booming voice of Hagrid, the gamekeeper, announced that they were to follow him. Allison and Colin climbed out of the boat, and Ginny soon followed. Her stomach felt like a billion pixies were trapped inside, and she shivered in delight as they began to climb the flight of stone steps which lead to a towering door which could only be the entrance to Hogwarts. They congregated in front of a woman with strict eyes and dark hair pulled into a tight bun.
"Welcome," the woman said, as her piercing gaze swept across the mass of students. "I am Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts. If you will follow me, please." With that, she turned and the doors swung open, allowing the woman to enter.
Ginny followed, grinning from ear to ear. She looked around at the candles floating around the ceiling, entranced by the sheer air of majesty that this place possessed. She was dimly aware of the woman's continuation of the speech which had begun outside, but she hardly caught any of it.
"Houses… like family… Ravenclaw, Gryffindor… Slytherin." She glanced at the woman. She was talking about the school houses, but Ginny knew all about them. She had heard Ron and… and Harry talking late into the night about the great rivalry between the houses and the victory which they had experienced last year in breaking Slytherin's winning streak. She had even caught mention of a hat, and was very nearly sure that this hat was meant to have some importance in the sorting of students into the four houses.
They were left in a small room, which was instantly filled with an air of excitement and nerves. Many had not heard of magic before receiving their letter, and the majority of the wizard-born children still had no inkling as to the processes which would lead to their sorting. Ginny had a heads-up on this matter, and though nerves struck her just as fiercely as they did the others, they were entirely different nerves. Less like butterflies and more like manticores. She was sure that she would be sorted into Gryffindor; every Weasley had for generations back far enough that count had been lost long before she was born. But would she be a Gryffindor? She surely wasn't courageous around Harry. Perhaps she would be put into Hufflepuff. That suited her well: loyal and caring and a sweet little Virginia who loved everyone and blushed around her brother's friend…
Her stomach knotted. Slytherin. Though the thought was entirely improbable, it still lingered enough to send a fit of shivers down her spine. She looked to the Slytherin table and… How had she gotten here?! It suddenly occurred to her that she had been lead into a colossal dining room without even realizing she was moving. So this was the Great Hall. Again, she looked to the Slytherin table. They ranged from silently contemplative to smirking quite menacingly to just about any other unpleasantness you could imagine. She hoped with all her heart she wouldn't be sent there.
They had formed a line, and McGonagall was now calling them forwards to take their turns at being sorted. "Creevy, Colin." It was the small boy from the boat. He sat under a strange, patched hat for a while before it bellowed "GRYFFINDOR!" The table to the far right busted with clapping. Ginny recognized Fred, George, and Percy, along with Lee Jordan, who she had met briefly only two years before. She scanned the table for Ron, but only found bush-haired Hermione Granger glancing worriedly between the sorting ceremony and the massive doors on the other side of the room.
"Hall, Kent"
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Irvana, Leslie"
"SLYTHERIN!" (The Slytherins roared menacingly.)
"Jackson, Samantha"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Jeffreson, Ben"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"McKinney, Allison" The quiet girl from the boat crept forward. The hat had hardly touched her head when it roared "RAVENCLAW!"
"MacDonald, Olivia… Pratt, Penelope… Roberts, Andy… Smith, Laurie… Thompson, Hannah."
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Weasley, Virginia" Ginny walked forward, once again searching for Ron before the world went black. Spots swirled before her eyes as they trained themselves to the shroud of darkness which had engulfed her. The hat covered her entire head, slipping down over her neck even to barely brush against her shoulders and she suddenly wondered why she couldn't have been tall, like her father. Instead, she was petite, with a head that looked as if it could be found in some witchdoctor's hut for all it's size.
"Virginia Weasley. Weasley; I have heard this name many times in the past decade. Do you offer me no diversion from the mold your brothers have set?" It occurred to her that the voice ringing through the darkness was the hat itself, and she began to answer it.
"I don-"
"Of course you are no different. You needn't tell me the obvious. It is you and those accursed Malfoys that give me this grief. Year after year, generation after generation, and still no difference, no challenge, ad- Never you mind. It is pointless to carry on as I do when the young man still to be sorted is bouncing as a young one does when it has wet itself. GRYFFINDOR!"
Ginny, realizing that the hat had declared this to the entire hall, lifted it off her head and set it once again on the stool. She was sorry to have disappointed it, but at the same time, grateful to join her brothers at the Gryffindor table. She sat between George and Hermione Granger, who was chattering worriedly about the missing boys, as Williamson, Derek was sorted into Slytherin.
June 21st
Tom?
Yes, Ginny?
I'm at Hogwarts. I'm in Gryffindor. Isn't it wonderful?
Terrific. Where are you now?
In bed, in my dormitory. It's all red and gold, which are the best colours ever and guess what! Ron and Harry flew to school in Daddy's car.
I thought you said students traveled by the school train.
Well, usually they do, but something happened to them at the platform. I'm not sure what yet, all I know is they crashed into this giant tree and got loads of detentions. But no points taken off- no thanks to Professor Snape, though, I imagine.
Professor who? I missed that.
Snape. I saw him at the feast and he's just as bad as everyone says, all greasy and scowling, and oh, I hope I don't have potions tomorrow. Snape teaches that, and he's head of Slytherin. I've heard that he knows a lot of dark spells and stuff and I heard Fred say that he killed his first Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher so he could get the job.
And did he? Get the Defense the Dark Arts job?
Oh, no. That went to that man, Professor Quodpot or whatever Ron called him- the one who kept You-Know-Who on the back of his head.
I haven't heard of that one yet- but another time. Tell me more about your dormitory. Where is it?
Up in a tower somewhere. But Tom, wouldn't it have been in the same place when you were at school?
You're assuming that I was in Gryffindor.
Were you not, Tom? You seem so brave. Oh, I'm so sorry that you can't have seen the house commons then. They're so wonderful. What house were you in, then?
Tom? Are you there?
Ravenclaw. I was in Ravenclaw.
Oh, I was so stupid to not have known that, it fits you so perfectly. You'll have to tell me about Ravenclaw one of these days.
Alright, then. But not tonight, it must be late.
Yes, it is late. You want to know something funny, Tom?
Go on.
For a moment there you had me convinced you were a Slytherin.