A/N: I'd just like to thank the wonderful Veldan again for posting the 10th chapter earlier today. This is for you: "Don't touch the hair!" Hahahahaha…Enjoy, all you wonderful people.
Chapter 11 ~ Gryffindor's Ghost
The sun peeked over the horizon to hopefully view the new day as Ginny and Liandra sat contemplating the flames in the early morning stillness. Their solitude was broken as the portrait hole opened behind them to admit the stern presence of Professor McGonagall. Ginny looked up in surprise, wondering what brought the head of her old house to the common room at such an early hour. It would be useless to try to get a student out of bed at this time, even if they were awake, and she surely knew that. But McGonagall didn't move toward one of the dormitories, but instead came toward the two ghosts. When she stopped in front of them, the tightness of her lips seemed to come from some emotion other than disapproval. Ginny didn't know what could upset McGonagall and wasn't sure she wanted to. Her problems were bad enough and she didn't want any added to them. After all, problems didn't get much worse than being dead.
"Miss Weasley, I've been asked by Professor Dumbledore to escort you to his office. He would like to talk to you first, and then you have some visitors," McGonagall said, her voice sounding choked even though she struggled to disguise it. Ginny's heart fell. There was only one group of people who would come to visit her. How was she to face her family after getting killed in such a senseless way? Ginny nodded her agreement to Professor McGonagall and managed a sickly smile. She turned to Liandra and shrugged.
"I guess you're going to have to wait here without me. I have to go talk to the Headmaster." Ginny tried desperately to ignore the naked fear on the girl's face. After all, Liandra hadn't been summoned, and she really didn't want her new friend there for her reunion with her family. "I'm sorry," she said with another shrug.
"It's ok, I know you don't have a choice," Liandra said doubtfully. "But what will I do when people start coming down? What if they tell me to go away?"
"Don't worry, just tell them you're waiting for me and if they're mean to you, I'll haunt them until they die," Ginny replied flippantly. Liandra smiled weakly and nodded. Ginny smiled encouragingly and then turned back to McGonagall, gesturing for her to lead the way. Ginny could get to Dumbledore's office much more quickly without her, but it would be rude to arrive unannounced. Besides, she still retained a glimmer of anger toward Dumbledore for what he'd believed about Harry and was in no real hurry to talk with him.
Ginny floated in a daze behind Professor McGonagall, trying very hard not to think of the coming confrontation with her parents and therefore succeeding in thinking of nothing but that. She hardly even noticed when McGonagall came to a stop in front of the stone gargoyle which guarded Dumbledore's office and muttered the password. When she came back to her senses she was gliding up to Dumbledore's cluttered desk as he gazed at her through his half-moon spectacles. The silence continued for a moment and Ginny was unwilling to be the first to break it. Professor McGonagall had quietly excused herself just after they had first entered, and now only Ginny and the Headmaster remained in the office, quietly staring at each other.
"I hope you will convey my apologies to young Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said suddenly and surprisingly. "I know by now he will know what I told his friends and must he very hurt that I would think that of him. But the circumstances are very unusual, very unusual indeed…" he trailed off. He looked at Ginny for a moment more. "I must confess at this time that I have no idea what is going on within my own walls. The appearance of the Spirit Blade and your subsequent appearance has me baffled, and I find it quite irritating. I am not used to being unable to even formulate a theory as to why things happen. If you could shed any light on the matter…?" he raised one bushy white eyebrow in entreaty.
"What question would you like answered?" Ginny said cautiously, not willing to give away any information that might tip Dumbledore off to their plans. He surely wouldn't approve of several teenage wizards going after Lucius Malfoy and attempting to cut him up.
"The most puzzling aspect of the whole thing is that all of a sudden there are several new ghosts roaming Hogwarts who claim they have been here for up to a hundred years but yet no one has ever seen or heard from them. They all appeared, it seems, at the same time as you and they all were killed by Avada Kedavra."
"I…don't know," Ginny said, raising her brows. "It seems like too much of a coincidence to be unrelated, but…probably the same thing made them visible that made me visible. I was here for a while before anyone could see me, too."
"I wonder…what day was it when you found that others were aware of you? Was it by chance the same day on which Harry discovered the Spirit Blade?"
"Why, yes," Ginny said, surprised, "But I don't see why that would change anything since that has nothing to do with freeing ghosts…" Ginny trailed off, her eyes widening with revelation. "Liandra! When she was freed, I bet the rest of us become visible too!"
"Who is Liandra?" Dumbledore asked eagerly.
"She was the guardian of the Spirit Blade before Harry came. She had been killed by Avada Kedavra in order to control her and make her a formidable opponent to whoever the sword bearer might be. She fought the one who was controlling her to give Harry a chance to get the sword, and then she was freed from her imprisonment to be a normal ghost."
"Hmmm.." Dumbledore sank back in his chair, deep in thought. "That explains a great many things," he said after another quiet moment had passed. "Alright, I believe that should suffice for the moment, though I will surely want to speak to you again later. Now you have some visitors who are very anxious to meet you." Dumbledore rose and motioned Ginny to follow him as he moved to a door opposite the one she had entered by. When he opened it, she saw a richly appointed waiting room with many plush chairs and sofas. There, looking nervous and upset, were all the members of her family. Her father and mother sat on a couch looking very pale. Her father had his arm around her mother, but they both jumped up when she came in. Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, and George also stood up and converged on her. Nobody said anything.
Ginny fidgeted slightly, looking from one drawn and sorrowful face to another, feeling more and more guilty. She hunched her shoulders and tried to think of something to say.
"Hi Gin," George said quietly, obviously taking it as his appointed role to break the silence.
"Hi," she said back. "Hi Mum, hi Dad," she added, and a chorus of greetings from her brothers followed. Her parents stayed silent, simply looking at her. Then her mother abruptly turned away and burst into tears.
"No Mum, don't cry, please don't cry! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Ginny babbled, rushing to her mother's side. "I didn't mean to, please don't cry!"
"Of course you meant to!" Mrs. Weasley said between her sobs. "You saved your brother's life…oh Ginny, I'm so proud of you!" She began to sob even harder. Ginny helplessly patted her shoulder with an incorporeal hand.
"We've got a genuine heroine in the family," Fred said, and for once there was nothing of joking in the words. "It doesn't matter if you're not quite what you used to be, we're still your family and we'll always look out for you."
"We love you, little sister," Bill said with a lopsided smile. "Don't think for a minute that we'll abandon you just because you can't come home for the holidays."
And then it was Ginny who was crying, for things lost and things gained, and for the knowledge that she had died for her family and found it worthwhile. They gathered around her and filled her with love and reassurances and comforting support. Dumbledore had quietly left earlier but once they had calmed down, he reentered the room with an odd look upon his face.
"Ginny, I have a rather strange proposition for you. Sir Nicholas has, it seems, found a position more to his liking than Gryffindor house ghost and left us with hardly any notice. It seems fitting…would you like to take over his position?"
Ginny gaped at him. Her as Gryffindor house ghost?
"Me?" Ginny squeaked. "I—I can't…" How could she be the Gryffindor ghost if she was going to be resurrected? But…if she wasn't…then she would be spared Liandra's anguish of having not purpose. But how could she convincingly refuse at all? It wasn't like she could say she had too many things to do…Ginny's head began to spin.
~*~
Harry yawned as he stumbled down the stairs from the dorm. He'd slept long and well that night, but still felt groggy and tired. His first sight when he entered the common room made him believe that he was still dreaming.
There by the fire, the winged ghost who had defended his sword floated, staring at the closed portrait hole with a wistful and vulnerable expression. She looked very uncomfortable and out of place. Harry stepped out into the room and she whirled to face him, her eyes wide with fear and surprise.
"Hello," he said with a smile. "We meet again."
"Hi," she said very softly, silvery eyes widening even more.
"Waiting for someone?" Harry asked casually, his gaze flickering toward the Fat Lady's portrait.
"Well…yes, kind of," the ghost replied reticently.
"It's nice to see you out of that room," Harry said, trying to set her more at ease, as she seemed ready to take flight and disappear at any second. His only reply was a shy nod of thanks. Harry repressed the urge to sigh. There didn't seem to be anything he could do to relieve her bashfulness. But maybe someone else could…
"D'you know Ginny?" he asked with artful innocence. "I need to find her and I was wondering if you'd seen her." He was hoping that she at least knew of her, even if it wasn't likely that she knew Ginny personally. Ginny would be superb company for the shy little girl, with her sympathetic and generous personality.
"Oh, yes!" the ghost surprised him by exclaiming. "I know Ginny. She invited me back here to meet some of her living friends, but then she had to leave. She was summoned by the Headmaster to his office to meet some visitors. I'm sorry, Sword-Bearer, but I don't know where that is or when she'll be back," she concluded respectfully.
Harry had to work not to gape at her. Everything she'd said had been unexpected. Ginny had gone to see Dumbledore who had visitors for her…the visitors were probably her family. Now that he thought about it, it was obvious. But as for the rest…
"What did you call me?" Harry asked.
"Sword-Bearer," the girl replied promptly. "That's what you are, unless you have a twin in the school…?" she asked delicately.
"No," he shook his head, "No twin."
"Then you are the bearer of the Spirit Blade and are a Sword-Bearer," she said reasonably. "I didn't say anything wrong!" she jutted out her chin stubbornly and he held up his hands in surrender.
"You obviously know more about this sword stuff than I do, so I'll leave it to your expertise to decide what to call me," he teased. "So Ginny just abandoned you here, did she? That was inexcusable rude of her, even if she was called away, so I'll just have to invite you to come down to breakfast with me. It's likely to be quiet in the dining hall this early in the morning, so there won't be many students to gawk at you. Though there will be some," he cautioned. "If you don't want anyone to see you, then…"
"No, that's alright," she said, smiling at him. "I'll be glad to have someone to talk to."
They made their way down to the dining hall, chatting idly, and then Harry served himself, while the winged girl watched with interest.
"It's been so long since I saw anyone eat," she explained. "It's been so long since I've seen food, even!"
Harry laughed with her, enjoying the unique perceptions of an isolated ghost.
"Well," he said after a while, "you get to call me Sword-Bearer, but I still don't know what to call you."
"My name is Liandra," she said after a slight pause. "Liandra Trevoy."
"And my real name is Harry," Harry said. "Harry Potter."
"I know," Liandra said with a shy smile. "Ginny told me all about you."
Harry grinned and blushed. He had a hard time thinking about Ginny discussing him with another girl, even if both of them were ghosts. One of them wouldn't remain that way for long if he had anything to do about it…His thoughts took on a grimmer note.
Just as Harry was finishing his bacon, Ginny sailed through the opposite wall and headed straight for them. She looked very excited and he could somehow tell that she had been crying. She came to a halt in front of them with a wide smile on her face, however, and greeted them both warmly. She shot Harry a small, private smile, which her returned with a full heart, and then she turned to Liandra.
"I think I may have found you a position to relieve that uselessness you were feeling," Ginny said directly. "Dumbledore wanted me to take it, but…it wouldn't work, for obvious reasons," Ginny's gaze flickered to Harry and then back to Liandra, "so I suggested you. He'll want to interview you of course and then decide whether you'll suit. That is, if you want the job in the first place," Ginny finished in a rush.
"Maybe if you told me what the job was?" Liandra said gently, a smile tugging at her lips for Ginny's enthusiasm.
"Oh, yes, of course. I'm sorry, I'm just so flustered," Ginny apologized quickly. "Liandra, how would you like to be the new Gryffindor ghost?"
Liandra gasped while Harry grinned widely.
"So I guess Nick got into the Headless Hunt finally?" Harry interjected.
"That's where he went? Dumbledore didn't say. But how did he get in with his head still partially on?" Ginny asked.
"I gave him a bit of help in severing it completely with that sword I found. He's helped us out so many times that when he asked, it seemed like a good way to repay him." Harry grinned as Ginny laughed exuberantly and Liandra smiled tentatively, not completely sure of the joke but willing to share in it anyway.
"So what do you say, Liandra?" Harry said after a moment. "I think you'd make a wonderful Gryffindor Ghost. You're certainly better looking than the others and you beat the Bloody Baron hands down." Ginny added her own encouragement and soon the two ghosts were flying off toward Dumbledore's office, leaving Harry to finish his meal in solitude and wait for the rest of the students to trickle down to breakfast.
~*~
Ginny watched Dumbledore's expression carefully as she led Liandra into the office, but it was carefully neutral and revealed nothing. He looked Liandra up and down measuringly and the small ghost seemed to take offense. She drew herself up to her full height instead of shrinking under the scrutiny and looked the Headmaster directly in the eye. A slight smile curved his mouth and he nodded approvingly.
"Well, Miss Weasley, she may well do. Yes, she may do very well indeed. If you'll excuse us for a moment, I'd like to talk to Miss Trevoy in private for a moment." Ginny left the room after giving a last smile of encouragement to Liandra, who had shrunk back into herself at the approval.
Ginny whiled away the time by watching the corridor outside Dumbledore's office from inside a suit of armor. She'd picked up a lot of good gossip by the time Liandra appeared, smiling radiantly.
"It's all set up!" she said excitedly the moment she saw Ginny. "I'm Gryffindor's new ghost and Dumbledore's going to announce my promotion tonight at dinner!"
"That's wonderful!" Ginny congratulated her friend, silently congratulating herself on finding a way out of becoming Gryffindor's ghost while not arousing any suspicion. And she had still managed to do a good turn by someone who surely deserved it. "Why don't we go find Harry and tell him? I'm sure he'll be thrilled to hear your good news."
Liandra nodded her agreement, and Ginny couldn't help noticing that she no longer seemed as shy or as defensive. She had found her place, and now instead of guarding a sword at the behest of something she hated, she could guard the students of Gryffindor by her own free and very formidable will. Ginny smiled. Gryffindor, she realized, had just gotten very lucky.
~*~
A/N: Um, I think I got that finished in record time. Of course. I finish it while I still don't have internet and can't post it…but I probably wouldn't post today anyway. After all, the 10th chapter just got posted this afternoon. So I'll wait a bit. And I should have my internet back by tomorrow. Or…well, probably to anyone reading this, it'd be today.
Veldan: Glad ya liked it and thanks for trying to post Chapter 10, even if it didn't work…
Cariel: Ack, sorry about the foul-up. It's up now, as you can see, but only through a lot of effort and frustration on my part and on the part of my friends.
Bessorla: Well, well. Yeah, I checked my email, and I'll be getting back to you right when I figure something out. It's quite a tough situation you've got there…
And a special thanks to Mike, who was the only one able to post entire chapters…everyone else just was able to post author's notes…the rest of the chapter got cut off. And another very special thanks to Mike for putting up with my temper tantrum when I still couldn't get it to post after about an hour of trying…
