Ginny Weasley and the Memory of Power
by Jedi Amoira
**********************
Disclaimer--I don't own Ginny, the Weasleys, Hermione, Harry or Tom. I don't Hogwarts, Diagon Alley or the Chamber of Secrets. I don't own...well, if you see something you like just assume I don't own it, and you'll be fine. I have done my best to rely largely on my own imagination and vocabulary for the scenes I describe, however I have borrowed from JK Rowling, the movies, and my fellow fanfic writers wherever I found something I really liked. I hope they all take this in the manner in which it is meant--as sincere flattery of their skills.
A/N--I have some great reviewers, but an author writes for praise, and I need more! If you like it, PLEASE leave a review! I may not own any of this, but I have worked very hard and do love this story. If you like it, please say so. And please respect my work and don't print or post it elsewhere without my knowledge. Thanks!
*****************
"Well, if it isn't Gingersnaps," a teasing voice greeted as she walked into the Transfiguration classroom.
Ginny jumped.
"Sorry," she said, trying to ignore the laughter that made her face begin to burn. "I wasn't expecting anyone except Professor McGonagall to be here."
"I haven't seen you since I visited the twins summer before last," Lee Jordan continued. "What are you in for?"
Ginny didn't really know how to explain, even if she'd wanted to. "I was out after hours," she said shortly.
If Lee was offended by the shortness of her answer, he didn't show it. "I never had you figured for such a mundane offense. Careful, Gingersnaps, or you'll leave me disappointed."
"Honestly, Jordan," Ginny snapped, forgetting to be shy, "what did I ever do to give you the impression I might be exciting?"
Lee grinned and bowed, numerous braids brushing his face, sparking random speculation as to whether his silky dark skin could possibly be as soft as it looked. Ginny's face flamed brighter, but Lee didn't seem inclined to comment, for which she was grateful. "Anyone who could pull one over on Fred and George has to be anything but boring," he proclaimed.
Ginny stared.
Professor McGonagall walked into the room forestalling further comments, and announced that detention would be spent feeding the various animals for a future second-year lesson, and cleaning out the cages.
No sooner were the last edges of her deep green velvet robes swirling out of sight than Lee looked Ginny straight in the eye and announced, "You're doing the cages."
"Oh no, I'm not," Ginny retorted.
"Oh, yes, you are," Lee said calmly. "I'll have you know you owe me. Do you have any idea how many different colors my teeth have been lately thanks to those dungbombs of yours?"
Ginny snickered, her embarrassment forgotten. "They were classic," she said smugly. "Okay, Jordan, I'll shovel dung for you, you big sissy."
"Sissy!! I took on the wrath of Gred and Forge instead of selling you out, didn't I?"
"I guess you did," Ginny admitted, reaching into the corners of the first cage. "Why?"
"As a man gets older, he starts to think about what he'll leave behind," Lee proclaimed with the air of a man waxing poetic. "One has to encourage and nurture those who will carry the torch of his work when he is gone…"
Ginny was laughing so hard she narrowly avoided dumping cedar chips all over the cool even stones of the floor. "What's in it for me?," she demanded.
Lee beamed. "I was hoping you'd ask that," he said with a wink. "For starters, I know how much you love your brothers' socks…and I happen to have inside access…"
"Not bad," Ginny admitted, "but part of the thrill is the theft."
"No one said I was going to steal them for you," Lee returned without missing a beat, and winked. "Strictly aid and abet."
"And?"
"And," Lee paused melodramatically, "a prime Quidditch seat next to the best announcer Hogwarts has ever seen…"
Ginny decided to let Lee's delusions of grandeur pass for the moment. "What's the catch…what exactly does your heir apparent have to do?"
"That's the beauty, Ginger, all you have to do is be yourself…you may not be into quantity, but the quality is worth the wait."
"So," Ginny said, just to be sure, "the only pranks you expect are the ones I decide to do myself?"
"Sure…if I wanted a patsy, any kid—say Creevy would do—I'm after art."
"Okay, Jordan," Ginny said several cages later, "you have yourself a deal." She put down her rather scrotty-looking rag and held out a hand now considerably less than spotless.
Lee clasped it, his fingers broad and long, his hand sliding smoothly over hers, swallowing it in warmth, and shook it firmly. Instead of dropping it, he raised it slightly and touched his lips to the back of her wrist. Ginny snatched her arm back, nearly falling over backward in the process. "What was that?"
Lee looked a little startled himself, but his nonchalance seemed to be coming back to him pretty quickly. His shrug looked reasonably unconcerned. "Just a gentlemanly gesture."
"You a gentleman," Ginny snorted. "That'll be day."
"You may have a point," Lee admitted, smirking cockily. "So let's just keep this between us."
Ginny eyed him closely. "Translation—don't tell Fred and George you kissed me."
"Tell them, and the next time you play a prank, I won't be around to blame," Lee reminded her.
Ginny tipped her head to the side and grinned. "You have a point," she said.
They left the classroom together a little while later, and much to Ginny's discomfort, Lee seemed to be looking at her strangely on their way to the Great Hall. "Hey, Ginger, don't you have a birthday coming up soon?"
Ginny paused, torn between amazement the twins' friend knew that much, and irritation that he didn't seem to know when. "As a matter of fact, I do," she said eventually.
"Well…Happy Birthday," Lee said.
Ginny smiled her thanks as they parted ways at the Gryffindor table. She half-expected Ron—or even Harry, who surely knew by now—to say something when she sat down across from them, but they seemed distracted by something and hardly noticed she was there. She felt a sting of deep, painful annoyance, but bought herself off with the patently hollow suspicion they were planning a surprise party for later.
by Jedi Amoira
**********************
Disclaimer--I don't own Ginny, the Weasleys, Hermione, Harry or Tom. I don't Hogwarts, Diagon Alley or the Chamber of Secrets. I don't own...well, if you see something you like just assume I don't own it, and you'll be fine. I have done my best to rely largely on my own imagination and vocabulary for the scenes I describe, however I have borrowed from JK Rowling, the movies, and my fellow fanfic writers wherever I found something I really liked. I hope they all take this in the manner in which it is meant--as sincere flattery of their skills.
A/N--I have some great reviewers, but an author writes for praise, and I need more! If you like it, PLEASE leave a review! I may not own any of this, but I have worked very hard and do love this story. If you like it, please say so. And please respect my work and don't print or post it elsewhere without my knowledge. Thanks!
*****************
"Well, if it isn't Gingersnaps," a teasing voice greeted as she walked into the Transfiguration classroom.
Ginny jumped.
"Sorry," she said, trying to ignore the laughter that made her face begin to burn. "I wasn't expecting anyone except Professor McGonagall to be here."
"I haven't seen you since I visited the twins summer before last," Lee Jordan continued. "What are you in for?"
Ginny didn't really know how to explain, even if she'd wanted to. "I was out after hours," she said shortly.
If Lee was offended by the shortness of her answer, he didn't show it. "I never had you figured for such a mundane offense. Careful, Gingersnaps, or you'll leave me disappointed."
"Honestly, Jordan," Ginny snapped, forgetting to be shy, "what did I ever do to give you the impression I might be exciting?"
Lee grinned and bowed, numerous braids brushing his face, sparking random speculation as to whether his silky dark skin could possibly be as soft as it looked. Ginny's face flamed brighter, but Lee didn't seem inclined to comment, for which she was grateful. "Anyone who could pull one over on Fred and George has to be anything but boring," he proclaimed.
Ginny stared.
Professor McGonagall walked into the room forestalling further comments, and announced that detention would be spent feeding the various animals for a future second-year lesson, and cleaning out the cages.
No sooner were the last edges of her deep green velvet robes swirling out of sight than Lee looked Ginny straight in the eye and announced, "You're doing the cages."
"Oh no, I'm not," Ginny retorted.
"Oh, yes, you are," Lee said calmly. "I'll have you know you owe me. Do you have any idea how many different colors my teeth have been lately thanks to those dungbombs of yours?"
Ginny snickered, her embarrassment forgotten. "They were classic," she said smugly. "Okay, Jordan, I'll shovel dung for you, you big sissy."
"Sissy!! I took on the wrath of Gred and Forge instead of selling you out, didn't I?"
"I guess you did," Ginny admitted, reaching into the corners of the first cage. "Why?"
"As a man gets older, he starts to think about what he'll leave behind," Lee proclaimed with the air of a man waxing poetic. "One has to encourage and nurture those who will carry the torch of his work when he is gone…"
Ginny was laughing so hard she narrowly avoided dumping cedar chips all over the cool even stones of the floor. "What's in it for me?," she demanded.
Lee beamed. "I was hoping you'd ask that," he said with a wink. "For starters, I know how much you love your brothers' socks…and I happen to have inside access…"
"Not bad," Ginny admitted, "but part of the thrill is the theft."
"No one said I was going to steal them for you," Lee returned without missing a beat, and winked. "Strictly aid and abet."
"And?"
"And," Lee paused melodramatically, "a prime Quidditch seat next to the best announcer Hogwarts has ever seen…"
Ginny decided to let Lee's delusions of grandeur pass for the moment. "What's the catch…what exactly does your heir apparent have to do?"
"That's the beauty, Ginger, all you have to do is be yourself…you may not be into quantity, but the quality is worth the wait."
"So," Ginny said, just to be sure, "the only pranks you expect are the ones I decide to do myself?"
"Sure…if I wanted a patsy, any kid—say Creevy would do—I'm after art."
"Okay, Jordan," Ginny said several cages later, "you have yourself a deal." She put down her rather scrotty-looking rag and held out a hand now considerably less than spotless.
Lee clasped it, his fingers broad and long, his hand sliding smoothly over hers, swallowing it in warmth, and shook it firmly. Instead of dropping it, he raised it slightly and touched his lips to the back of her wrist. Ginny snatched her arm back, nearly falling over backward in the process. "What was that?"
Lee looked a little startled himself, but his nonchalance seemed to be coming back to him pretty quickly. His shrug looked reasonably unconcerned. "Just a gentlemanly gesture."
"You a gentleman," Ginny snorted. "That'll be day."
"You may have a point," Lee admitted, smirking cockily. "So let's just keep this between us."
Ginny eyed him closely. "Translation—don't tell Fred and George you kissed me."
"Tell them, and the next time you play a prank, I won't be around to blame," Lee reminded her.
Ginny tipped her head to the side and grinned. "You have a point," she said.
They left the classroom together a little while later, and much to Ginny's discomfort, Lee seemed to be looking at her strangely on their way to the Great Hall. "Hey, Ginger, don't you have a birthday coming up soon?"
Ginny paused, torn between amazement the twins' friend knew that much, and irritation that he didn't seem to know when. "As a matter of fact, I do," she said eventually.
"Well…Happy Birthday," Lee said.
Ginny smiled her thanks as they parted ways at the Gryffindor table. She half-expected Ron—or even Harry, who surely knew by now—to say something when she sat down across from them, but they seemed distracted by something and hardly noticed she was there. She felt a sting of deep, painful annoyance, but bought herself off with the patently hollow suspicion they were planning a surprise party for later.
