Ron clumsily shoved a pair of batteries into the CD player that his father
had gotten him for his birthday. Once he had them properly inserted, he
flipped the appliance over so that it faced him and began pressing random
buttons.
"Dad, how does this work?" On accident, Ron pressed the 'play' button. The screen began flashing the words "no disk". "What does that mean?" cried Ron, dropping the CD player onto the carpet in fright. "What did I just do?"
Arthur Weasley sat down next to him and inspected the CD player as if he knew what he was doing. "Erm...that means that there's no disk in there."
Ginny snorted sarcastically and squatted next to her father and her brother. "Obviously, Dad. Put a CD in it and then press 'play'. It'll start playing music." Ron and Mr. Weasley gazed at Ginny in amazement. "Here, put in one of mine." Ginny handed Ron a disk labeled, "The White Stripes".
Cautiously, Ron placed the disk in his birthday gift and pressed 'play'. Rock music began blasting out of the headphones. "How'd you know that?"
Ginny shrugged. "A lot of my friends grew up with Muggles. What can I say?" Just then, violent green flames sprung up in the Weasley fireplace, and Bill tumbled out onto the carpet. Breathing heavily, he sprung to his feet and produced a square, cardboard box from behind his back.
"Happy birthday, Ronniekins!" Bill cheerily presented the box to Ron, who ripped it from his hands greedily and tore off the packing tape. Sliding both hands inside, he produced a large crystal orb.
"Oh, no! You didn't get me a crystal ball, did you? You know how I feel about Divination!" Ron peered into the misty glass with disgust and began to whirl it about in his hands.
"No, I did not! Next time, why don't you ask questions before you go on insulting my gift!" Bill wrenched the ball from Ron's grip and cradled it gently, like one would carry a baby. "It is most definitely not used for seeing the future, like a regular crystal ball. It is used to see the present. Very handy for a curious youngster such as yourself," said Bill, playfully ruffling his younger brother's messy red hair.
"Who wants to see what's going on in the present?" asked Ginny, standing up to get a better look at the ball. Bill placed a large hand on her forehead and pushed her onto the ground.
"You guys don't get it," said Bill, "You can see what's going on at other places. For example, if you want to find out whether or not your girlfriend is cheating on you, you can pull up her image in the crystal ball and see what she's up to."
Molly Weasley walked into the living room, where the four members of her family were talking. "Who's cheating on who? What's going on?"
"Nobody's cheating on anybody, Mum," answered Ron with a roll of his eyes. "Bill, how do I see what Hermione's doing?"
Ginny grinned and leaned towards Ron. "Oo! Why, are you and Hermione going out now?"
"No, we're not!" Like Bill, Ron placed a heavy hand on Ginny's forehead and pushed her onto the floor. "Get away from me!"
"Well," began Bill, kneeling next to Ron, Ginny, and Arthur on the living room floor, "First you've got to rub the ball a bit, just to get it warmed up, I suppose. Then, you think really hard about the person you're trying to find. Then, you say their name to the ball and an image of that person appears in it."
Ron took the ball from Bill and sprawled out on the floor, setting the ball in front of him and gazing deeply into it. "Hermione Granger."
A picture of a brown-haired girl sitting at her desk appeared in the crystal orb. She sipped from a cup, then set it down onto her desk and opened up what appeared to be a letter. Her eyes scanned the page and she began to laugh. Then, she folded the letter up and took out a sheet of paper and a pencil from a drawer in the desk. She began to write upon the paper, and smiled as she wrote.
"I wonder who she's writing to. Ron, have you sent her any letters recently?" asked Ginny, who was laying on the carpet next to her brother.
Ron shook his head in response, and his concentration broke, causing the image to quickly dissipate into mist. He stood up and stretched. "No, no I haven't. The letter's probably from Harry."
"Or Viktor," said Bill with a devilish smirk. "Maybe she's been getting letters from him."
"No she's not!" cried Ron, fuming with anger, "And even if she was, I wouldn't care! I don't like her! Who told you that I liked her?" He shoved the orb into Ginny's hands and ran furiously upstairs.
The rest of his family members watched in amazement as he dashed down the hall into his room, slamming the door.
"That kid's got vengeance," said Bill, walking into the kitchen. "Mum, I'm hungry! What did you make for dinner?" Molly left the room to go feed her son, and Arthur followed more out of boredom than anything else.
Now Ginny was perfectly alone with the ball. She knew exactly who she wanted to see. Protectively clutching it to her chest, she dashed upstairs and quietly slipped into her room. She softly closed the door, and slinked over to her bed. Lying on her stomach, she rubbed the ball gently and thought happily about Harry. "Harry Potter," she whispered to the ball.
An image of a teenage boy sitting on the bathroom floor appeared in the ball. He was hugging his knees, and hid his face in his folded arms. His back was shaking. Slowly, his slender frame collapsed onto the tile floor. His hands dropped open, and they were dripping with blood. The black-haired boy's back shook harder and he curled onto his side.
"Bill, can I have my ball back?" came Ron's muffled shout from just outside of Ginny's door. Ginny's concentration broke, and the picture of Harry dissolved into mist. She blushed as if she were doing something illicit, and quickly shoved the precious ball under her bed.
"I don't have it! I think I put it on the couch or something," replied Bill from somewhere downstairs. Ginny began to hyperventilate with the fear of being caught, and she tore a book off her nightstand and began to read as if that was what she had been doing the entire time. Footsteps thudded downstairs. "Bill, it's not here!" Ginny paled and continued to pretend to read. "Maybe Ginny took it then, go ask her." Ron's footfalls grew louder as he arrived back upstairs, and he knocked on Ginny's door.
"What?" called Ginny innocently.
"Do you have my crystal ball?"
"No, no I don't!" she lied. Under different circumstances she would have given it back to him, but after what she just saw she was very curious as to what was going on with her love.
"What? Then where is it?" demanded Ron to nobody in particular. He left the hallway and Ginny could hear him charge downstairs to look for his birthday gift. Immediately, Ginny retrieved the ball from under her bed and brought the picture of Harry back into the crystal.
The boy had stripped off his clothes and was now turning on the shower. He stepped inside and streams of blood washed off his porcelain skin, leaving no stain. He slumped against the shower wall and was very still for several minutes. Then he bent over, picked up a bottle of shampoo, and lathered it lazily into his hair. Seconds later he rinsed out the bubbles, turned off the shower and grabbed a towel hanging over the door. Slowly drying off his body, he tied the towel around his waist and left the room. He trudged down a dark hallway and entered a room. Closing the door, he dropped the towel and pulled on a pair of clean boxers. He retrieved a gray t-shirt from his bureau and slipped it over his head. Next, he lifted a pair of plaid pajama pants off of his bed and pulled them on.
"Ginny, are you sure you don't have it? Because I can't find it anywhere downstairs." Once again, Ron's voice had broken her intense concentration. Harry disappeared and the ball was cloudy.
"Oh! I just realized, I absentmindedly took it with me upstairs! Here it is on my desk," lied Ginny.
"I was freaking out looking for it. I can't believe you've had it this whole time." Ginny opened the door and handed the ball to Ron, who was standing outside in the hallway. "Thanks," he muttered before ushering the orb to his room. Ginny stood against the door and considered what she had just seen. What happened to Harry that made him bleed like that?
*** Chapter two coming soon =)
"Dad, how does this work?" On accident, Ron pressed the 'play' button. The screen began flashing the words "no disk". "What does that mean?" cried Ron, dropping the CD player onto the carpet in fright. "What did I just do?"
Arthur Weasley sat down next to him and inspected the CD player as if he knew what he was doing. "Erm...that means that there's no disk in there."
Ginny snorted sarcastically and squatted next to her father and her brother. "Obviously, Dad. Put a CD in it and then press 'play'. It'll start playing music." Ron and Mr. Weasley gazed at Ginny in amazement. "Here, put in one of mine." Ginny handed Ron a disk labeled, "The White Stripes".
Cautiously, Ron placed the disk in his birthday gift and pressed 'play'. Rock music began blasting out of the headphones. "How'd you know that?"
Ginny shrugged. "A lot of my friends grew up with Muggles. What can I say?" Just then, violent green flames sprung up in the Weasley fireplace, and Bill tumbled out onto the carpet. Breathing heavily, he sprung to his feet and produced a square, cardboard box from behind his back.
"Happy birthday, Ronniekins!" Bill cheerily presented the box to Ron, who ripped it from his hands greedily and tore off the packing tape. Sliding both hands inside, he produced a large crystal orb.
"Oh, no! You didn't get me a crystal ball, did you? You know how I feel about Divination!" Ron peered into the misty glass with disgust and began to whirl it about in his hands.
"No, I did not! Next time, why don't you ask questions before you go on insulting my gift!" Bill wrenched the ball from Ron's grip and cradled it gently, like one would carry a baby. "It is most definitely not used for seeing the future, like a regular crystal ball. It is used to see the present. Very handy for a curious youngster such as yourself," said Bill, playfully ruffling his younger brother's messy red hair.
"Who wants to see what's going on in the present?" asked Ginny, standing up to get a better look at the ball. Bill placed a large hand on her forehead and pushed her onto the ground.
"You guys don't get it," said Bill, "You can see what's going on at other places. For example, if you want to find out whether or not your girlfriend is cheating on you, you can pull up her image in the crystal ball and see what she's up to."
Molly Weasley walked into the living room, where the four members of her family were talking. "Who's cheating on who? What's going on?"
"Nobody's cheating on anybody, Mum," answered Ron with a roll of his eyes. "Bill, how do I see what Hermione's doing?"
Ginny grinned and leaned towards Ron. "Oo! Why, are you and Hermione going out now?"
"No, we're not!" Like Bill, Ron placed a heavy hand on Ginny's forehead and pushed her onto the floor. "Get away from me!"
"Well," began Bill, kneeling next to Ron, Ginny, and Arthur on the living room floor, "First you've got to rub the ball a bit, just to get it warmed up, I suppose. Then, you think really hard about the person you're trying to find. Then, you say their name to the ball and an image of that person appears in it."
Ron took the ball from Bill and sprawled out on the floor, setting the ball in front of him and gazing deeply into it. "Hermione Granger."
A picture of a brown-haired girl sitting at her desk appeared in the crystal orb. She sipped from a cup, then set it down onto her desk and opened up what appeared to be a letter. Her eyes scanned the page and she began to laugh. Then, she folded the letter up and took out a sheet of paper and a pencil from a drawer in the desk. She began to write upon the paper, and smiled as she wrote.
"I wonder who she's writing to. Ron, have you sent her any letters recently?" asked Ginny, who was laying on the carpet next to her brother.
Ron shook his head in response, and his concentration broke, causing the image to quickly dissipate into mist. He stood up and stretched. "No, no I haven't. The letter's probably from Harry."
"Or Viktor," said Bill with a devilish smirk. "Maybe she's been getting letters from him."
"No she's not!" cried Ron, fuming with anger, "And even if she was, I wouldn't care! I don't like her! Who told you that I liked her?" He shoved the orb into Ginny's hands and ran furiously upstairs.
The rest of his family members watched in amazement as he dashed down the hall into his room, slamming the door.
"That kid's got vengeance," said Bill, walking into the kitchen. "Mum, I'm hungry! What did you make for dinner?" Molly left the room to go feed her son, and Arthur followed more out of boredom than anything else.
Now Ginny was perfectly alone with the ball. She knew exactly who she wanted to see. Protectively clutching it to her chest, she dashed upstairs and quietly slipped into her room. She softly closed the door, and slinked over to her bed. Lying on her stomach, she rubbed the ball gently and thought happily about Harry. "Harry Potter," she whispered to the ball.
An image of a teenage boy sitting on the bathroom floor appeared in the ball. He was hugging his knees, and hid his face in his folded arms. His back was shaking. Slowly, his slender frame collapsed onto the tile floor. His hands dropped open, and they were dripping with blood. The black-haired boy's back shook harder and he curled onto his side.
"Bill, can I have my ball back?" came Ron's muffled shout from just outside of Ginny's door. Ginny's concentration broke, and the picture of Harry dissolved into mist. She blushed as if she were doing something illicit, and quickly shoved the precious ball under her bed.
"I don't have it! I think I put it on the couch or something," replied Bill from somewhere downstairs. Ginny began to hyperventilate with the fear of being caught, and she tore a book off her nightstand and began to read as if that was what she had been doing the entire time. Footsteps thudded downstairs. "Bill, it's not here!" Ginny paled and continued to pretend to read. "Maybe Ginny took it then, go ask her." Ron's footfalls grew louder as he arrived back upstairs, and he knocked on Ginny's door.
"What?" called Ginny innocently.
"Do you have my crystal ball?"
"No, no I don't!" she lied. Under different circumstances she would have given it back to him, but after what she just saw she was very curious as to what was going on with her love.
"What? Then where is it?" demanded Ron to nobody in particular. He left the hallway and Ginny could hear him charge downstairs to look for his birthday gift. Immediately, Ginny retrieved the ball from under her bed and brought the picture of Harry back into the crystal.
The boy had stripped off his clothes and was now turning on the shower. He stepped inside and streams of blood washed off his porcelain skin, leaving no stain. He slumped against the shower wall and was very still for several minutes. Then he bent over, picked up a bottle of shampoo, and lathered it lazily into his hair. Seconds later he rinsed out the bubbles, turned off the shower and grabbed a towel hanging over the door. Slowly drying off his body, he tied the towel around his waist and left the room. He trudged down a dark hallway and entered a room. Closing the door, he dropped the towel and pulled on a pair of clean boxers. He retrieved a gray t-shirt from his bureau and slipped it over his head. Next, he lifted a pair of plaid pajama pants off of his bed and pulled them on.
"Ginny, are you sure you don't have it? Because I can't find it anywhere downstairs." Once again, Ron's voice had broken her intense concentration. Harry disappeared and the ball was cloudy.
"Oh! I just realized, I absentmindedly took it with me upstairs! Here it is on my desk," lied Ginny.
"I was freaking out looking for it. I can't believe you've had it this whole time." Ginny opened the door and handed the ball to Ron, who was standing outside in the hallway. "Thanks," he muttered before ushering the orb to his room. Ginny stood against the door and considered what she had just seen. What happened to Harry that made him bleed like that?
*** Chapter two coming soon =)