Disclaimer--Nothing here belongs to me. Most of this scene is from PoA and belongs to JKR, who is a MUCH more accomplished writer than me. No copyright infringement is intended--as EEDOE has said, these stories are simply something like old campfire tales. They're for the love of the craft and intended only as flattery.
Author's Notes--
Adrienne--I'm glad you liked the love potion scene...I felt nearly as awkward writing it as Ginny did in it. The meeting between Cho and Ginny turned out about 180% from where I expected it to, but after I read it a couple of times, I realized it just couldn't happen any other way...so it's nice to know you thought it turned out well. :-) Thanks so much for your continued reviews! *hugs*
EEDOE-- *Giggles* Yeah...You could practically see Ginny's back arch and the hair on the back of her neck stand up...poor little kitten...But who I really feel sorry for is Cho...*tries to look serious* Too be fair, Cho doesn't really know Harry. They've never met, so it makes sense she would think of him as his reputation and not as the person he is--whether or not that changed later...*sighs* I suspect Molly--while far more...um...straight-laced about it than Ginny was a bit of firecracker in her day, as well. *winks* Glad you enjoyed it! *hugs*
Bill-- The Druidic Horoscope uses trees instead of constellations...it's been a while since I've seen it, but I think there are twelve signs in addition to the Unnamed Day, simply called because it doesn't fit into any of the signs according to their calendar. (But an unbirthday card would be good for that...) True, it would have drastically changed things if Ginny had just blurted everything she knew, but look what happened the last time she did that! As for the Ravenclaws...Ginny was almost a member of that house, and she does feel a bit awkward about almost killing Colin, so... What you said about my characterization made my day! Thanks! *hugs*
*****************
Ginny was just thinking how glad she was the Sorting Hat had placed her in Gryffindor if this was what it would have been like to be in Ravenclaw when the plump witch with the food cart arrived. She pooled money with Bion and Luna, and soothed herself with several chocolate frogs and a cauldron cake over a game of exploding snap, which Luna won. Davies, Marietta, and Cho ignored them, absorbed in their own conversation and not bothering to include them. They reminded Ginny of some Gryffindors in that respect...
"Are we there already?" Luna asked vaguely, her glasses glinting as she lowered the Quibbler-she had been reading an article about Lockhart's tragic demise in a boating accident to Ginny and Bion. Ginny was grateful for the distraction as she'd been finding it difficult to keep a straight face. Especially when she thought about Lockhart the last time she'd seen him...but that was a memory with sobering connotations.
"Can't be," Davies said off-handedly, not bothering to look their direction.
"Then why is the train slowing down?" Bion asked a little more forcefully than necessary. Ginny was a bit relieved to see he didn't much care for Davies himself. He was already on his feet, looking inquiringly out into the corridor. Cho and Marietta watched him for a moment, then slid around to stare out the window. From the sound of things, Ginny doubted they could see much of anything but rain.
The train screeched to a standstill, knocking Cho into Marietta with a squeal. Luggage tumbled out of the racks, reminding Ginny of the how books had flown through the air when Dad and Lucius Malfoy had a fight in Flourish and Blott's.
"Nothing out there," Bion said from the floor, patently confused.
Nothing he could see.
"I'm going to find Ron," Ginny announced, struggling to her feet. "Maybe he'll know what's going on."
"Let us know what you find out," Bion suggested, glancing at the other Ravenclaws.
Already out the door, Ginny fluttered her hand behind her in response.
Before she had taken three steps, she found herself completely in the dark.
Black. Everything was black. Black as midnight...It made everything seem strangely cut off. For a moment, memory took over...Ginny felt herself transfixed as if dwindling into nothingness, dispersed as if spiraling into oblivion...Mechanically, she stepped forward...and found she was only in the shadows of the dark. The spell was broken. If anyone knew what was going on, it would be Ron, Hermione, and Harry. And if they didn't...she wanted to find Ron before he began to worry, as she knew he would. She moved blindly forward.
She heard the soft scrape of a door opening beside her and turned instinctively toward it, at a loss as to how far she'd gone, or whether or not this was the right compartment. Someone walked right into her, their foot bouncing painfully off her shin. Ginny yelped, hopping backward. An echoing screech hardly made her feel better. "Who's that?" gasped a voice that sounded oddly familiar.
Ginny frowned uncertainly into the darkness, "Who's that?"
"Ginny?"
"Hermione?"
"What are you doing?" Hermione demanded. Ginny heard her relief in the question's sharp edge.
"I was looking for Ron," she said simply. It was true, but as she heard the words, she realized she wasn't only looking for Ron. She was looking for Harry, whom she knew would be with him, because Harry would know what to do. Even if he didn't, she didn't care...part of her still expected them to die together on the Chamber floor...she swallowed so hard her throat shuddered.
Hermione didn't seem to notice. "Come in and sit down," she ordered.
Ginny didn't argue, feeling her way past Hermione into the compartment as the door closed with a snick. She stopped a little way in without really knowing why. The spot just felt right. She started to drop onto the seat... "Not here!" Harry protested in her ear, his breath warm and comforting against her cheek. "I'm here."
Ginny's face burned. She knew she was blushing, but at least no one could see it in the dark. She inched over a little and slid onto the seat next to Harry, wishing she knew what was going on.
"Ouch!" exclaimed someone who sounded like Neville Longbottom. Hermione must have tripped over him on her way back to her seat.
"Quiet!" There was something about the low, hoarse command Ginny instinctively obeyed-to judge by the sudden stillness, she wasn't the only one. Light crackled into being, throwing fissures through the dark. Squinting, Ginny could see a languid outstretched hand, cupping friendly, dancing flames. She'd never been so happy to see fire.
Behind the flames, still obscured in shadow, was the gray outline of a face-an expressive mouth drawn tight as if in pain or thought, wide and gentle eyes gathered into lines at the corners, a suggestion of pale hair-held very still as if listening for something beyond the range of human ears. "Stay where you are."
The man moved toward the compartment door. Watching him, Ginny felt cold, just as she had listening in on Mum and Dad in Egypt. She swallowed again as he stretched out his free hand, and the door slid open of its own accord.
Her very bones were ice. Her blood crackled in her veins with forbidding. Ginny stared at the cloaked figure framed in the doorway and licked cold-parched lips. The figure turned its head slightly as if to look at her. Its face was hidden, buried deep within the shadows of its hood, but she could see it rising up at her, shining pale and hard as an ice sculpture...Tom. His gray eyes burned her with the cold of a thousand snowstorms.
Whimpering, Ginny turned to look at Harry. Moving her head was like swimming through half-frozen water...she could hear it in her ears...Harry was a dim and distant shape, as if far across a snowswept plain...she couldn't meet his eye...he seemed to be slipping sideways in his seat. Ginny reached out to help him, sluggish with cold, blinking as if to drive away Tom's hovering face...Tom was going to live because of her...was going to live instead of her...She could see Harry, falling, poisoned by the basilisk she had called...Ron and Hermione were watching her, their faces Petrified and pale-cold...
Tears traced icy streams along her face. She could feeling them pooling on her lips...Dead...everyone was dead because of her... Ginny was shaking. She was shaking and she couldn't stop...
"-Sirius Black under our cloaks," the man holding the flames was saying in another life, another time. Tom's face stayed in the door, staring at her from the depths of the dark cloak. The man pulled out a wand, pointing it at Tom, and muttered, "Expeto Pastramin"...at least she thought he did...Silver shot at Tom like a bolt of moonshine...The figure looked at them without the slightest change, but somehow Ginny had the impression of a shrug as it turned and moved away.
Slowly, her head began to clear...but Harry was still lying at her feet.
Author's Notes--
Adrienne--I'm glad you liked the love potion scene...I felt nearly as awkward writing it as Ginny did in it. The meeting between Cho and Ginny turned out about 180% from where I expected it to, but after I read it a couple of times, I realized it just couldn't happen any other way...so it's nice to know you thought it turned out well. :-) Thanks so much for your continued reviews! *hugs*
EEDOE-- *Giggles* Yeah...You could practically see Ginny's back arch and the hair on the back of her neck stand up...poor little kitten...But who I really feel sorry for is Cho...*tries to look serious* Too be fair, Cho doesn't really know Harry. They've never met, so it makes sense she would think of him as his reputation and not as the person he is--whether or not that changed later...*sighs* I suspect Molly--while far more...um...straight-laced about it than Ginny was a bit of firecracker in her day, as well. *winks* Glad you enjoyed it! *hugs*
Bill-- The Druidic Horoscope uses trees instead of constellations...it's been a while since I've seen it, but I think there are twelve signs in addition to the Unnamed Day, simply called because it doesn't fit into any of the signs according to their calendar. (But an unbirthday card would be good for that...) True, it would have drastically changed things if Ginny had just blurted everything she knew, but look what happened the last time she did that! As for the Ravenclaws...Ginny was almost a member of that house, and she does feel a bit awkward about almost killing Colin, so... What you said about my characterization made my day! Thanks! *hugs*
*****************
Ginny was just thinking how glad she was the Sorting Hat had placed her in Gryffindor if this was what it would have been like to be in Ravenclaw when the plump witch with the food cart arrived. She pooled money with Bion and Luna, and soothed herself with several chocolate frogs and a cauldron cake over a game of exploding snap, which Luna won. Davies, Marietta, and Cho ignored them, absorbed in their own conversation and not bothering to include them. They reminded Ginny of some Gryffindors in that respect...
"Are we there already?" Luna asked vaguely, her glasses glinting as she lowered the Quibbler-she had been reading an article about Lockhart's tragic demise in a boating accident to Ginny and Bion. Ginny was grateful for the distraction as she'd been finding it difficult to keep a straight face. Especially when she thought about Lockhart the last time she'd seen him...but that was a memory with sobering connotations.
"Can't be," Davies said off-handedly, not bothering to look their direction.
"Then why is the train slowing down?" Bion asked a little more forcefully than necessary. Ginny was a bit relieved to see he didn't much care for Davies himself. He was already on his feet, looking inquiringly out into the corridor. Cho and Marietta watched him for a moment, then slid around to stare out the window. From the sound of things, Ginny doubted they could see much of anything but rain.
The train screeched to a standstill, knocking Cho into Marietta with a squeal. Luggage tumbled out of the racks, reminding Ginny of the how books had flown through the air when Dad and Lucius Malfoy had a fight in Flourish and Blott's.
"Nothing out there," Bion said from the floor, patently confused.
Nothing he could see.
"I'm going to find Ron," Ginny announced, struggling to her feet. "Maybe he'll know what's going on."
"Let us know what you find out," Bion suggested, glancing at the other Ravenclaws.
Already out the door, Ginny fluttered her hand behind her in response.
Before she had taken three steps, she found herself completely in the dark.
Black. Everything was black. Black as midnight...It made everything seem strangely cut off. For a moment, memory took over...Ginny felt herself transfixed as if dwindling into nothingness, dispersed as if spiraling into oblivion...Mechanically, she stepped forward...and found she was only in the shadows of the dark. The spell was broken. If anyone knew what was going on, it would be Ron, Hermione, and Harry. And if they didn't...she wanted to find Ron before he began to worry, as she knew he would. She moved blindly forward.
She heard the soft scrape of a door opening beside her and turned instinctively toward it, at a loss as to how far she'd gone, or whether or not this was the right compartment. Someone walked right into her, their foot bouncing painfully off her shin. Ginny yelped, hopping backward. An echoing screech hardly made her feel better. "Who's that?" gasped a voice that sounded oddly familiar.
Ginny frowned uncertainly into the darkness, "Who's that?"
"Ginny?"
"Hermione?"
"What are you doing?" Hermione demanded. Ginny heard her relief in the question's sharp edge.
"I was looking for Ron," she said simply. It was true, but as she heard the words, she realized she wasn't only looking for Ron. She was looking for Harry, whom she knew would be with him, because Harry would know what to do. Even if he didn't, she didn't care...part of her still expected them to die together on the Chamber floor...she swallowed so hard her throat shuddered.
Hermione didn't seem to notice. "Come in and sit down," she ordered.
Ginny didn't argue, feeling her way past Hermione into the compartment as the door closed with a snick. She stopped a little way in without really knowing why. The spot just felt right. She started to drop onto the seat... "Not here!" Harry protested in her ear, his breath warm and comforting against her cheek. "I'm here."
Ginny's face burned. She knew she was blushing, but at least no one could see it in the dark. She inched over a little and slid onto the seat next to Harry, wishing she knew what was going on.
"Ouch!" exclaimed someone who sounded like Neville Longbottom. Hermione must have tripped over him on her way back to her seat.
"Quiet!" There was something about the low, hoarse command Ginny instinctively obeyed-to judge by the sudden stillness, she wasn't the only one. Light crackled into being, throwing fissures through the dark. Squinting, Ginny could see a languid outstretched hand, cupping friendly, dancing flames. She'd never been so happy to see fire.
Behind the flames, still obscured in shadow, was the gray outline of a face-an expressive mouth drawn tight as if in pain or thought, wide and gentle eyes gathered into lines at the corners, a suggestion of pale hair-held very still as if listening for something beyond the range of human ears. "Stay where you are."
The man moved toward the compartment door. Watching him, Ginny felt cold, just as she had listening in on Mum and Dad in Egypt. She swallowed again as he stretched out his free hand, and the door slid open of its own accord.
Her very bones were ice. Her blood crackled in her veins with forbidding. Ginny stared at the cloaked figure framed in the doorway and licked cold-parched lips. The figure turned its head slightly as if to look at her. Its face was hidden, buried deep within the shadows of its hood, but she could see it rising up at her, shining pale and hard as an ice sculpture...Tom. His gray eyes burned her with the cold of a thousand snowstorms.
Whimpering, Ginny turned to look at Harry. Moving her head was like swimming through half-frozen water...she could hear it in her ears...Harry was a dim and distant shape, as if far across a snowswept plain...she couldn't meet his eye...he seemed to be slipping sideways in his seat. Ginny reached out to help him, sluggish with cold, blinking as if to drive away Tom's hovering face...Tom was going to live because of her...was going to live instead of her...She could see Harry, falling, poisoned by the basilisk she had called...Ron and Hermione were watching her, their faces Petrified and pale-cold...
Tears traced icy streams along her face. She could feeling them pooling on her lips...Dead...everyone was dead because of her... Ginny was shaking. She was shaking and she couldn't stop...
"-Sirius Black under our cloaks," the man holding the flames was saying in another life, another time. Tom's face stayed in the door, staring at her from the depths of the dark cloak. The man pulled out a wand, pointing it at Tom, and muttered, "Expeto Pastramin"...at least she thought he did...Silver shot at Tom like a bolt of moonshine...The figure looked at them without the slightest change, but somehow Ginny had the impression of a shrug as it turned and moved away.
Slowly, her head began to clear...but Harry was still lying at her feet.