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. They're for the love of the craft and intended only as flattery.
Author's Notes--
Strawberries and Blueberries--Awww! You're so sweet! *grins sheepishly and blushes* Thanks!
Met19--Hi! Always nice to see a new...uh...face. *grins* I should probably finish this story before I worry too much about others, but I do intend to write both GoF and OoTP from Ginny's point of view. I hope you enjoy the story well enough to stick around that long.
Adrienne--Hermione's usually brilliant, but she's been a bit slow realizing the girl-bonding that's been staring her in the face with Ginny Weasley (of course, Ron and Harry are great pals), but hopefully that will change. It's far past time someone noticed Neville...that poor boy is far more Gryffindor than anyone realizes to live with the knowledge he does every day and never once whimper. Hopefully Ginny is perceptive enough to pick up on that. *winks* *hugs*
EEDOE--It's amazing what depths lie in silence, don't you think? *attempts Mona Lisa smile and snickers* A five course meal! Wow...it's so nice to feel appreciated. *blushes and beams* And one made out of Spam....*falls off chair and has to pull self up using keyboard* You have the greatest metaphors--you should write a book of them! *hugs*
Bill--I noticed that line in OotP, too...I thought it was very telling that Harry would take time to register Ginny's presence in the midst of the funk he'd fallen into. Almost as if he found it comforting...*winks* Yeah...Harry sometimes ACTS like he notices Ginny...looking at her in moments when he most needs reassurance or colaboration, but he never seems to notice himself noticing! Ginny, on the other hand, most certainly does...And as for Malfoy, I think you hit the nail on the head. How can Ginny respect his intimdation techniques when she's seen a Master. Poor stupid amatuer...*laughs* So you noticed I wriggled out of the song? I admit it...I figured it would just sound like very stupid rhymes, so I avoided it, and, as you say, JKR provided me with the excuse that she did it, too! ;-) I've noticed this story is about the same length as MoP was at this stage as well...*crosses fingers* No promises! You are reading my mind, aren't you? I have, in fact, considered whether or not Ginny will be having a few sessions with Remus of her own (I actually think they are well-suited to bonding together), but the verdict is still out on that...we'll have to wait and see...*hugs*
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The feeling lasting didn't last.
People she'd never seen before were coming up to ask her about the first task even before Ginny made it to the table for breakfast. Draco Malfoy helped distract them, but Ginny didn't feel any better about his impressions of Harry's reaction to the dementors.
Double Potions with Ravenclaw was her first class. Ginny seriously considered drowning herself in her cauldron, but she didn't want to hurt Bion's grade. He seemed to judge her mood at a glance, and tried to cheer her up with ridiculous stories of his adventures over the summer. Luna even chimed in with a few of her own from the next cauldron over. Before she knew it, Ginny was telling them about Egypt, her annoyance with the stream of constant attention temporarily abating.
Only to come back full force as soon as she stepped into Greenhouse Three with the Slytherins and found herself face to face with a room full of mandrakes...and people imitating Malfoy's impression of Harry.
She found herself sitting to none other than her hero himself at lunch, a proximity that made her far too nervous to eat. A nervousness quickly compounded by annoyance as she realized not even Ron had noticed her presence. "Harry," he was saying as if his life depended on it, "you haven't seen a great black dog anywhere, have you?"
Ginny paused, listening intently. Surely Ron wasn't talking about-
"Yeah," Harry said, obviously determined to think it unimportant. "I have. I saw one the night I left the Dursleys'."
Ron's fork dropped off his plate. He had been talking about the Grim.
Harry Potter had seen an omen of his death. And Sirius Black was after him.
Ginny turned to face him without thinking.
"Probably a stray," Hermione said as if stating something she'd read for a lesson.
It seemed reasonable, only it was quite a coincidence. Ron must have thought so, too. "Hermione, if Harry's seen a Grim that's-that's bad. My uncle Bilius saw one and died twenty-four hours later!"
He had a point.
But Harry had faced Tom Riddle-the most powerful Dark Wizard alive-and survived. It was going to take more than an omen-or even Sirius Black-to kill him. Ginny planned to make sure of that herself, if necessary...but with Dumbledore around, it wouldn't be.
"Coincidence," Hermione said dismissively, gesturing with the jug of pumpkin juice. Ginny reached out and took it from her, more for something to do than out of thirst.
"You don't know what you're talking about!" Ron looked more annoyed than scared, and Ginny wondered if Hermione had distracted him intentionally. "Grims scare the living daylights out of most wizards!"
"There you are then," sniffed Hermione. "They see the Grim and die of fright. The Grim's not an omen, it's the cause of death!"
Ginny snickered through her fear. Harry himself seemed to be controlling a similar reaction. Ron looked scandalized. Several people sitting near were throwing curious looks in their direction.
Hermione ignored them. "Harry's still with us because he's not stupid enough to see one and think, right, well, I'd better kick the bucket then!" She announced loudly.
Harry and Ginny both winced. Ron was moving his mouth as if searching for his voice. Hermione pulled a huge Arithmancy book out from under the table, and propped it against the juice jug in a familiar gesture. "I think Divination seems very woolly," she said assessing. "A lot of guesswork, if you ask me."
"There was nothing woolly about the Grim in that cup," Ron contradicted furiously.
"You didn't seem quite so confident when you were telling Harry it was a sheep," Hermione said.
Harry's shoulders were shaking with suppressed amusement. Ginny coughed a little desperately, trying to keep tenuous grip on self-control-she didn't think either Ron or Hermione would appreciate knowing the situation wasn't being taken seriously. But, really, laughing was the only way to handle it. Fred and George would have understood.
"Professor Trelawney said you just didn't have the right aura!" Ron snapped. "You just don't like being bad at something for a change!"
Hermione slammed her book down, spattering everyone sitting near them with bits of carrot, potato, and meat. "If being good at Divination means I have to pretend to see death omens in a lump of tea leaves, I'm not sure I'll be studying it much longer! That lesson was absolute rubbish compared with my Artithmancy class!" She snatched up her bag and stalked away.
Ron and Harry stared in her wake. "What's she talking about? She hasn't been to an Arithmancy class yet."
Ginny spent the rest of the day suspended between interest in what Hermione was up to, and worry about Harry.
"Ginny...Ginny-Hello?" Tempest said, her hand moving across Ginny's field of vision.
Ginny jerked back, blinking. "What?"
"I said," Tempest repeated impatiently, "Did you hear what that prat Malfoy did?"
"Ummm..." Ginny replied, not really sure she wanted to know. She had more than enough to worry about as it was.
"Blaise told me about it," Tempest continued. "First he made a snotty comment about the book--"
"The Monster Book of Monsters?" Ginny asked blankly. She had seen Ron's copy, and thought it was brilliant-why shouldn't the book for a Care of Magical Creatures class be a magical creature itself?
"And, as if that weren't enough, Hagrid's first lesson was hippogriffs-Blaise said that was very creative even if it was dangerous-and everyone was really starting to get the hang of it when the stupid git decided to insult one of them!"
"I take it that's bad?" Ginny said, trying to keep her stomach from sinking into her feet.
"My sister said Hagrid told them first thing that insulting one might be the last thing you'd ever do," Tempest said in a rush.
/Then Hagrid's off the hook/, Ginny thought hopefully, but that didn't stop her from asking, "How bad was it?"
"The hippogriff attacked him," Tempest said almost amused. "Hagrid had to rush him to the hospital wing-there was blood everywhere."
Ginny glanced anxiously out the window. There was a light in Hagrid's hut. She was tempted to drop everything and run across the grounds to see him, but she didn't think students were allowed out after dark. That might not have stopped her in spite of her lingering fear of being expelled after years of looking forward to attending Hogwarts and everything Harry had done to save her, but there were the dementors...and the thought of Tom's hovering face...Harry dead...Ginny shivered. /I'll see him tomorrow, she thought firmly, when I can tell him firsthand Malfoy's perfectly fine and there's nothing to worry about./
If only she could convince herself that would, indeed, be the case...
Author's Notes--
Strawberries and Blueberries--Awww! You're so sweet! *grins sheepishly and blushes* Thanks!
Met19--Hi! Always nice to see a new...uh...face. *grins* I should probably finish this story before I worry too much about others, but I do intend to write both GoF and OoTP from Ginny's point of view. I hope you enjoy the story well enough to stick around that long.
Adrienne--Hermione's usually brilliant, but she's been a bit slow realizing the girl-bonding that's been staring her in the face with Ginny Weasley (of course, Ron and Harry are great pals), but hopefully that will change. It's far past time someone noticed Neville...that poor boy is far more Gryffindor than anyone realizes to live with the knowledge he does every day and never once whimper. Hopefully Ginny is perceptive enough to pick up on that. *winks* *hugs*
EEDOE--It's amazing what depths lie in silence, don't you think? *attempts Mona Lisa smile and snickers* A five course meal! Wow...it's so nice to feel appreciated. *blushes and beams* And one made out of Spam....*falls off chair and has to pull self up using keyboard* You have the greatest metaphors--you should write a book of them! *hugs*
Bill--I noticed that line in OotP, too...I thought it was very telling that Harry would take time to register Ginny's presence in the midst of the funk he'd fallen into. Almost as if he found it comforting...*winks* Yeah...Harry sometimes ACTS like he notices Ginny...looking at her in moments when he most needs reassurance or colaboration, but he never seems to notice himself noticing! Ginny, on the other hand, most certainly does...And as for Malfoy, I think you hit the nail on the head. How can Ginny respect his intimdation techniques when she's seen a Master. Poor stupid amatuer...*laughs* So you noticed I wriggled out of the song? I admit it...I figured it would just sound like very stupid rhymes, so I avoided it, and, as you say, JKR provided me with the excuse that she did it, too! ;-) I've noticed this story is about the same length as MoP was at this stage as well...*crosses fingers* No promises! You are reading my mind, aren't you? I have, in fact, considered whether or not Ginny will be having a few sessions with Remus of her own (I actually think they are well-suited to bonding together), but the verdict is still out on that...we'll have to wait and see...*hugs*
************************
The feeling lasting didn't last.
People she'd never seen before were coming up to ask her about the first task even before Ginny made it to the table for breakfast. Draco Malfoy helped distract them, but Ginny didn't feel any better about his impressions of Harry's reaction to the dementors.
Double Potions with Ravenclaw was her first class. Ginny seriously considered drowning herself in her cauldron, but she didn't want to hurt Bion's grade. He seemed to judge her mood at a glance, and tried to cheer her up with ridiculous stories of his adventures over the summer. Luna even chimed in with a few of her own from the next cauldron over. Before she knew it, Ginny was telling them about Egypt, her annoyance with the stream of constant attention temporarily abating.
Only to come back full force as soon as she stepped into Greenhouse Three with the Slytherins and found herself face to face with a room full of mandrakes...and people imitating Malfoy's impression of Harry.
She found herself sitting to none other than her hero himself at lunch, a proximity that made her far too nervous to eat. A nervousness quickly compounded by annoyance as she realized not even Ron had noticed her presence. "Harry," he was saying as if his life depended on it, "you haven't seen a great black dog anywhere, have you?"
Ginny paused, listening intently. Surely Ron wasn't talking about-
"Yeah," Harry said, obviously determined to think it unimportant. "I have. I saw one the night I left the Dursleys'."
Ron's fork dropped off his plate. He had been talking about the Grim.
Harry Potter had seen an omen of his death. And Sirius Black was after him.
Ginny turned to face him without thinking.
"Probably a stray," Hermione said as if stating something she'd read for a lesson.
It seemed reasonable, only it was quite a coincidence. Ron must have thought so, too. "Hermione, if Harry's seen a Grim that's-that's bad. My uncle Bilius saw one and died twenty-four hours later!"
He had a point.
But Harry had faced Tom Riddle-the most powerful Dark Wizard alive-and survived. It was going to take more than an omen-or even Sirius Black-to kill him. Ginny planned to make sure of that herself, if necessary...but with Dumbledore around, it wouldn't be.
"Coincidence," Hermione said dismissively, gesturing with the jug of pumpkin juice. Ginny reached out and took it from her, more for something to do than out of thirst.
"You don't know what you're talking about!" Ron looked more annoyed than scared, and Ginny wondered if Hermione had distracted him intentionally. "Grims scare the living daylights out of most wizards!"
"There you are then," sniffed Hermione. "They see the Grim and die of fright. The Grim's not an omen, it's the cause of death!"
Ginny snickered through her fear. Harry himself seemed to be controlling a similar reaction. Ron looked scandalized. Several people sitting near were throwing curious looks in their direction.
Hermione ignored them. "Harry's still with us because he's not stupid enough to see one and think, right, well, I'd better kick the bucket then!" She announced loudly.
Harry and Ginny both winced. Ron was moving his mouth as if searching for his voice. Hermione pulled a huge Arithmancy book out from under the table, and propped it against the juice jug in a familiar gesture. "I think Divination seems very woolly," she said assessing. "A lot of guesswork, if you ask me."
"There was nothing woolly about the Grim in that cup," Ron contradicted furiously.
"You didn't seem quite so confident when you were telling Harry it was a sheep," Hermione said.
Harry's shoulders were shaking with suppressed amusement. Ginny coughed a little desperately, trying to keep tenuous grip on self-control-she didn't think either Ron or Hermione would appreciate knowing the situation wasn't being taken seriously. But, really, laughing was the only way to handle it. Fred and George would have understood.
"Professor Trelawney said you just didn't have the right aura!" Ron snapped. "You just don't like being bad at something for a change!"
Hermione slammed her book down, spattering everyone sitting near them with bits of carrot, potato, and meat. "If being good at Divination means I have to pretend to see death omens in a lump of tea leaves, I'm not sure I'll be studying it much longer! That lesson was absolute rubbish compared with my Artithmancy class!" She snatched up her bag and stalked away.
Ron and Harry stared in her wake. "What's she talking about? She hasn't been to an Arithmancy class yet."
Ginny spent the rest of the day suspended between interest in what Hermione was up to, and worry about Harry.
"Ginny...Ginny-Hello?" Tempest said, her hand moving across Ginny's field of vision.
Ginny jerked back, blinking. "What?"
"I said," Tempest repeated impatiently, "Did you hear what that prat Malfoy did?"
"Ummm..." Ginny replied, not really sure she wanted to know. She had more than enough to worry about as it was.
"Blaise told me about it," Tempest continued. "First he made a snotty comment about the book--"
"The Monster Book of Monsters?" Ginny asked blankly. She had seen Ron's copy, and thought it was brilliant-why shouldn't the book for a Care of Magical Creatures class be a magical creature itself?
"And, as if that weren't enough, Hagrid's first lesson was hippogriffs-Blaise said that was very creative even if it was dangerous-and everyone was really starting to get the hang of it when the stupid git decided to insult one of them!"
"I take it that's bad?" Ginny said, trying to keep her stomach from sinking into her feet.
"My sister said Hagrid told them first thing that insulting one might be the last thing you'd ever do," Tempest said in a rush.
/Then Hagrid's off the hook/, Ginny thought hopefully, but that didn't stop her from asking, "How bad was it?"
"The hippogriff attacked him," Tempest said almost amused. "Hagrid had to rush him to the hospital wing-there was blood everywhere."
Ginny glanced anxiously out the window. There was a light in Hagrid's hut. She was tempted to drop everything and run across the grounds to see him, but she didn't think students were allowed out after dark. That might not have stopped her in spite of her lingering fear of being expelled after years of looking forward to attending Hogwarts and everything Harry had done to save her, but there were the dementors...and the thought of Tom's hovering face...Harry dead...Ginny shivered. /I'll see him tomorrow, she thought firmly, when I can tell him firsthand Malfoy's perfectly fine and there's nothing to worry about./
If only she could convince herself that would, indeed, be the case...