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--Upcoming chapters might take a little longer, but for now...Enjoy! ;-)
Bee11--You're so sweet to wish Ginny Happy B-day...I'm sure she appreciates it! Hope this was fast enough! *hugs*
Adrienne--Isn't it horrible how fast we all are to blame ourselves for scary events we don't completely understand? It's just too bad there are so many in Harry and Ginny's lives...but I'm sure it will make them stronger and more heroic in the end. You're right about her longing for Tom being mirrored in her desire to write...he was the one she expressed herself to, and now she's lost that ability and is having trouble finding it, which has to be very painful. I agree...a guy who notices her (for her self-esteem) and gives great advice would be a god-send for any girl, but especially poor, insecure little Ginny! I'm the same way about having my b-day forgotten...it makes me feel as if no one even notices my presence in the world...it's a very good--and unusual--sign Ginny could see it wasn't personal at all. *hugs*
EEDOE--I'll be thinking about you while you're gone and hoping things are okay. Ginny's tendency to blame herself DOES sound a lot like Harry in OotP...I wonder how THAT happened? Nice catch on the line about Snape...and Ginny's feline nature! ;-) I'm very happy Ginny is stealing socks...you can't keep a good imp down! I do love the twins...sometimes I think they're the wisest and most heroic of all...Take care! *hugs*
Bill--I think Ginny does trust Dumbledore implicitly...he saved her nearly as much as Harry in some respects...I think Bion and Ginny find it difficult to spend extended amounts of time together due to their separate houses, and I'm not entirely sure how much he will show up this year...however next year (with trips to Hogsmeade) may be a different story...*crosses fingers* I do love my little OC. Like you, I think Sir Cadogan is obnoxious, but that most of the students find him ludicrous--first to the point of amusement and then to the point of irritation. You're underestimating your creativity abilities--What a great little sketch about Ron!! After you finish your short story about Molly and Arthur, maybe you should write a short story about Ron's Sock Revenge! *winks* The gifts don't look good, but I think Ginny will probably take it in stride as well. *hugs*
**********
As if Lupin's absence weren't confusing-and disappointing-enough, Snape barely waited for class to start before announcing Lupin's lesson on Doxies was hardly the best way to prepare students for the dangers they might face even at school...and the way he said it made Ginny wonder again exactly what it was Snape thought he knew. It certainly sounded as if he were referring to the Chamber of Secrets, but...Making her second-guess everything was the sort of thing in which Tom had delighted. The realization brought a twinge of something strangely bittersweet, but Ginny was determined to prove she wasn't the girl Tom had manipulated...even if she still thought about him as her first real friend. She focused on Snape with resolution, intent on capturing every word of his lesson without another thought.
Given Snape's reference to dangers at school, Ginny had been fully expecting the lecture to be about basilisks...or snakes...or maybe enchanted diaries...but he was saying, "Unknown number of wizards are afflicted every year, as there is still no known cure." She frowned, wondering what he was talking about, "With dark creatures like these, defense truly is the only option..."
She left class, her hand aching from the speed and volume of her note-taking, even more at a loss, and she still wasn't the only one.
"Werewolves!" Patricia Hart was saying, shaking her head in disbelief.
"They're really fascinating, aren't they?" Colin was saying with his usual eager fascination for anything the least bit new or exciting about the wizarding world. "But this is definitely the hardest lesson yet, isn't it? There's so much to remember...it's a good thing I wrote it all down...I can send my dad a copy so he and my brother know what to look out for."
"This is the hardest lesson yet," Tempest agreed huffily, "because it's not second year material...Blaise told me just the other night they just covered it in her class, and that's only because Snape jumped way ahead in the book."
"But why--" Ginny began blankly. Every second-year Gryffindor stopped in the hall to look at one another, and none of them knew what to say.
"Too bad Professor Lupin is ill," Lee said as they trudged out to the Quidditch Pitch a few days later. "I wouldn't want to miss this match."
Ginny took off her red-and-gold Gryffindor scarf and wrung the water out of it as several students ran past them, chasing run away umbrellas. "I can see why." Lee glanced over at her in surprise, then grinned at the broad smile plastered across her face.
Harry and the others staggered drunkenly as they marched out onto the field, fighting the wind, but they still looked splendid in their scarlet Quidditch robes and leather guards. Ginny nearly sighed at the sight-she shot a nervous sideways look in Lee's direction, wondering if he'd noticed, as she felt her cheeks begin to heat.
The Captains shook hands at the center of the field, everyone else listing dangerously to the side as water lashed over them. Madam Hooch must have given the signal, but over the storm, Ginny didn't hear it. Lee must not have either, he gave a start of surprise as the players burst into the sky, and yanked the megaphone hurriedly upward.
"NICE USE OF THE BLUDGER BY FRED-OR IS THAT GEORGE-WEASLEY....A HUFFLEPUFF CHASER TRIES FOR A GOAL-CAN'T SEE WHICH ONE WITH THIS RAIN-AND MISSES...OOH...NARROW MISS! ALMOST FELL OFF YOUR BROOM-CAREFUL, WHOEVER YOU ARE!"
Ginny grimaced sympathetically at the wild, lost tone to Lee's commenting. You could barely see to the end of the stands, let alone make out who was doing what on the field. For almost as long as she could remember, Ginny had been wild to play Quidditch...now she was simply relieved she didn't have to fly through the storm.
"AND AFTER THAT BRILLIANT GOAL BY KATIE BELL-I THINK-GRYFFINDOR IS FIFTY POINTS UP..." Ginny could tell by the way the sentence faded Lee had nearly ended it with another 'I think', and she didn't blame him. It was nearly impossible to keep track.
Someone in scarlet-she thought it was Wood-signaled Madam Hooch, who raised her whistle to her lips just as lightning cracked a brilliant fissure through the sky.
The Gryffindor team gathered under a huge gold umbrella. Standing on tiptoe, moving her head from side-to-side and squinting violently, Ginny thought she could see Harry waving his glasses at Wood...a girl ran out to meet them, the edges of her scarf fluttering red-and-gold, her hair bushing so that it all but obscured her face. Hermione. She took Harry's glasses, tapped them with her wand, looking very proud of herself, and handed them back. Wood was beaming at her as if he'd never seen anyone so beautiful...Ginny wished Harry would like at her like that. She sighed softly as Hermione slipped, slid, and skidded her way back to the stands and the team took to the air again, thunder booming threateningly as they did.
Harry turned, flying upfield...lightning flickered a forked tongue overhead, making Ginny shiver...Harry seemed to pause in midair almost in front of her, as if he were distracted by something in the stands...Ginny frowned, leaning forward, trying to see what had his attention...
She could just make out a dark, looming outline...something that looked almost like...Harry's hands slipped on the broom, and Ginny let out a shrill little squeak as he lurched sideways, scrabbling to regain his balance...he reached up and brushed the bangs out of his eyes in a gesture she loved, and almost instinctively, they glanced together back toward the stands...
"Harry!" Wood's tortured yell rent the air like lightning. "Harry, behind you!"
Harry flashed forward, his entire being focused on a point in front of him that had to be the Snitch...but Diggory was already moving...Ginny held her breath, her skin tingling with suspense. Noise seemed to fall away as if time were slowing...
But suspense was chilling, becoming a cold that made her face burn icily. The eerie silence was becoming a soft, sibilant hiss, the voice of a snake...
Harry glanced down, his face white. Ginny had eyes only for him, but she already knew what he had seen...She fought the roiling pressure in her mind, the memory of Hermione laying stiff and still at her feet...her entire body began to shake, but she could still see him-she could still see Harry...
Her heart stopped, encased in ice. Harry was falling off his broom, his figure a tumbling blur through the sheets of rain.
Somehow, shaking uncontrollably, Ginny wrenched herself to her feet, her legs so cold she couldn't feel them, and began to run, not caring she was running into the arms of a hundred dementors.
Far away, in another life, she could hear Dumbledore shouting, his voice like thunder. She could see him dimly, already on the field, waving his wand furiously in Harry's direction, and saw Harry's headlong plumment slow into a graceful tumble...Tom was laughing, laughing at her, calling her a silly girl for wanting to help...she was so cold...and dark was eating at the corners of her vision, like it always did where Tom was concerned...but Ginny kept moving, hardly aware of rubbing her hands along her arms for warmth, as Dumbledore whirled on the phantom shapes waiting on the field, firing silver at them like so they scattered, slowly fading away into the rain...and the cold disappeared, taking Tom's voice and the hissing of the snake with it...Ginny stumbled and fell, watching Dumbledore lift Harry gently onto a stretcher...Harry...
Tom was gone, but Harry...she'd been a fool to think she could save him...
Author's Notes--
Strawberries and Blueberries--Upcoming chapters might take a little longer, but for now...Enjoy! ;-)
Bee11--You're so sweet to wish Ginny Happy B-day...I'm sure she appreciates it! Hope this was fast enough! *hugs*
Adrienne--Isn't it horrible how fast we all are to blame ourselves for scary events we don't completely understand? It's just too bad there are so many in Harry and Ginny's lives...but I'm sure it will make them stronger and more heroic in the end. You're right about her longing for Tom being mirrored in her desire to write...he was the one she expressed herself to, and now she's lost that ability and is having trouble finding it, which has to be very painful. I agree...a guy who notices her (for her self-esteem) and gives great advice would be a god-send for any girl, but especially poor, insecure little Ginny! I'm the same way about having my b-day forgotten...it makes me feel as if no one even notices my presence in the world...it's a very good--and unusual--sign Ginny could see it wasn't personal at all. *hugs*
EEDOE--I'll be thinking about you while you're gone and hoping things are okay. Ginny's tendency to blame herself DOES sound a lot like Harry in OotP...I wonder how THAT happened? Nice catch on the line about Snape...and Ginny's feline nature! ;-) I'm very happy Ginny is stealing socks...you can't keep a good imp down! I do love the twins...sometimes I think they're the wisest and most heroic of all...Take care! *hugs*
Bill--I think Ginny does trust Dumbledore implicitly...he saved her nearly as much as Harry in some respects...I think Bion and Ginny find it difficult to spend extended amounts of time together due to their separate houses, and I'm not entirely sure how much he will show up this year...however next year (with trips to Hogsmeade) may be a different story...*crosses fingers* I do love my little OC. Like you, I think Sir Cadogan is obnoxious, but that most of the students find him ludicrous--first to the point of amusement and then to the point of irritation. You're underestimating your creativity abilities--What a great little sketch about Ron!! After you finish your short story about Molly and Arthur, maybe you should write a short story about Ron's Sock Revenge! *winks* The gifts don't look good, but I think Ginny will probably take it in stride as well. *hugs*
**********
As if Lupin's absence weren't confusing-and disappointing-enough, Snape barely waited for class to start before announcing Lupin's lesson on Doxies was hardly the best way to prepare students for the dangers they might face even at school...and the way he said it made Ginny wonder again exactly what it was Snape thought he knew. It certainly sounded as if he were referring to the Chamber of Secrets, but...Making her second-guess everything was the sort of thing in which Tom had delighted. The realization brought a twinge of something strangely bittersweet, but Ginny was determined to prove she wasn't the girl Tom had manipulated...even if she still thought about him as her first real friend. She focused on Snape with resolution, intent on capturing every word of his lesson without another thought.
Given Snape's reference to dangers at school, Ginny had been fully expecting the lecture to be about basilisks...or snakes...or maybe enchanted diaries...but he was saying, "Unknown number of wizards are afflicted every year, as there is still no known cure." She frowned, wondering what he was talking about, "With dark creatures like these, defense truly is the only option..."
She left class, her hand aching from the speed and volume of her note-taking, even more at a loss, and she still wasn't the only one.
"Werewolves!" Patricia Hart was saying, shaking her head in disbelief.
"They're really fascinating, aren't they?" Colin was saying with his usual eager fascination for anything the least bit new or exciting about the wizarding world. "But this is definitely the hardest lesson yet, isn't it? There's so much to remember...it's a good thing I wrote it all down...I can send my dad a copy so he and my brother know what to look out for."
"This is the hardest lesson yet," Tempest agreed huffily, "because it's not second year material...Blaise told me just the other night they just covered it in her class, and that's only because Snape jumped way ahead in the book."
"But why--" Ginny began blankly. Every second-year Gryffindor stopped in the hall to look at one another, and none of them knew what to say.
"Too bad Professor Lupin is ill," Lee said as they trudged out to the Quidditch Pitch a few days later. "I wouldn't want to miss this match."
Ginny took off her red-and-gold Gryffindor scarf and wrung the water out of it as several students ran past them, chasing run away umbrellas. "I can see why." Lee glanced over at her in surprise, then grinned at the broad smile plastered across her face.
Harry and the others staggered drunkenly as they marched out onto the field, fighting the wind, but they still looked splendid in their scarlet Quidditch robes and leather guards. Ginny nearly sighed at the sight-she shot a nervous sideways look in Lee's direction, wondering if he'd noticed, as she felt her cheeks begin to heat.
The Captains shook hands at the center of the field, everyone else listing dangerously to the side as water lashed over them. Madam Hooch must have given the signal, but over the storm, Ginny didn't hear it. Lee must not have either, he gave a start of surprise as the players burst into the sky, and yanked the megaphone hurriedly upward.
"NICE USE OF THE BLUDGER BY FRED-OR IS THAT GEORGE-WEASLEY....A HUFFLEPUFF CHASER TRIES FOR A GOAL-CAN'T SEE WHICH ONE WITH THIS RAIN-AND MISSES...OOH...NARROW MISS! ALMOST FELL OFF YOUR BROOM-CAREFUL, WHOEVER YOU ARE!"
Ginny grimaced sympathetically at the wild, lost tone to Lee's commenting. You could barely see to the end of the stands, let alone make out who was doing what on the field. For almost as long as she could remember, Ginny had been wild to play Quidditch...now she was simply relieved she didn't have to fly through the storm.
"AND AFTER THAT BRILLIANT GOAL BY KATIE BELL-I THINK-GRYFFINDOR IS FIFTY POINTS UP..." Ginny could tell by the way the sentence faded Lee had nearly ended it with another 'I think', and she didn't blame him. It was nearly impossible to keep track.
Someone in scarlet-she thought it was Wood-signaled Madam Hooch, who raised her whistle to her lips just as lightning cracked a brilliant fissure through the sky.
The Gryffindor team gathered under a huge gold umbrella. Standing on tiptoe, moving her head from side-to-side and squinting violently, Ginny thought she could see Harry waving his glasses at Wood...a girl ran out to meet them, the edges of her scarf fluttering red-and-gold, her hair bushing so that it all but obscured her face. Hermione. She took Harry's glasses, tapped them with her wand, looking very proud of herself, and handed them back. Wood was beaming at her as if he'd never seen anyone so beautiful...Ginny wished Harry would like at her like that. She sighed softly as Hermione slipped, slid, and skidded her way back to the stands and the team took to the air again, thunder booming threateningly as they did.
Harry turned, flying upfield...lightning flickered a forked tongue overhead, making Ginny shiver...Harry seemed to pause in midair almost in front of her, as if he were distracted by something in the stands...Ginny frowned, leaning forward, trying to see what had his attention...
She could just make out a dark, looming outline...something that looked almost like...Harry's hands slipped on the broom, and Ginny let out a shrill little squeak as he lurched sideways, scrabbling to regain his balance...he reached up and brushed the bangs out of his eyes in a gesture she loved, and almost instinctively, they glanced together back toward the stands...
"Harry!" Wood's tortured yell rent the air like lightning. "Harry, behind you!"
Harry flashed forward, his entire being focused on a point in front of him that had to be the Snitch...but Diggory was already moving...Ginny held her breath, her skin tingling with suspense. Noise seemed to fall away as if time were slowing...
But suspense was chilling, becoming a cold that made her face burn icily. The eerie silence was becoming a soft, sibilant hiss, the voice of a snake...
Harry glanced down, his face white. Ginny had eyes only for him, but she already knew what he had seen...She fought the roiling pressure in her mind, the memory of Hermione laying stiff and still at her feet...her entire body began to shake, but she could still see him-she could still see Harry...
Her heart stopped, encased in ice. Harry was falling off his broom, his figure a tumbling blur through the sheets of rain.
Somehow, shaking uncontrollably, Ginny wrenched herself to her feet, her legs so cold she couldn't feel them, and began to run, not caring she was running into the arms of a hundred dementors.
Far away, in another life, she could hear Dumbledore shouting, his voice like thunder. She could see him dimly, already on the field, waving his wand furiously in Harry's direction, and saw Harry's headlong plumment slow into a graceful tumble...Tom was laughing, laughing at her, calling her a silly girl for wanting to help...she was so cold...and dark was eating at the corners of her vision, like it always did where Tom was concerned...but Ginny kept moving, hardly aware of rubbing her hands along her arms for warmth, as Dumbledore whirled on the phantom shapes waiting on the field, firing silver at them like so they scattered, slowly fading away into the rain...and the cold disappeared, taking Tom's voice and the hissing of the snake with it...Ginny stumbled and fell, watching Dumbledore lift Harry gently onto a stretcher...Harry...
Tom was gone, but Harry...she'd been a fool to think she could save him...