Disclaimer--Nothing here belongs to me--It's for the love of the craft and intended only as flattery. Most of this scene is from PoA and belongs to JKR, who is a MUCH more accomplished writer than me.
Author's Notes--Hard as it is to believe, Ginny's second year is drawing to a close. *sighs* For those of you who are starting to wonder, SoA will be drawing to a close with Chapter 42. I'm seriously considering Ginny's third year--Hopefully I'll have a bit more info before SoA is finished. As for sequels beyond GoF, I do have some intentions...but for now, I think it's probably best to take it one story at a time. ;-)
I sHoW nO sHaMe--The new name is catchy...and very unique. I liked Strawberries and Blueberries, too, but I can see why you might be tired of being called a fruit! ;-)
Raiining--I feel a bit bad leaving replies where you might not get to read them for a while, but it looks like you're catching up fast, so hopefully it won't be too long! ;-) I'm so happy to hear that you've enjoyed the story so far--thank you for letting me know! I hope you enjoy the rest as well. I am hoping to follow Ginny through all her years at Hogwarts, but we'll have to see how inspiration and energy hold out. *grins wryly* Looking forward to hearing from you again.
Bee11-I think second year magic exams have to be pretty nerve-racking! Still, I think Ginny doesn't have a lot to worry about with as much homework time as she's spent with Hermione. *winks* If I could give you a map to the Astronomy Tower, I would--I'm sure Ginny would understand. *hugs*
Adrienne--Enjoy floating...just don't get too far--I'd miss your reviews! *giggles* Nice celebratory chant! *does little dance* I'm glad you thought Dumbledore was cool! *hugs*
EEDOE--*giggles* Yeah...mandragora is pretty much ingrained by now. Wow--your reaction to Ginny's Occulumency breakthrough gave ME chills! Thanks!! *big hugs* I thought Ginny's swinging between comfort and politeness with Dumbledore was hilarious, so I'm glad you did too! I agree...just because Ginny COULD handle it doesn't mean she should HAVE to. Chivalry is NOT dead. *winks* Thanks...I'll do my best not to disappoint your expectations in Ginny's future. *looks nervous* Bertie Botts it is...see you soon! *hugs*
Bill--If you and EEDOE aren't careful, I'm going to think I'm feverish--your first paragraph gave me the chills again. *grins crookedly* And the second...*kisses cheek* Be careful--you'll swell my head. I wouldn't be TOO surprised if she were top--or at least in the top 5. As for the Bat-Bogie hex, I'm still meditating on that, but I'm as amused by the possibilites as you. *winks* I'm so glad you liked my description of Ginny's clumsiness/weakiness as well as her breakthrough. :-) You captured my feelings about the approaching end of this story perfectly--that's exactly how I feel. As for abandoning Ginny for other projects, I wasn't planning to do that just yet. *winks* *hugs*
***********
"Ginny--Where have you been?" Tempest demanded, bursting through the Portrait Hole, looking as if Gryffindor had just won the Gryffindor Cup a few minutes before--instead of a few weeks--Colin trailing close behind, looking dazed.
"What do you mean, where have I been?" Ginny retorted testily. "I've been here. Ever since I got up this morning."
"Why weren't you at breakfast?" Tempest asked in a rush.
"I got up late," Ginny said shortly. "I didn't sleep very well."
"Oh." Tempest looked momentarily abashed, and Ginny hoped she would be left in peace, but Tempest was already regrouping. "Well--have you heard?"
Ginny scowled in spite of herself and fought the urge to rub her forehead. "Heard what?"
"Professor Lupin--he's a werewolf!"
Ginny froze, feeling the blood fall from her face and her stomach fall to her feet. She was perfectly still, as if stillness could somehow erase the relentless progression of reality--of what she had just heard. "What did you say?" She asked, striving desperately to sound interested, and merely managing to sound very, very shocked.
Colin was starting to look concerned, but Tempest was still caught up in the drama of her unexpected news and didn't seem to notice his reaction to Ginny any more than Ginny's reaction itself. "I know," she exclaimed energetically. "I mean--can you believe it?"
"No," Ginny said, uncomfortably aware that she didn't sound that unconvinced. "Maybe it isn't true...I mean, it hardly seems likely, does it?"
"It's absolutely ridiculous!" Tempest answered immediately. "Defense Against the Dark Arts being taught by a dark creature like a werewolf!"
Ginny felt sick.
"Are...are you okay?" Colin asked, shifting nervously from foot to foot, trying to keep his eyes from shifting away from her face. Ginny could only imagine her expression.
"I...what? Oh, yeah. Fine." Ginny forced a grin she knew must look ghastly. "Professor Dumbledore wouldn't let a dark creature teach, Tempest. Someone's just making trouble...maybe he gave them a bad grade on an exam or--"
"I doubt Professor Lupin gave Professor Snape an exam at all!" Tempest retorted indignantly.
"Professor Snape?" Ginny repeated, the sick feeling roiling with the vague memory of Snape assigning werewolves to every Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
Tempest nodded adamantly, and impatiently pushed the blonde hair that flew across her face aside. "He told Blaise himself...actually, he told the whole house--Slytherin, I mean--this morning at breakfast."
"Wh--"
"He didn't mean to," Tempest continued over the start of Ginny's question. "He didn't get a lot of sleep last night, and it just sort of slipped out. He told them it was a secret and they shouldn't tell anyone."
"What happened?" Ginny burst out, surprising herself with her fervor.
Tempest blinked as if uncertain what she was talking about. "I just told you. Professor Snape--"
"Not that," Ginny cut her off so shortly even she was a little surprised the words didn't draw blood. "What about Professor Lupin? Professor Dumbledore didn't fire him, did he? I don't think he would--is Lupin okay? What did he say?" Tempest was now starring at her in much the same way as Colin, but Ginny's twinge of regret at scaring her was buried in layers of more immediate and important problems.
"Professor Dumbledore didn't fire him--he didn't have to. Lupin quit."
"What?" Ginny breathed, feeling anger and sorrow and fear massing into a tight knot through her eyes and nose. "He can't."
"Of course he can--"
"He can't quit." Ginny said again, spitting the words.
"Ginny, what--where are you going?" Colin was hovering anxiously between her and Tempest, looking like a very startled rabbit in the face of a wolf, the humor of which only made things infinitely worse.
"Where do you think?" She tossed back, not bothering to stop moving. "I'm going to talk him out of it." Even as she said the words, she knew she couldn't, but she was going to just the same.
"Ginny," Lupin said, very softly, without turning.
"How did you know it was me?" She asked, struggling to sound normal, the words as rough and hot as a kitten's tongue.
Lupin laughed. It was a gentle sound, a tender sound, a sad sound, a telling sound. Ginny swallowed hard. "Who else would it be?"
"Any student in the school?" Ginny answered, suddenly unyielding. "Once the shock wears off--"
But Professor Lupin was already shaking his head. "It doesn't matter. I can't teach--"
"You taught Harry the Patronus!" Ginny retorted, and had the satisfaction of seeing him stiffen with shock the same way she had. Her voice dropped, tiny, lonely, wistful, "You taught me...a lot."
"I'll miss you too," Lupin said, sounding almost choked.
Ginny burst into tears and flung her arms around him, something she had never done before, burying her face in the front of his robes. Awkwardly, as if he wasn't sure what to do or how to do it, Lupin reached out to pat her back. "Ginny, last night--" He stopped and sighed. "Ginny, do you know what happened last night?"
Author's Notes--Hard as it is to believe, Ginny's second year is drawing to a close. *sighs* For those of you who are starting to wonder, SoA will be drawing to a close with Chapter 42. I'm seriously considering Ginny's third year--Hopefully I'll have a bit more info before SoA is finished. As for sequels beyond GoF, I do have some intentions...but for now, I think it's probably best to take it one story at a time. ;-)
I sHoW nO sHaMe--The new name is catchy...and very unique. I liked Strawberries and Blueberries, too, but I can see why you might be tired of being called a fruit! ;-)
Raiining--I feel a bit bad leaving replies where you might not get to read them for a while, but it looks like you're catching up fast, so hopefully it won't be too long! ;-) I'm so happy to hear that you've enjoyed the story so far--thank you for letting me know! I hope you enjoy the rest as well. I am hoping to follow Ginny through all her years at Hogwarts, but we'll have to see how inspiration and energy hold out. *grins wryly* Looking forward to hearing from you again.
Bee11-I think second year magic exams have to be pretty nerve-racking! Still, I think Ginny doesn't have a lot to worry about with as much homework time as she's spent with Hermione. *winks* If I could give you a map to the Astronomy Tower, I would--I'm sure Ginny would understand. *hugs*
Adrienne--Enjoy floating...just don't get too far--I'd miss your reviews! *giggles* Nice celebratory chant! *does little dance* I'm glad you thought Dumbledore was cool! *hugs*
EEDOE--*giggles* Yeah...mandragora is pretty much ingrained by now. Wow--your reaction to Ginny's Occulumency breakthrough gave ME chills! Thanks!! *big hugs* I thought Ginny's swinging between comfort and politeness with Dumbledore was hilarious, so I'm glad you did too! I agree...just because Ginny COULD handle it doesn't mean she should HAVE to. Chivalry is NOT dead. *winks* Thanks...I'll do my best not to disappoint your expectations in Ginny's future. *looks nervous* Bertie Botts it is...see you soon! *hugs*
Bill--If you and EEDOE aren't careful, I'm going to think I'm feverish--your first paragraph gave me the chills again. *grins crookedly* And the second...*kisses cheek* Be careful--you'll swell my head. I wouldn't be TOO surprised if she were top--or at least in the top 5. As for the Bat-Bogie hex, I'm still meditating on that, but I'm as amused by the possibilites as you. *winks* I'm so glad you liked my description of Ginny's clumsiness/weakiness as well as her breakthrough. :-) You captured my feelings about the approaching end of this story perfectly--that's exactly how I feel. As for abandoning Ginny for other projects, I wasn't planning to do that just yet. *winks* *hugs*
***********
"Ginny--Where have you been?" Tempest demanded, bursting through the Portrait Hole, looking as if Gryffindor had just won the Gryffindor Cup a few minutes before--instead of a few weeks--Colin trailing close behind, looking dazed.
"What do you mean, where have I been?" Ginny retorted testily. "I've been here. Ever since I got up this morning."
"Why weren't you at breakfast?" Tempest asked in a rush.
"I got up late," Ginny said shortly. "I didn't sleep very well."
"Oh." Tempest looked momentarily abashed, and Ginny hoped she would be left in peace, but Tempest was already regrouping. "Well--have you heard?"
Ginny scowled in spite of herself and fought the urge to rub her forehead. "Heard what?"
"Professor Lupin--he's a werewolf!"
Ginny froze, feeling the blood fall from her face and her stomach fall to her feet. She was perfectly still, as if stillness could somehow erase the relentless progression of reality--of what she had just heard. "What did you say?" She asked, striving desperately to sound interested, and merely managing to sound very, very shocked.
Colin was starting to look concerned, but Tempest was still caught up in the drama of her unexpected news and didn't seem to notice his reaction to Ginny any more than Ginny's reaction itself. "I know," she exclaimed energetically. "I mean--can you believe it?"
"No," Ginny said, uncomfortably aware that she didn't sound that unconvinced. "Maybe it isn't true...I mean, it hardly seems likely, does it?"
"It's absolutely ridiculous!" Tempest answered immediately. "Defense Against the Dark Arts being taught by a dark creature like a werewolf!"
Ginny felt sick.
"Are...are you okay?" Colin asked, shifting nervously from foot to foot, trying to keep his eyes from shifting away from her face. Ginny could only imagine her expression.
"I...what? Oh, yeah. Fine." Ginny forced a grin she knew must look ghastly. "Professor Dumbledore wouldn't let a dark creature teach, Tempest. Someone's just making trouble...maybe he gave them a bad grade on an exam or--"
"I doubt Professor Lupin gave Professor Snape an exam at all!" Tempest retorted indignantly.
"Professor Snape?" Ginny repeated, the sick feeling roiling with the vague memory of Snape assigning werewolves to every Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
Tempest nodded adamantly, and impatiently pushed the blonde hair that flew across her face aside. "He told Blaise himself...actually, he told the whole house--Slytherin, I mean--this morning at breakfast."
"Wh--"
"He didn't mean to," Tempest continued over the start of Ginny's question. "He didn't get a lot of sleep last night, and it just sort of slipped out. He told them it was a secret and they shouldn't tell anyone."
"What happened?" Ginny burst out, surprising herself with her fervor.
Tempest blinked as if uncertain what she was talking about. "I just told you. Professor Snape--"
"Not that," Ginny cut her off so shortly even she was a little surprised the words didn't draw blood. "What about Professor Lupin? Professor Dumbledore didn't fire him, did he? I don't think he would--is Lupin okay? What did he say?" Tempest was now starring at her in much the same way as Colin, but Ginny's twinge of regret at scaring her was buried in layers of more immediate and important problems.
"Professor Dumbledore didn't fire him--he didn't have to. Lupin quit."
"What?" Ginny breathed, feeling anger and sorrow and fear massing into a tight knot through her eyes and nose. "He can't."
"Of course he can--"
"He can't quit." Ginny said again, spitting the words.
"Ginny, what--where are you going?" Colin was hovering anxiously between her and Tempest, looking like a very startled rabbit in the face of a wolf, the humor of which only made things infinitely worse.
"Where do you think?" She tossed back, not bothering to stop moving. "I'm going to talk him out of it." Even as she said the words, she knew she couldn't, but she was going to just the same.
"Ginny," Lupin said, very softly, without turning.
"How did you know it was me?" She asked, struggling to sound normal, the words as rough and hot as a kitten's tongue.
Lupin laughed. It was a gentle sound, a tender sound, a sad sound, a telling sound. Ginny swallowed hard. "Who else would it be?"
"Any student in the school?" Ginny answered, suddenly unyielding. "Once the shock wears off--"
But Professor Lupin was already shaking his head. "It doesn't matter. I can't teach--"
"You taught Harry the Patronus!" Ginny retorted, and had the satisfaction of seeing him stiffen with shock the same way she had. Her voice dropped, tiny, lonely, wistful, "You taught me...a lot."
"I'll miss you too," Lupin said, sounding almost choked.
Ginny burst into tears and flung her arms around him, something she had never done before, burying her face in the front of his robes. Awkwardly, as if he wasn't sure what to do or how to do it, Lupin reached out to pat her back. "Ginny, last night--" He stopped and sighed. "Ginny, do you know what happened last night?"