Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

On My Own

Chapter Three

" Ginny, please pass the peas," Hermione said politely, holding out her hand expectantly. Ginny nodded but made no move to pass the bowl. She twirled her fork idly while staring out into space.

" Gin, did you hear Hermione?" Ron asked, waving a hand in front of her face.

" Yeah… peas…" Ginny mumbled, lifting the bowl up and passing it carelessly towards Hermione. She let go before Hermione got a good hold on it. It shattered into pieces as it hit the ground and the green peas rolled over the shards. " Oh my god," Ginny yelped, as she shot up. She stared down at the shards and at Hermione, covering her mouth with her hand.

" I'm so sorry… I didn't mean too. I thought you had it… I'm so sorry," Ginny sputtered, dropping on her knees to pick up the mess. Her trembling hands passed over the shards and peas, scooping them up haphazardly. " Ow!" Ginny exclaimed, pulling her hand back and dropping the load. A nasty gash sliced down her palm.

" Ginny, it's okay. Why are you so skittish?" Hermione said, taking a napkin and cleaning Ginny's wound. Her hazel eyes looked into Ginny's darker one with concern. " Are you sick?" Hermione asked, automatically feeling Ginny's forehead.

" I'm fine, I just being in a daze, that's all," Ginny lied, she got up and sat back in her seat, her wounded hand gripping the napkin tightly to prevent further bleeding. Her family, Hermione and Harry looked worriedly at her.

" Ginny… have you been writing in anything lately?" Ron stated bluntly. Hermione's eyes widened and smacked him upside the head.

" Ginny, he didn't mean that. We know-" Hermione began.

" I'm fine!" Ginny said firmly. She threw the bloody napkin down, glaring at Hermione. " I don't need you explaining everything to me. Although I'm not at the top of my class, like you are, I do have a mind of my own. I don't need a little know it all, giving me a lecture on everything. If I wanted to be bored out of my mind, I could go sit in a History of Magic class."

Hermione looked quite taken back. " Oh… I apologize…" she said mutely, bending her head over plate, lifting her fork to pick at her food. Ron glared at Ginny and Harry looked at her with shock.

" How could you say that?" Harry said. Ginny looked away, her cheeks turning pink.

" I didn't mean it."

" She was only trying to help," Ron put in. He rubbed Hermione's shoulder and Ginny saw, to her dismay, that Hermione's shoulder were shaking.

" She can't help me with my problem," Ginny said, looking back at Harry. She stared him straight in the eye, pressuring herself to control her crush. " Besides, I have a temper like everyone else. What, is little Ginny not suppose to bite back? Or was it that you didn't know she could? I suppose it's the latter, since you barely know me. It's not like you ever tried, since I'm just here to follow you around like a little lost puppy. If you must know, I'm not mute, I do speak. Of course, you probably thought I was mentally disabled because I never spoken a word to you."

Ginny spat as she pushed back from the dinner table. She kicked the broken bowl away and turned around on her heel. Molly stood up, her face flaming.

" Virginia Antoinette Weasley! How dare you treat our guests like that? You come back and apologize this instant."

Ginny gripped her fists, ignoring the pain as her nails dug crescent moons in her previous wound. She whirled around, her lips in a thin white line. " First of all, I'm not a mindless child. You don't tell me to come, stay, heel or stop like I was one. Second, I have every right to be that way. You treat them a lot better than you treat us!"

" You take that back! You know very well that we treat you equally!" Molly screamed, her face red.

" Ha!" Ginny laughed sarcastically. " Really? What about last year? Hmm? You were ready to empty our vault just to buy dress robes to bring out Harry's eyes but I got stuck with Charlie's old ones. Do you know how mortifying that was? All I ever get is second hand things. Even my wand is second hand!" Ginny shouted back. Charlie and Bill stood up. None of the Weasley children had ever complained about their poverty in front of their parents, afraid of putting pressure on them.

" Ginny, enough with your tantrum," Bill said in a quiet, low voice. Ginny glared at him.

" You should have at least tried to not have so many children," she shot at her mother. " Out of seven children, I'm the only girl. The baby. Everybody has done something special, always over shadowing me! Nothing I do can compare with them! I needed to be in moral peril for the school to actual remember my name!"

Ginny wrung her hands, her wound bleeding again. Her anger rose, her blood boiling, she felt something snap and a loud pop was heard.

" Ginny!" Arthur roared, getting up. He swept towards her, dragging her upstairs. " I need to talk to you."

Ginny felt his cold fingers gripped at her arm, pulling her upstairs. She consented, shaking violently. In her room, her father slammed the door shut and she collapsed on the floor.

" What were you doing?" Arthur screamed. He waved a hand and the sounds in her room were muffled.

" I have no idea…" Ginny whispered with disbelief. She lifted her eyes and Arthur's heart wrenched to see his daughter cry. " I… just snapped. I don't know…"

Arthur's shoulder sagged and he rubbed his eyes. " Did you hear a pop?" he asked.

Ginny nodded, " Yes… but what so…"

" You made the cork on the pumpkin juice jug shoot off. Luckily, I covered it before anyone saw it. Ginny, I know this is a difficult time but live it to the last minute. Making everybody hate you is not the way to go."

Ginny curled up in a quivering ball on the floor. " Either way, I lose all of you in one month."

" Some people don't have one day and they spend it wisely. In the end, they die happy."

" I'm not going to die…" Ginny stated firmly.

" Then, you'll go to Neptune's Crown? Train at Towerman's Island?" Arthur asked. Ginny shrugged. " With your case, you can never leave the Island to go back home, because no one comes back from the dead. We'll move on and you'll be stuck with that one month, knowing that we're out there, living our happy lives without you," Arthur asked, squatting down to look at Ginny.

" So you'll be happy with me gone?" Ginny asked in disbelief, sitting up.

" No, but we'll have to move on. I learned, living in one time frame never helped anyone."

" So you want me dead rather than depressed?" Ginny asked, her throat drowning in unshed tears.

" Baby girl," Arthur said, pulling his daughter in a loving embrace, " I don't want neither, but what can I do? If I could sacrifice myself I would, but after they take me, they'll move onto you. I want you here, alive and well."

" I would kill myself if you died because of me," Ginny sobbed into her dad's robes. " But I wish they gave me longer. I haven't done so much…" Ginny said with longing.

Arthur pulled backed and looked at his daughter. Rubbing her cheeks comfortingly, he whispered, " Whatever you do, I'll love you. If you choose to leave, I'll preserve your memory as would your mother and brothers. If you choose to go and train, I'll be the proudest father in the world. Whatever you do, I'll love you unconditionally."

Ginny wiped her eyes and tackled her father. " Don't worry. I'll come through. Whatever I do, I'll let you know."

Arthur nodded and then set his lips in a stern line. " About dinner…"

" I'm on it…" Ginny muttered sadly. She got up, rubbing her face and smoothing her shirt. Arthur got up and squeezed her shoulder.

" A simple apology is the best," Arthur advised. " Serenity is the most important thing. Even if you were able to recite a sonnet , nothing beats the most truthful words from your heart."

Ginny sighed, glancing around her room before throwing her door. Walking down the stairs, she paused every now and then, bouncing her foot, contemplating what to say.

She cleared her throat when she arrived in the kitchen. Every head looked up, regarded her then looked down again. Ginny noticed that the mess was cleaned up and a new bowl of peas were sitting on the table.

She walked hesitantly towards her seat before plopping down. Fred, who was sitting on her right, scooted away and Hermione, who was sitting on her other side, sighed and turned towards her.

" I'm not a little know it all, I might know useless facts but I'm not right about everything."

" I know," Ginny said, shrugging. She scooped some peas onto her plate. Hermione rolled her eyes and she scuffed.

" Those things you said…" Hermione trailed.

" Those things I said, none of it was true. Well… some of it. But I've been having problems lately and I just been penting up frustration and anger that I just snapped," Ginny explained, speeding up with every word. " And I shouldn't have because none of you were the source of it."

Hermione regarded her and coughed. She passed her eyes over the others and they shrugged.

" Some temper you got," Fred acknowledged.

" You got that right," Ginny said, haughtily. She glanced at her mother, who was stirring the sugar into a cup of tea. " I don't mind having second hand things but I admit, I would like one or two things new. Particularly clothes since my brothers' are too big and masculine and a pet. I don't mind waiting for them so don't put what I said to heart, Mum. I know you and Dad work hard to keep our family running. And no one can do a better job. You were able to turn six knuckleheads into well… er…presentable specimens," Ginny grinned. Her brothers retaliated with airborne peas. Even Percy, " and you put up with me."

Her mother stopped stirring and got up. Ginny backed away unconsciously as her mother stopped in front of her. Without warning, her plate was knocked over as Molly Weasley swept her daughter in a giant hug. Ginny gratefully hugged back.

" Mum, I'm really sorry," she whispered.

" You're forgiven," Molly whispered back. Ginny pecked her mother on the cheek and sat back down, her hair a mess. Smoothing it, she turned towards Harry, who sat fidgeting with his glasses.

" I acted like Malfoy," she stated simply, turning back towards her food.

Harry seemed startled and whispered into Ron's ear, " Was she talking to me?"

" No, she was talking to Hedwig," Ron said, rolling his eyes. " You prat, of course."

" Oh…" Harry said. " Am I suppose to say anything back?"

Ron looked at him as if he grown an extra head. " You're weird."

Harry stared blankly at him. He turned his eyes towards Ginny and realized that she was staring at him. She smiled and he smiled back. He thought for several seconds before getting up. " Ginny?" he asked, whispering in her ear. She looked at him from the corner of her eye.

" Yes?" she answered.

" Can I talk to you for a second?" he asked, casting his eyes over the table. Her brothers were trying to eavesdrop, without success.

" Sure," Ginny said. Reading his mind, she got up and walked into the living room. Harry followed.

" You didn't really act like a Malfoy," he explained. Ginny blushed, bending her head so her hair spread over her face.

" I'm really sorry," she said. Looking up, she stared into his eyes. He looked right back, nearly drowning in the warmth her brown eyes had. " I know haven't tried anything to befriend you so it's not entirely your fault."

She stalled, tugging at a curl before looking away, her face a burning inferno. " I'll like to be your friend, if that's okay with you."

Harry felt a strange flutter in his chest and he smiled. " I have no problem with it."

Ginny looked at him, smiling a genuine and pretty smile. " Me either. Thank you," she said. He was about to open his mouth and say something when she leaned forward and hugged him. " For everything. The other day when you talked to me, being so forgiving and being there for my family. Thank you so much," she whispered in this ear. His arms stuck to his sides as if they were cemented there.

" Right…" he coughed. She pulled back, her face a little pink before running up the stairs, screaming for Hermione to follow her. Hermione's head popped up from the kitchen, looking curiously at Harry who was rooted to the spot. " Hermione!" Ginny screamed again. Hermione shrugged and rushed upstairs. It took Harry a long time to finally move, and it was to pinch himself.

~*~

Ginny sat down, scooting over to make room for Harry, sighing with relief to finally be able to go back to Hogwarts. Although, it was a sad departure. The past week was absolute bliss and she couldn't remember when she had a more delightful summer. Even though she received a letter from Dumbledore, outlining everything that was to come fore her, she looked forward to spending more time with her family and friends.

Since there was a possibility of her going to Neptune's Crown, the basic history of the Order and it's recruitment system was explained extensively to her. If she was honest was herself, it was a lot more interesting than any of Professor Binns' classes.

Neptune's Crown is made up of four main islands and groups of smaller ones, too small to be mentioned. The largest one, Towerman's Island, where most of the training was held, was surrounded by three islands; Flamma, Aqua and Anima (the three elements in Latin). Flamma, Aqua and Anima surround Towerman's Island in a triangle, with it in the center.

Neptune's Crown is the source of the Bermuda Triangle. Normally, when ships and planes pass through or over Neptune's Crown, the islands are invisible and no activity can be seen. The disappearances of those planes and ships are the result of several breaches or when a passenger on board has magical protection, resulting in the collapse of the invisibility shields.

The ships and planes are accumulated for their own use, converting them into magic transportation. The passengers lose ever ounce of memory they hold, with a spell so strong (to prevent a memory breach) that everything in the subjects' memory is wiped out. They are then scattered across the world, many having to have facial changes.

Although Neptune's Crown's main location is located around the Bermuda area, it sometimes relocates, the explanation for other areas of mysterious disappearances.

Towerman's Island is named after the large bell tower in the center of the island, roughly the size of the state Rhode Island. It was the first island created, before Merlin's time. It was a prime spot back then, a focal point of natural magic. Over time, the point moved to other places. When the number of residents grew and the Order gained more power, the other islands were added.
Most residents of the Crown have lived there for generations, their families dealing only in the Order's business. Most are allowed to leave but there was very slim chances of that, since military action without the Ministry's consent is illegal. No one knows about the Crown, it's history and story losing value over time, much to the benefit of the Order.

The head of the Order is Deputy Commander of the Crown. Aglaia appoints the Chief Commander for when she is away. The present Chief Commander is Gaston Dumbledore, Aglaia's and Albus's eldest grandchild. Imagine her surprise to learn that Professor Dumbledore was married with ten children and numerous other descendants.
Ginny nodded off, thinking over the information. She closed her eyes, becoming clouded over with sleep. She slipped off to oblivion and her head rested neatly on Harry's shoulder. Harry looked at her bent head. He had to admit that she was pretty, with her small, full lips and light dusting of freckles. She had high cheekbones and rosy cheeks. He smiled and placed an arm around her shoulders to steady her.

This was promising to be a surprising year.

To Be Continued

Notes: Ah! Another chapter. I'm pretty proud of this one, although it has pretty overly dramatic emotional struggle. And I think I rushed with Harry and Ginny. I don't know. I would love to hear your comments in your reviews so please do. Criticism will help me improve my work! Thanks to Lily ( I'm glad it's original because I wanted something that people hadn't read before. You made me jump with glee when you said it was nicely written! I thought it was quite bland! But since I did try to add humor… and you picked it up too!) and Chrystieluv (I did! Here's the third chapter! I'm sorry it took so long… this was a long chapter, over 2000 words! Well… since it would really end the story quickly, no, Harry will not find out about Ginny. I won't tell you what would happen, just that a little girl helped Ginny make the decision).