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 Five
Ginny followed Milan Dumbledore grudgingly, wishing nothing but to be able to curl up on a comfy bed and go to sleep.
" I know you're tired but this is a great time for you to get used to the island. I'll take you to this night club, the Krypt, where all my friends would probably be. Except for my older brother because he's on a mission in Moscow and my cousin Mallory. She's in Salem for a Wiccan convention."
Ginny nodded dully and groaned inwardly. Her legs were killing her.
" Don't worry, there's plenty of places to sit at the Krypt. Although the music is really loud," Milan told her. She grasped Ginny's elbow and they weaved though the crowd. " How about this? We find a Portal and we take it straight to the Krypt."
Ginny nodded, thanking Milan profusely. Portals were transportation systems contained in cubicles like Muggle phone booths. Like Floo powder, you announce the destination of your desired location and it brings you to the cubicle closest to it.
Milan guided her around a corner and they ran to the, thankfully, empty cubicle. Milan slide open the door and they stepped in. " The Krypt!" Milan said loudly. Ginny braced herself as the ground was swept from right underneath her and something clamped on her shoulders, dragging her forward. After several moments, the clamp loosened and Ginny steadied herself as her feet meet the ground again.
" That's a lot better than Port Key and Floo, I tell you," Ginny said, smoothing her white tank top and she readjusted her black pants. " Although you get quite disheveled," she laughed as Milan combed her fingers though her tousled hair.
" I know," Milan smiled. " Come on. They're all waiting."
Milan grabbed her hand and pulled her out where several people were waiting impatiently for them to go. The Krypt was a two floor building, the second floor lined with windows and a large metal door leading onto the main floor. Milan knocked her the metal door and it swung open slowly.
Milan walked briskly, ushering Ginny to hurry up. Ginny smiled at Milan who was jumping with excitement.
" You seem chipper," Ginny laughed.
" I should be. I've been waiting to me someone's mentor since mine died," Milan explained, shrugging.
" Oh… I'm sorry," Ginny said, uncomfortably.
" It's quite alright. That was a year ago and my mentor taught me many lessons in life. I wanted to be that special to someone, showing them around, teaching the system, the whole thing."
" I guess the mentor position is important," Ginny said, nudging Milan with an appreciative shoulder. Milan blushed and nodded her head.
" Not as important as your Handler. He or she is like a mini tutor when you don't have classes. They often help with your missions, accompanying you on some of them."
Ginny nodded and Milan lead her up a short set of stairs to an area on the first floor that was slightly higher than the rest.
" Milan!" a voice called. Ginny looked over and saw a smiling girl, waving her arms frantically. She was surrounded by several people, all of them sitting on couches and plush stools.
" Tori!" Milan answered back. " That's my best friend, Tori Abrams."
Ginny nodded and followed Milan towards her friends. Spotting an empty chair, she sank thankfully in it. " I'm sorry if this is anyone's chair but I'm dead tired."
The table laughed and Tori shook her head. " No, he's not here yet. Don't worry, we'll pull up another chair for him. He won't mind."
Ginny nodded, smiling nervously at everyone. Tori, Milan's best friend, had tan skin, like Milan, and shocking gray eyes. Her raven black hair glazed her shoulders and vivid red highlights streaked through it.
" I'm Tori, I assume Milan told you," Tori told her. Ginny gave a nod. " I'm from Hawaii. I'm 16 and an Advanced Auror."
Ginny nodded, the only thing she seemed to be able to do, but her eyebrows were raised. Tori clucked her tongue and turned towards Milan.
" You didn't explain the ranking system to her!" she accused. Ginny turned towards Milan as did everyone else.
" What! She just arrived. I wanted her to meet you guys. Just excluded your rank from you introduction. I'll tell her later," Milan defended furiously.
" Ah! My sister is a failure!" a boy laughed. " I'm Sydney, Milan's second oldest brother. I'm 23 and available."
Ginny dropped her jaw and cleared her throat," You might be but my schedule doesn't include fast guys."
The table laughed and Sydney winked.
" Syd, you are sick. She's not even fourteen!" Milan said hotly. Sydney shrugged. He pushed his glasses up his nose and ran his hand through his light brown hair.
" But she's so adorable!" Sydney laughed. A boy next to him thwacked him on the forehead.
" Ignore him. Our mother dropped him on the head when he was a tot. I'm Orlando, Milan's third and last older brother. I'm 19."
" And don't worry about him, he's too fixated on Tori here to flirt with you," Sydney snorted. Ginny laughed and glanced at Tori, who was turning beet red. Orlando was opening and closing his mouth.
" Don't go to sleep tonight," Orlando growled.
" I'll be too busy to," Sydney winked. Ginny grinned.
" On with the introductions. I'm Yami Cheung, Hong Kong. I'm 20. I'm also the idiot who dared to date a guy who flirts openly in front of me," Yami snapped, glaring at Sydney. He cleared his throat uncomfortably and swung his arm over her shoulders.
" I was kidding," he trailed.
" Ignore them. She's at his throat every few hours," a girl advised. Ginny noticed that the girl had an identical twin sitting next to her. Both had golden blond hair that skimmed their shoulder blades and warm brown eyes. They had small lips with a slight red pout to them.
" I'm Leila and this my twin, Selene," Leila, the one who spoke first, gesturing at the girl besides her.
" We're both 18 and Austrian," Selene chimed in.
" I have two older brothers, they're twins too. Fred and George are identical to the last freckle," Ginny smiled sadly.
" We're identical too. It absolutely drives me nuts. We might look the same but we're so different. Leila is extremely laid back and all while I'm very organized. She my completely opposite!" Selene sighed exasperated. She rolled her eyes
" We're not that different," Leila protested, stirring her drink. She took a swig and wrinkled her nose. " Ugh, I hate this stuff. Milan, get the newcomer here a Roman Temple."
Ginny shook her head, " I don't drink."
" It's alright, there's no alcohol in it. One the drinks in the blue glasses have alcohol in it," Milan whispered. She disappeared to get the drink and Ginny sighed in relief.
" I cannot take any type of alcohol. The last time I drank, which was rum, I was sick for days," Ginny shook her head pathetically, leaning on the table. The table erupted with laughter.
" Don't worry, once you start training, you can take any type," Selene informed. " But since that's not a matter of consequence right now, I'll like you to meet my fiancé, Bryan McKain."
Selene leaned her head against a broad shouldered and red-brown haired man. He smiled and lifted his hand in a salute.
" Oy," he said simply. He had a strong Australian accent. " Like Selene said, I'm Bryan McKain, age 25. This here," Bryan said, clapping his hand on brown haired male. Ginny glanced at him and smiled. He smiled sheepishly back, lifting his hand in a wave," is Nicholas, my 18 year old brother."
Ginny nodded, " You're really shy, aren't you?" she asked. Nicholas looked away, his eyes downcast.
" Oh, sorry. I forgot to tell you, my brother is mute," Bryan said tightly. Ginny blushed.
" Oh… I'm sorry… I didn't know…" Ginny sputtered. She put her head in her hands.
" It's okay," Bryan laughed quietly. " Your not a mind reader so you couldn't have guessed. "
Milan came back with an armload of drinks and Ginny was embarrassed to see that there was only one glass that wasn't blue. Milan passed them out and handed Ginny the drink. She looked down at it and took a small sip.
" God, it's sour," Ginny sputtered, coughing a bit. The others smiled. She cast a distasteful glance at her glass and set it down, looking at the other glasses.
" Want a taste?" Leila said, holding her glass up. Ginny nodded slowly, wanting to impress the others. Leila handed it over and Ginny took a sniff.
The fumes of the alcohol was overwhelming but she smelled a hint of strawberries, "What is this?"
Leila shrugged, " It's just a strawberry smoothie with vodka in it."
Ginny gulped. She looked down at the drink, already ready to throw up.
" If you can't take it…" Leila started. Ginny held a hand up and stopped her. She raised the glass to her lips and drank. Surprising, the vodka wasn't that strong and it ran down pleasantly cold down her throat. The strawberry taste positively jumped in her mouth.
" That's good," Ginny said slowly. She set the glass down, her head reeling a little bit.
" I know," Leila said, clapping her hands. " Thought you couldn't take it."
" That's what I thought. Anyone else I should meet?" Ginny shrugged, pushing it back towards Leila.
" Yeah, two more. They're brother and sister. Should be here any minute," Sydney said. " Speak of the devil!"
" Sorry, we're so late. He dragged us behind, complaining about his Asset assignment," a young girl laughed.
" So you're a Handler now?" Tori asked, amused.
" Don't be so happy about it. I don't want my Asset. She's a little frigid-"
" What am I, Hayden Lionhart?" Ginny hissed, whirling around in her seat.
~*~
" Please pray, in a moment of silence, for those we lost on Saturday, September 21st, 1996," Dumbledore said solemnly, his head bowed. The Great Hall followed suit. The silence weaved itself upon the lips of the population of Hogwarts. Unanswered questions, dread and anticipation of Dumbledore's next move gathered in the hearts of the students.
" In light of recent events, the Ministry has placed Dementors in Hogsmeade for our protection. I ask you not to worry. I will not allowed those creatures to step foot in Hogwarts again. All Hogsmeade trips will be cancelled as for now."
Whispers carried around the room like the buzzing drone of bees.
" I will bluntly say this and the Ministry and some of your parents will not appreciate this but this was the work of Voldemort."
The Hall erupted with more whispers and all direction was turned towards the Slytherin table.
" I know that all off you have views on who is on what side. I ask you to put that nonsense to a stop. This is a school where everyone has an equal chance and their own decisions to make. Do not judge a student by his or hers upbringing because that does not decide their fates. Now, unity is the most important task we must achieve. Voldemort works by dividing the world into opposing sides, turning humans against humans. He has no humanity and I know that my students will not resort to his level. I have faith that each and everyone of you will make the right decision to themselves and others. We must not turn against each for we live and breath on the same resources. We must learn to compromise and respect one another. That is what makes us strong and strength is another step towards victory."
Dumbledore gazed around the Great Hall and he sat heavily in his chair, his speech over. He was tired, apparent to all those around him. " Any suspicious activity should be reported to either the teachers or the Head Boy and Girl."
Professor McGonagall stood up, holding a rolled up parchment. "Attention, attention please!" she shouted. She unrolled the parchment and read with lowered eyes.
" Due to recent circumstances, defense classes shall be offered to those who need it. This is a daily class, after the regular school day. All students who wish to sign up, there will be a sheet posted in your common room."
Professor McGonagall read further down the paper, " Oh, yes. Will the following students see Dumbledore after dinner: Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, Frederick Weasley, George Weasley and Ron Weasley? Thank you and continue with you dinner," McGonagall said resolutely.
She sat back down and food began appearing on the tables.
The Great Hall began chattering excitedly and voices from the Ravenclaw table drifted towards Harry, Hermione and the three youngest Weasley brothers.
" Do you reckon they got Harry Potter down for Advance classes? You know, to defeat You-Know-Who."
" I suppose. I mean it's always like that, isn't it? But I can't see why Ron Weasley would be called."
"He's the redhead that always tags along with Harry, right?"
" Yes. I hope they don't put him in Advance classes. It'll be a truly sad sight. The guy can't even levitate a feather properly without burping up slugs."
Harry looked over at Ron, who was gripping his butter knife with white knuckles.
" I suppose they have to ask him about their sister… what's her name, the girl who had a crush on Harry Potter? You know, the timid little girl? The dormouse?" the girl asked exasperated. Harry put a restraining arm on Ron who looked ready to stab someone.
"Ignore them," Hermione advised, although she was stabbing her chicken with her fork.
" You know what I heard? Well," the girl started again, " I heard that the girl's body was found in an alley way, several feet behind a little girl. People think that the Weasley was hiding when the little girl came. A Death Eater found them and the little Weasley pushed the girl up front, hoping to save her skin. Pitiful excuse for a Gryffindor I tell you. Couldn't even defe-"
The Gryffindors who overheard her, jumped up. " What were you saying about my sister?" Ron hissed, his arm tensed against his side, butter knife in hand. Her eyes widened and she eased slightly away from him.
" What did you say?" Fred pressed on.
" It's extremely rude to eavesdrop on other people's conversation," the girl said snottily.
" You were spreading lies, that's what you were doing. My sister was helping us fend of the Death Eaters while you were running back to the castle with your head hiding up your arse," George hissed.
The girl dropped her jaw and her nostrils flared," Well. You have to admit, why was she in the alley in the first place? If she wasn't hiding, which is most likely, what else was she doing?"
" She died protecting the girl. She died to save someone she didn't know. She risked her life moving towards the offensive while you were retreating," Hermione grounded out, stepping forward. " She could have gone back to the safety of the castle like many of you did."
Hermione screamed, waving her arms around the Hall. " But no! She stayed and she died! She wasn't suppose to but she did. And then after her death, we have people like you, spreading rumors, ruining her reputation. You disgust me."
The Ravenclaw looked taken back before she opened her mouth again, " You disgust me, you little lying Mudblood."
The Gryffindor erupted with angry words but Hermione beat them to it. Hermione did something so completely out of character, so un-Hermione like that it sent the whole table back down on their seats. Hermione punched the Ravenclaw square in the nose.
"Ah!" she screamed. She fell back against the table, her hands clutching her nose.
" Silence!" Dumbledore shouted. The Ravenclaw table and the Gryffindor table looked anxiously at him. " I will not tolerate this in my school. 100 points taken from the Gryffindor house and 110 points will be taken from the Ravenclaw house."
"What!" the Ravenclaws screamed.
" I have my reasons. True Miss Granger used an intolerable act of violence but she was provoked. Her late friend just passed away and here, Miss Martins spread vile and untrue things about her. Miss Martins wasn't told to say such things, she acted upon it herself. Miss Martins, go to the Hospital Wing to get your injury fixed," Dumbledore ordered. The Ravenclaw left whimpering with two of her friends accompanying her. " Miss Granger, please keep better control of your temper in the future."
The Hall quieted down but glances were still thrown at Hermione. Hermione sat down, fixing her dinner.
" That was a bloody good punch," Ron said proudly, sitting down beside her.
" I know," she said smugly. She winced a bit, " My hand hurts though."
To Be Continued
Chapter Six - Taking A Step Forward
Notes: That's the fifth chapter! I would mostly likely not finish this by the time the fifth book come out. I don't except a lot of people to read my story. But remember, my story will span over several years so you'll see something beyond Harry's Fifth year.
I'll like to thank my reviewers!
Saerelle- Wow! You reviewed twice! I'm very thankful for that. Firstly, the Bermuda Triangle thingy was just a spark. I have no idea where I got it. Also, you're welcome. I would hate for the story to end so quickly, it'll have several chapters (probably over 20 or maybe even 30). And I'm updating now!
HopefulTears - Sorry! I just couldn't end the story like that!
Erika Skyfire - Lolx. I don't really want to do that. I'm going to put twists and turns to the story!