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 Six
" Do you think they'll stop anytime soon?" Orlando asked Milan quietly. She shook her head.
" You didn't say that!" Ginny screeched. She picked up her glass and threw it at Hayden. He ducked and the glass shattered into pieces.
" I did and I'll say it again!" he screamed back. He flicked his wrist and a hazy barrier formed around him. Ginny let out a furious shriek.
" You coward! Come out now! I'm going to kick you right where it hurts! I'll kick you so hard you won't reproduce in this life, your next life and the ten lifetimes after that!" Ginny screamed, stepping in front of his barrier. He paled a bit but he recovered.
" You couldn't kick the broad side of a barn," he spat. She screamed frustrated and all the glasses in the room broke to pieces.
" You come out now! It's not like I asked for you to be my Handler! Imagine my glee," she spoke sarcastically, waving her hands manically, " when I found out you're Marvin Lionhart's son! Oh, I'm so happy!"
" You do you think they're so hostile towards each other?" Leila asked, peering cautiously at them. Ginny had thrown another object at Hayden and it bounced off. Nicholas and Bryan ducked to avoid it.
" Beats me," Bryan screamed, getting up.
~*~
Time: Saturday 21st September 1996 - 1430 hours
" Now a mentor is usually of the same gender, that way they can talk to you about problems that your gender faces. She'll teach you the ropes, show you around the islands, and will be there to listen to all your problems. A Handler is there to help you train, an outside tutor from your regular classes. He'll help you with your weaponry, wandless magic, etc. Anything that has to do with your training. Handler can be either gender. To him, you are his asset. He'll also help organize your missions and usually, once you are a War Mage Third Class, he'll accompany you on your missions. Depending on what type it is. A standard operation, where you relocate or exterminate dangerous animals and raids. A class B mission, where the danger increases, is usually an order of rescue, extraction or capture. A class A mission, where there is definite opposition fire and there is always combat," Aglaia explained.
Ginny made a noise, showing that she understood. She swept her hair out of her tired eyes and she sighed.
" You can rest here for a few hours before going. Or if you want, you can meet your Handler. He happens to be here."
Ginny choose the latter. She wanted to make a friend before going to Neptune's island. Aglaia left to retrieve her Handler. Ginny sighed and leaned back, stretching on her seat.
" Having fun?" a gruff voice asked.
Ginny opened one eye and saw a blurry figure. She opened the other and everything came to focus.
" Not really. Are you my Handler?" Ginny said brightly. She straightened up and observed the person in front of her.
He was tall and her neck was hurting from looking up. He had a lean built but the black t-shirt he wore hugged his form, showing off his muscles. The sleeves off his arms. On his right bicep, he had tattoo of a silver wolf, raising its snout in a howl. On his left forearm he sported a large King Cobra. Wound around his right wrist was a tail that lead to a furious tiger.
He had absolutely beautiful golden eyes that was streak with blue-gray hues. His face was chiseled, an outdoor look, with a slack squared looking jaw. He had a sharp hairline, the sides sloping towards the center in a sharp point, with tousled, spiky sandy brown hair.
" Yes," he drawled. He peered down at her.
" What's your name? Mine's -"
" Ginny Weasley," he finished. " I know. I'm Hayden Lionhart."
Ginny, who was extending a hand out, withdrew it quickly.
"Lionhart? As in Marvin Lionhart? That Lionhart?" she asked. He nodded.
" My father told me plenty about you," Hayden informed.
" Coming from your father, it can't be good," she responded.
" You're right. None of what he said was nice," Hayden agreed casually.
She stood up, hoping to gain a few inches, and discovered that he was nearly a foot taller than her, maybe even more. Slightly irked, she arranged her stanza into a defensive mode. She crossed her arms and stood fully upright. She had always been a little short, edging past 5'3" . Even though most of her family was tall, that trait completely bypassed her.
" You shouldn't believe in everything that he says," Ginny advised. She looked defiantly in his eyes. He stared back, hard and long.
" Why shouldn't I?" he asked, still holding the gaze.
" Because it might not be true," she whispered. She tossed her head back, her head tilted in a superior angle.
" And what do you know? What did he say?"
" I don't know," she shrugged. " But not everything can be bad, he could have thrown in a compliment or two," she smirked.
" Really? All he said was that you manage to deconstruct every law that the Order has and slipped in. You know nothing of our ways. Don't just assume you have privileges because Aglaia has taken a liking to you," he snarled.
Ginny clenched her hands on her arms, looking at him is amusement, " Shows what you know. I might not know everything but I'm not totally clueless."
" Still, what makes you think you can handle the training? Or qualify at the least," he stared at her.
" Because I am. That simple. So I didn't have to wait six months like everyone else but that doesn't make me different. At least I have the seven Armars credits."
" Please, seven Armars credits. Anyone can get them," he rolled his eyes. They stopped and looked at her again. She fidgeted.
I wish he would stop, she thought.
" How did you get them? And how much in total?" he asked.
" I got them from Auror preparation camp. I got at least twenty," she stated proudly.
" How long have you been going to Auror camp?" he asked quickly.
She rolled her eyes, " I've been going ever since I was twelve. Considering that most people can't even get an average of three credits each year, I'm pretty good."
" Doesn't matter. Just because you were able to exceed in the wimpy division, doesn't mean you'll get through the training on Towerman's Island. I'll be surprise if you even last after one class," he commented cruelly.
" You're just like your father you know that?" she snapped. " Just as stubborn, arrogant and cruel. I bet you supported him when he handed over you sister. He did that to keep his place, I bet," she blurted, " I bet you did it to exceed in your level. How-"
He flared and pushed her heavily from the shoulders. She was swept off of her feet, landing back in her seat. The force sent the chair back, making her tumble onto the floor. " Ack!" she screamed, as her legs slammed painfully into another chair.
" Don't you dare say anything like that," he whispered furiously above her. He squatted down and helped her up. She was dazed but she noticed that he was shaking, his hand trembling as it supported her from her lower back.
" Get off of me," she shouted, pushing him off. She stumbled, nearly falling back on a table. He caught her and steadied her, pulling her upright.
" I'm sorry," he snapped. " I lost my temper there."
" No, I wouldn't call that losing your temper. You hit a girl after she gave you a mere verbal jibe. How pathetic," Ginny snapped. She wrenched herself free and stood steady on her on feet, waiting for the pain and stars to fade away.
" That's why you should keep you mouth closed. You offend more people than you think," he snapped.
Ginny glared at him, only to see that he was looking her up and down.
" You're okay?" he asked in disbelief.
" Of course, I am," she said, pursing her lips. Actually, her shoulder was hurting from where he had gripped them and she was sure they were bruising.
" Either you're a mutant, not human or…" he trailed. " No one could have stood up like you are after a War Mage hurt them. You should be unconscious. Or maybe you're just hard headed."
Ginny flared and stepped forward and did something that would've had Hermione scream with disapproval. She punched him.
A dull thud echoed through the air as her fist collided with his cheek. His head snapped back and he on his rear.
" You…" he sputtered, clutching his bleeding nose. He looked at her in amazement and hatred. She sniffed delicately and brushed her robes off. Smiling her sweetest smile, she turned and left.
Hayden sat searching through his sleeveless robes for his wand. He clasped it and pointed it at his nose. " Nutredela," he whispered. White sparks shot out his ten inch, black oak and sphinx tail wand. He gingerly prodded it and winced as shots of pain spread across the left side of his face. That little wretch broke his nose. How humiliating. He prodded it again and hissed as more pain drifted across his face.
He hated Ginny Weasley.
~*~
Present Time: Sunday 22nd September 1996 0056 hours
" Come out or I'll punch you harder than I did before!" Ginny screamed. Hayden jumped and the barrier broke. Ginny rushed forward but Hayden clasped his hand out his mouth.
"You punched him?" Sydney asked, laughing. Hayden scowled and pushed her away. She rubbed her neck and glared at him.
" Of course I did. He was being an arsehole. I punched him good too, right across the cheek. I think I got his nose too, it was bleeding," she said proudly. She raised her eyebrows at him. He flushed red, flexing his fingers tensely, wanting nothing to cut off her oxygen supply so she couldn't speak anymore.
" Really?" Yami asked. Stepping forward, she order Hayden not to move.
" What? Why?" he asked.
Yami rolled her eyes and clutched his jaw. He winced and she pressed lightly on his nose.
" Don't do that!" he said through gritted teeth.
" It hurt, didn't it?" Ginny said bitterly. " It was self defense, I swear!" she defend when everyone looked at her. " He hit me first!"
To prove it, she dragged down the tank top at her left shoulder. A large ugly, brownish purple bruise appeared.
" Hayden! You hit a girl!" his sister, Dolly, gasped. He grumbled.
" She said stuff!" he growled. Yami fixed his nose.
" That's no reason to hit her!" Milan reproached, examining the bruise. Ginny smirked at him and he felt anger rage through him.
Yes, he definitely hated Ginny Weasley.
~*~
" She's not gone!" Molly sobbed. She covered her face in a damp handkerchief.
Harry shuffled uncomfortably from on foot to another. The Weasley family, him and Hermione were gathering at the Burrow (they were excused from school) for Ginny's funeral. Nothing in the Burrow seemed right anymore. No explosions, no screaming, no nothing.
The teenagers felt uncomfortable as Molly cried, her eyes red and swollen. Arthur led her out to the backyard for fresh air. Her children, Hermione and Harry sat sad and sober, scattered as the living room.
Every once in a while, one would glance at the family clock and find that Ginny's hand was rested on "Dead". It was simple, blunt and harsh.
" Ginny used to roast marshmallows in the fire," Bill suddenly said. He stared longingly at the fireplace as if hoping for Ginny suddenly pop up with a toasted marshmallow in hand.
" Remember when she set fire to the Christmas tree?" Ron asked wistfully.
" Had Mum running around like a headless chicken," Fred laughed hollowly.
Hermione sat like a statue, her hands clasped tightly in her lap.
" What's wrong 'Mione?" Ron asked. He brushed some hair out of her face tenderly and let his arm slide down to rest over hers. This action did not go unnoticed but none of his brothers had the heart to tease him right now. No, not now. Maybe later but not now.
" Nothing," she whispered. She glanced at her watch. " It's time," she said hesitantly. The six brothers stood up.
Outside the garden, the last of the flowers were writhing and the garden had been cleaned. Molly wanted her daughter buried here, wanted her daughter to be closed to her. Ginny's coffin would be buried behind the large maple tree. She used to spend many summer nights, sitting in the cool shade and eating a bowl of ice cream.
" Harry, please go get Arthur? Along with you six, " Molly directed towards her sons. " He's fixing…her coffin up."
She croaked on the last sentence, bursting into tears. Hermione ushered them away, putting a comforting arm on Molly.
Arthur finished dabbing the potion on the duplicate and slowly, the features morphed to match his daughter's exactly. Just to be safe, he poured a little of the potion into the corpse's mouth, forcing it down with some magic. He screwed the cap back on the flask and the liquid swished inside.
" Mr. Weasley?" Harry's voice called. Arthur jumped and hastily stuffed the flask underneath the body, hiding it in the robes' folds. Fixing it around to make the coffin seem perfectly normal, he turned towards the door that Harry and his sons appeared through.
" Yes?" he said.
" Mum said it's time to bury Ginny," Ron explained, his eyes resting sadly on the wooden coffin.
"Well, then. I suppose," Arthur sighed. " Get a look at her before we close the coffin."
Her brothers didn't move, afraid to move but Harry stepped forward. He stopped at the edged, peering into the box. Ginny was laying perfectly still, her new robes immaculate (Molly had spent the whole day howling about how Ginny couldn't get new robes until now). Her face was pale, drained of all blood. Her hands were clasped over her stomach, her eyes closed in eternal sleep. Harry placed his hand over her hands, her cold hands. He leaned in and brushed his lips against her forehead. Straightening up, he quickly excused himself. Stepping outside, he breath heavily.
He remembered back to the last time he saw her. He remembered how nice and content he felt when she wrapped her arms around him. He remembered how smooth her lips felt, a little slippery from makeup, and how she smelled when he leaned in to return the kiss. He remembered the tingle when his lips made contact with her cheek. He clearly remembered her small intake of breath when he pulled back. And he remembered how he had pushed her to leave. A sense of guilt and despair crept up his spine as he heard Ginny's brothers come out, all of them supporting her coffin. As they passed him, he brushed his fingers against the unfeeling wood.
His green eyes watched them walk to Molly. She left too soon, left way too soon, in his opinion. But they didn't have anything, Harry and her, so she didn't leave anything behind. Only him.
To Be Continued
Chapter Seven - Adapting
Notes: Ah! Another chapter down! Whoa! I'm already on the seventh chapter. I'm such a speedy writer… I should proofread more….
Erika Skyfire - Thank you. I thought it was really good too =D. I'm so conceited. Lolx. I thought it was a light chapter to fill up the spaces, a gradually progress in my plot! Thank you!
AndyrRozman - Well, thank you! Thanks for reviewing. Uh… I don't know if Harry would be the one to expose the "truth" but I think it would be a surprising person. Just remember, I have a lot of surprises up my sleeve! You have to read to find out!
Theauthorthatwrites - I'm blushing… I'm in your favorites? Well, here's your update! It's interesting? It should be to make to write almost everyday!
KeeperofTheMoon - If you think that was sad, well here is a fairly sad chapter on my part! I think want to end it the way I ended it but it just came naturally.