Ron's Recognition
Chapter 24
"We're in deep shit," Blackmoon yelled, neatly describing exactly what Harry had been thinking.
"There's no other option. We have to get out of here," Wilson said. "The Portkeys are ready to go."
"You can't leave without the princess. Chances are we've been identified as Rangers. The only way the situation can be salvaged is if we actually get the princess out. The resulting embarrassment and the fact that we'd have the princess would keep the Japanese from acting on that knowledge and complaining to the International Confederation of Wizards. Hopefully we'll be able to restore our relations with the empire if we prove that this crisis would have had global consequences," Faust said.
Harry grimaced. Everything would be solved if they could prove that the situation was all part of a great and sinister plot that went beyond the borders of the wizarding empire of Japan. But if they failed to do so, it would probably be the end of the Order of Illumination. They'd be forced to disband for certain.
"We have no choice but to see this through to the end," Faust continued. "Listen to Weasley; he'll help you out."
"Don't lose your heads," Ron's voice rang strong and steady through their ear-pieces. "You're lucky that Lieutenant Osman was smart enough to stick his beads to the walls. I have a clear image of all the traffic in the corridors you've passed through. I'll warn you if there's any opposition. Now move it."
They set off, making double time down the stairs they'd ascended.
"I'm guessing the princess has got to be somewhere behind one of the reinforced doors you passed on your way up…or down, whichever way you want to see it. I think you've been pointed to deepest part of the fortress, where potential escapees are meant to end up. The cells are closer to the surface."
Harry knew which doors Ron was talking about. He'd also thought that they would lead to cells.
"I'm getting images from one of the beads," Ron continued after a few minutes. "They're setting up a defence at the second intersection. Seventeen individuals in all… I think they've got some Curse Capsules. They're placing teams of seven in each side corridor, and remaining three are taking up position behind the archway. Be alert, because I still haven't worked something out."
"What's that?" Riyadi asked, not breaking stride.
"The teams in the side corridors are hugging the walls, but they're otherwise exposed. Even without my forewarning you'd have been able to see them quickly enough to get a few shots off at them. There has to be a missing element to this plan, one I'm not aware of…wait a second! Was there a door some two hundred feet back?"
"No…why?" Osman replied.
"Three more wizards appeared in the corridor. They must've come out of a secret passage."
Harry turned around, but he saw nothing because the corridor curved in such a manner that made it impossible to see anything beyond thirty paces.
"I'll leave them a delayed Stun Capsule," Wilson said, taking a Curse Capsule out of his pouch.
"Not yet," Ron warned. "I think I know what they're up to. The party chasing you is matching your speed. I don't think they'll close in for another two minutes, until you're nearly into the trap. They'll try to startle you into taking cover in the side corridors, making it easy for the seven on either side to take you out."
"Why not try one of these routes?" Brody asked. They were nearing the first intersection.
"You're welcome to try, Brody," Faust said calmly. "Of course, you'd be headed into an area that isn't covered by our beads. There's no telling where you'd end up."
"Probably a dead end," Ron's voice came back again. "That's why they set up the trap at the next intersection and not this one. You'd have nowhere to go, and no choice but to go back the way you came. All right…now slow down just a little, let the pursuit gain some ground. Wilson, get ready to drop your capsule."
Riyadi began issuing orders. "Potter, Blackmoon, the corridor on the left will be yours. Bert," he continued, addressing Wortelgraaf by the abbreviation of his first name, "you and Osman will take the one on the right. Yuriko, we'll deal with the ones behind the archway."
"Wilson! Ready…now!" Ron said, and Wilson shoved the capsule backwards. Harry briefly heard the clatter over the collective drumming of their footsteps as it rolled away, followed by a whooshing sound as it detonated a handful of seconds later.
"Effect?" Wilson queried.
"None of them are moving," Ron answered. "Get ready!"
They were nearly at the intersection now. The archway was straight ahead. Harry exhaled and prepared to unlock the massive power contained deep within him. He concentrated…and nothing happened! He must have done something wrong, he realised, as he cleared the corridor and reached the intersection. His steps faltered and he came to a halt.
"Harry! What in the bloody blazes do you think you're doing?" Ron roared through the ear-piece, tearing Harry out his shock. "Watch out!"
It was much too late! Harry felt his body stiffen as he was hexed with the full body bind and fell facedown. Inwardly he was seething. How could he have been distracted like that? He calmed his mind and readied himself to tap into his power again so he could throw off the hex. It didn't work, and he started to panic. He could feel the power, but he couldn't get to it. It was like he was trying to grab a mist that immediately slipped through his fingers as his hand closed around it.
Helplessly he lay there, hoping the Rangers would get the upper hand. All that time Ron was frantically talking to him, but he didn't hear a word Ron was saying. He was trying to work out what was wrong. Merlin had taught him how to unlock the power inside him. He'd done everything right. There shouldn't have been any problems, because he'd long since realised that Ginny was the key…
His heart momentarily froze up like his body. Ginny hadn't listened to Hermione. That was what was wrong. She hated him and that took away the key that unlocked his power. He should have realised it sooner! The other Rangers had expected him to be strong. Now they would pay the price for his betrayal of Ginny too. It was all his fault!
Suddenly he felt his body loosen up again. The counter-curse had been performed, and to his relief he saw that the Rangers had prevailed. Everyone seemed all right, except for Blackmoon, who clutched his head as he sat upright.
"Must've hit it on the way down," he grumbled. Then he looked at Harry accusingly. "Where were you?"
"Your thoughts were somewhere else, weren't they?" Riyadi accused.
"That's enough!" Faust interrupted. "We'll discuss that when you get back. You have to continue forward. Weasley has some data for you."
"Go ahead, Weasley," Osman said, gesturing for them to resume their double-time jog.
"About six hundred feet from your current position you'll encounter two doors on your right hand side. I just saw four individuals go into the one you'll come upon first. I can't be sure, but I'm assuming there might be something or someone important behind that door."
"Is it magically charged?" Wilson asked.
"Not that I can see," Ron answered. "And I think you ought to speed things up. Four went in but five came out. They might be trying to evacuate the princess."
They all broke into a sprint. Blackmoon turned into a prairie falcon and winged his way ahead of them, disappearing from their sight as he swooped, around a corner. Harry was about to try and tap into his power once more, but he knew it wasn't going to work. He'd been able to boost his physical performance with wand-less magic before he returned from the Mirror Realm, even though it wasn't half as impressive as what he'd been able to do after Ginny declared her love to him. That would have to do for now.
He and Lieutenant Osman began to outdistance the others quickly. Hopefully they'd catch whoever was trying to leave before they got the chance to do so, Harry thought, as he flashed by the first reinforced door and then the second. Seconds later, they were upon the five people. Three wizards and a witch were trying to curse Blackmoon's falcon form, while a smaller, dazed-looking witch sat on the floor.
Harry drew his wand and shot a stunner at the closest wizard. Before he hit the ground, Lieutenant Osman's stunner struck the witch. However, these wizards were much quicker than most, and the remaining two had their wands trained on Harry and Lieutenant Osman before they were able to take proper aim themselves. At that moment, Blackmoon dove and snatched the wand out of the hand of the wizard who'd been aiming at Harry. But nothing could be done about the other wizard, who snarled a curse.
Harry saw green! The wizard had used the vile Killing Curse. He resisted the urge to look back at Osman and aimed his wand by memory, making sure he was aiming low so as not to strike Blackmoon by accident. Fighting his desire to unleash the same curse the bastard had so indiscriminately used on Osman, Harry let loose with the most powerful stunner he could muster. It tore through a Shield Charm the wizard had cast as if it hadn't even been there, and knocked the wizard back ten feet, before he slammed into a wall…hard. The sound of crunching bones was almost satisfying.
With no more obvious enemies around, he spared a moment to look behind him. Tension bled out of him when he saw Osman clamber to his feet and give him thumbs up.
"Blind shot. Not bad!"
Harry was glad that Wolfe had taught him that particular trick. If he hadn't been able to do it, the wizard might have got off another shot.
"Is this her?" Blackmoon had transformed back and was bending over the small figure. It was a woman.
Harry crouched down and looked into her face. It was the princess all right…or was it? They'd been deceived once before. "It looks like her."
"Right, we've been had once already," Osman nodded.
Yuriko, Shinji and the other Rangers finally joined then. It had only been maybe ten seconds at most, but their separation had felt like an eternity. They surveyed the damage, and Yuriko's eyes fell on the princess. "Sayuki-sama!" she gasped. "Is she all right?"
"Do you have her?" Faust inquired from the Cruiser.
"Let's just say that we have someone that looks like her," Osman answered cautiously. "However, in light of recent events—"
"I understand," Faust replied. "Wortelgraaf, Wilson, sweep her for a Portkey or some form of tracking device."
The two Intel Curse Breakers quickly submitted the woman to a barrage of detection spells while the others guarded the corridor.
"If there's a tracking device, these people deserve to beat us," Wilson said finally.
"Good enough! Potter, grab her and Portkey back to the Cruiser. Kozminski is ready with a spell to see if that person is Polyjuiced. The rest of you will secure the stunned opposition and search the room they came out of. There might be some more intelligence. When we're sure that she's indeed Princess Matsu we'll signal the retreat."
Harry was a little bothered by the fact that he had been ordered to return to the Cruiser. It had rarely happened before, even when he'd gone on missions with other higher ranked Combat Rangers. Because of his power and skill he'd always served as a rear guard, leaving only when everyone else had left. He knew why he was ordered out first. Captain Faust didn't trust him anymore!
He knew better than to complain to the highest-ranking Ranger of the Martial Division. He grabbed the woman's arm and touched the Portkey on his wrist to activate it. He felt the jerking sensation behind his navel again and the world spun around him. He landed flat on his feet in the Cruiser's lower cargo hold, where the Portkey had been charmed to take him.
Kozminski had been waiting for him there. The Medical Ranger quickly performed a spell Harry had never heard before. It caused the princess to glow with an off-white aura for a minute. Then the aura turned blue and Kozminski sighed with relief. Then he scooped the lightweight princess into his arms and stepped onto a levitation platform. It carried them up into the upper deck.
Moments later, the other Rangers appeared in the cargo hold all around him.
"Well, it could've gone better, but no-one got hurt, right?" Wilson said cheerfully. "I need a drink. Who else wants some of Faust's best?" he asked, and stalked off to Captain Faust's private locker.
"I'll have a triple," Brody called, following him.
Harry briefly felt the Cruiser lurch into motion, before the inertial dampening charm compensated for the effects of motion.
"Harry," Ron's voice came softly but urgently through his ear-piece. "I need to talk to you."
But he didn't feel like discussing what Ron wanted to ask him. How was he going to explain that he could no longer live up to the Rangers' expectations?
"I know you don't want to talk about it," Ron's voice returned, "but you have to. It's about Ginny, isn't it?"
Harry groaned. "I think I liked you better when you were an oblivious git."
"She'll come around, Harry. But you shouldn't let it distract you like this in the meantime."
"Easy for you to say."
"Come on up so we can talk about it. It'll stay between us. If you don't, I'll have to tell Hermione about it! You don't want her nagging at you, do you?"
Harry snorted. "Damn…oh, all right."
He called down a levitation platform and stepped onto it. He rose to the upper deck where Ron was waiting for him. Unfortunately, so was Captain Faust, and Harry had a feeling that he'd listened in on their brief exchange. He shot a glare at Ron, but the redhead just shrugged.
"I do what I must."
"Harry," Faust interrupted. The fact that he'd used his first name was a bit reassuring. Whatever he said now would probably be off the record. "I know your trouble with Ginny is bothering you. If you needed extra time to sort things out with her, you should just have said so."
"I'm sorry," Harry mumbled.
"No, don't apologise. It doesn't matter anymore. Everybody got out safely. Still, the others would like to know about your lapse at the intersection. What exactly went wrong there?"
Harry rubbed the bridge of his nose, a reflexive pose that stemmed back from the years that he wore glasses. He didn't know how to explain this.
"Are you unable to concentrate?" Faust asked, trying to offer him a hook to latch on to.
"It's not that, sir. My trouble with Ginny doesn't distract me if I don't let it. What I do when I have those huge power increases isn't what you do when you briefly magnify your power. I can do that too…that's what I did when I gave chase to the guards who tried to take the princess away. But when I really power up, I tap into the very core of my soul…does that make any sense to you?"
"Not really, but I understand that you use a different technique than standard concentration and magnification." Faust nodded. "Go on."
"It all comes back to the first time I was able to do this," Harry said, remembering the day of the solar eclipse when he'd returned from the Mirror Realm…the day Ginny had been about to marry Malfoy. His mouth soured because of that thought. Why was Ginny giving him such a hard time, really? She'd been about to marry Malfoy! Of course, she'd been under his control at the time. But Harry knew it hadn't started out that way. She'd been willing at first. She had no right to be giving him such a hard time!
"Harry?" Ron waved his hand in front of Harry's scowling face, bringing him back to the present.
"Sorry," he muttered bitterly, "I just got caught in some memories of that day."
"I was remembering it myself," Faust grinned. "I've never seen anything like the way you destroyed the demon copy."
Harry frowned. "I guess the urgency of the situation contributed to that. I was never able to draw on that much power again. But I'm digressing…
"The reason I was able to unleash that power from deep within is because I found the key. Merlin's memory told me I needed to find some kind of key that would unlock my full potential. It was Ginny…or her love, I dunno. But now that she hates me—"
"She doesn't!" Ron said quickly.
"It doesn't matter, Ron. It feels like she does. And that's why I can't tap into my special power anymore. I tried to do it at the intersection, and when it didn't work, I was so shocked I forgot to act."
"I understand," Faust nodded.
"But now that I know this, I won't even try to do it." Harry looked at Captain Faust. "So rest assured that it won't happen again. I'll use my normal power."
"Captain!" Kozminski suddenly called. "Our newest passenger isn't very happy to be here. She demands to be returned at once…hey!"
The petite princess shoved the medic aside and imperiously strode over to Harry. "You must bring me back. I have to atone for my weakness and save my family's honour."
Harry briefly wondered why the princess was talking to him, when he remembered what Wolfe had taught him. While Faust was the senior Ranger, Harry's defeat of Voldemort and Skaras marked him as the most exalted Ranger.
"Err, we have a very good reason actually, right Ron?"
Ron nodded. "We do. Your Highness, were we wrong to assume that seppuku might have been a possible fate for you?"
"It's the way things are done for my people," she replied coolly.
"I understand that," Ron continued patiently, "but what if your death was a means to bring even more misery to your family. What if your blood would be used to seal a powerful curse over them, like the death of the maho-witch who cursed your family a few decades ago?"
"Do you have any evidence of this?" she asked.
"I'd be lying if I said we weren't basing a lot of our theory on assumptions at this point. However, history has taught us that it's better to act preventively sometimes. If we turn out to be wrong after we've sorted this out, we'll turn you over into the custody of your people again. In the meantime, we can't allow anything to happen to you."
"You will return me after your investigation is done?"
Ron looked to Captain Faust for confirmation.
The senior Ranger nodded. "Yes, Your Highness."
"I have your word?"
"I'm not the final authority, but as things stand now, I can confirm that you will be returned if our search comes up empty. So yes, you have my word."
She seemed satisfied with Captain Faust's answer. "Very well. However, I demand quarters appropriate to my station. This healing ward will do for now," the princess said haughtily. Then she turned on her heel and strode back into the infirmary.
Harry shook his head. "As if her cell was a luxurious accommodation."
"It was," Captain Faust smiled. "Like a proverbial golden cage, right, Weasley? We saw it through Brody's goggles. He caught a glimpse of it before Portkeying back…Weasley?"
Ron was gaping at the entrance of the infirmary.
Harry chuckled. "Oy, Ron…I know she's a pretty little witch, but I don't think Hermione would appreciate the look on your face."
Ron closed his mouth and scowled. "She's not my type, you git. I just noticed something about her, and I'm actually quite surprised that neither of you have."
"What are you talking about?" Harry frowned.
"Except for the colour of her eyes, she could be Mayumi's identical twin!"
"Honestly, Weasley, you're imagining things!"
"We'll see about that," Ron challenged and strode over to a console. He worked the controls and summoned the data on Mayumi, producing a holographic image of the Japanese Ranger. He transferred it to a mirror screen they used to profile dark wizards and used it to change her eye-colour.
Harry drew in a sharp breath. It was true. "Bloody hell. I can't believe how much different the eyes can make someone look."
"It could be a coincidence," Faust said carefully. "But in all my time as a Ranger, I've learned that most things we deal with aren't. I'm going to find out what this is all about. You can join the others down below. I'll let you know what turns up. Good job, Weasley."
Ron's ears never failed to turn red whenever he got a bit of recognition. "Just doing my job."
Faust clapped Ron on the shoulder. "I'll be sure to mention your insight to the commanders and your immediate superiors. Really, good work!" he beamed. Then he hurried into the infirmary.
Harry gave Ron a once over. "Hermione's really rubbing off on you, isn't she?"
"It isn't just Hermione. It's the training too. I can't help but be observant these days," Ron answered as they stepped onto the levitation platform.
"Really? Well, oh wise one, can you tell me why the Japanese are so eager to kill themselves all the time?"
Ron shrugged. "Culture. I understand intellectually, but if you ask me what goes through their heads, I can't begin to guess. It's their own business, though," he said, wincing. "But to set fire to seven state-of-the-art racing brooms after losing a match, that's a bloody awful sin no matter what culture you're from."
Harry grinned. That was the Ron he knew!
A chorus of cheers rose to meet them as he and Ron descended on the platform. Brody and Wortelgraaf pulled Ron off the platform before it had completely touched down and treated him to hearty backslaps before they hoisted him onto their shoulders.
"What's this for?" he asked. Harry grinned when he saw that his friend had gone beet-red.
"For helping us turn that trap against the ones who set it." Osman smiled.
Ron was lowered down to the ground and a bottle of expensive-looking ale was pressed into his hand.
"Hey, we're not supposed to have these on board."
"Tell that to Captain Faust," Wilson laughed. "We liberated it from his locker. Don't worry, he won't mind. If he complains, we'll threaten to tell his wife why those love-handles still haven't disappeared yet."
There was on odd feeling in the pit of Harry's stomach as he regarded the jolly scene in front of him. He knew he was slightly jealous of the attention Ron was getting, but no one deserved it more than Ron did.
"Three cheers for one of the greatest strategic minds the Order has ever known!" a slurred voice shouted. "Hip, hip—"
"Hurrah!" the others cheered.
"May the fact that his girlfriend's got him whipped never dull his wit!" Brody added, giving rise to a new round of laughter.
"At least I've got a girlfriend, Brody," Ron grinned.
Brody touched his heart. "A good shot, even if it was a tad below the belt. But why buy a cow if ye can have the milk fer free?"
"Milk always goes sour after a while. The cow is the best thing in the long run."
"Hip, hip—"
"Hurrah!"
"And may he be our guide in many more missions to come," Riyadi said solemnly.
"Hurrah!" The Rangers said for the last time and everybody settled down.
The mood was merry and relaxed and Harry almost forgot about his troubles for the moment. The boys were leaving Yuriko alone, since she was talking to Shinji. The young man wasn't looking too happy. Harry could sympathise. He knew what it felt like to leave everything you know and care about behind, even if it was for the best.
After his third bottle of butterbeer, Riyadi sat down beside him. "Are you all right?"
Harry only nodded, not sure what kind of reaction the lieutenant was expecting.
"I apologise for the way I reacted earlier," the Indonesian wizard continued. "Everybody makes mistakes, even you. I know you're going through some tough times. If anyone deserves for things to go his way, it's you. You've done so much for the world and yet you never seem to get a break. I was out of line."
"I don't deserve any special consideration," Harry protested.
"I think you do," Riyadi sighed. "You see, you are special. You're special and you know it. It gives you a superiority complex. But you don't want to have a superiority complex, so you have an inferiority complex about having a superiority complex."
Harry looked at the lieutenant quizzically. "You've lost me."
Riyadi smiled. "It's okay to acknowledge your greater power and destiny. That's all I'm saying."
"Wait…what do you mean? I'm just plain old Harry! The only reason I survived that Killing Curse is because of my mum's sacrifice. I'm not some demigod—"
"Everyone, listen up!" Faust bellowed as he came descended into the cargo deck on a levitation platform.
The Rangers rose and stood at attention.
"Our mission was more productive than we realised. Thanks to Weasley's insight, we've discovered some startling information. The heiress to the imperial throne of the Japanese Wizarding Empire is genetically identical to Mayumi Sakai."
"Told ye they looked alike!" Brody slurred, causing Faust to frown at him.
"Have you been drinking my ale?"
"No sir!" The Scotsman nodded instead of shaking his head, and the subsequent belch released the strong alcoholic odour of the ale.
"Twins?" Yuriko gasped.
"Identical twins," Faust nodded. "I had Kozminski draw a blood sample and compare it to Mayumi's."
"But this girl's got grey eyes," Osman said.
"We're still working on that. Right now we're assuming that Mayumi has a semi-permanent eye-colouring charm on her that doesn't wear off with time and can be removed with a counter charm."
"Why would they have sent her away?" Harry asked.
"I honestly don't know," Faust said, and looked at Yuriko for an answer. "Any thoughts?"
Yuriko shook her head.
"Do you think Mayumi knows she's an imperial princess?" Riyadi asked.
"My guess would be that she doesn't," Ron said. "I don't think it would be too farfetched to assume that Mayumi was kept ignorant of her heritage for her own protection. Such things have happened on other occasions."
Harry fidgeted as Ron gave him a knowing look. His friend's transformation into a master planner was getting quite spooky.
"That could be a reason," Faust nodded. "On another note, it seems Kelly ran into some trouble at Caer Sidi. Malfoy was already there when he arrived."
"Hermione!" Ron groaned.
"She was hurt. But she's going to be okay. I have no details as of yet. They were lucky that someone tried to contact their Cruiser before they were scheduled to report in. Otherwise they might have been too late.
"I'm sorry, but it seems like we're going to have to make a detour to Caer Sidi to relieve the people who are already there. Since most of us were in the field, Commander Ironheart scraped together some off-duty Intel analysts, artificers and some trainees. Even Heidi Gravenstein from the D and P Division volunteered to go. But they're hardly ideal defenders."
"What about 'Her Imperial Worshipfulness' upstairs?" Ron asked.
"I've been told that Caer Sidi has some very opulent quarters. We'll put her in one until we're ready to move on."
"The artificers and medics—" Harry began, hoping that Ginny was one of them.
"She's there," Faust smiled. "You can work things out with her."
***
Important! Please read.
I'll be answering reviews now, beginning with the following one. If you haven't read OotP yet you might want to close your eyes and scroll past my answer to CR's review because it contains some mild spoiler-like passages. I did my best not to write down real spoilers, but a smart individual might be able to deduce what happens in the book by reading them.
CR: First of all, I didn't say it was going to be Harry/Ginny. I only said it definitely isn't going to be Harry/Hermione. Your answer, however, had a rather sarcastic tone and could easily be interpreted as an attack by less enlightened folk. However, since you've been reading my story I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and classify you as intelligent. (Boy, did that sound conceited, or what? : p )
I'm going to break your review down line-by-line for analysis and counter-comment:
1) "Rowling has told the public that Harry Potter won't, as you people so naively believe, stay with the same person forever."
Really? When and where was this statement made? Where can I find a copy to
read for myself? I have NEVER heard of Rowling making such statement, and believe me, I keep a sharp lookout for any interview she gives.
Okay, okay, let us assume, for the sake of argument, that I missed that statement. I'll return to this topic at point # 3 because it overlaps an answer to this comment and the next one. In a meantime I'd like to provide some statements of my own.
J.K. Rowling Interview with Katie Couric on Dateline NBC, aired on June 20 2003 (relevant portion transcribed from my videotape):
Katie Couric: Any snogging with Hermione?
JKR: (wrinkles nose in obvious disgust) Hermione and Harry? Do you think so?
Katie Couric: No, I'm kidding. (laughs)
JKR: Ron and Hermione, I would say. Yeah, there's more tension there.
For some reason the last sentence of my transcript isn't in the online version. Rest assured, Rowling did say it. I'm not sure why it was omitted but there has to be a reason for that. Here are some of my theories:
A) The line was considered a spoiler for future books. Having seen the interview, I can tell you that it would be impossible to cut that line out of the interview as it was aired, because Katie Couric actually says "No I'm kidding. We should probably explain that snogging means kissing." While Rowling is still saying "Ron and Hermione, I would say. Yeah, there's more tension there." If I recall correctly, Couric starts her line about the snogging just as Rowling is saying the "Yeah, there's more tension there" part.
Or... B) Whoever did the transcription for the MSNBC website is a (now) bitter Harry/Hermione shipper. :-) I'm willing to bet it's probably A.
By the way, that's not the first time that JKR has so publicly shot down the idea of Harry and Hermione. There was another interview/QA session at the Press Club on October 20, 1999.
Now the actual quote:
JKR: *looking through questions* No, don't like hat one. Oh, I like this one... do Harry and Hermione have a date? No. They are...they're very platonic friends. But I won't answer for anyone else, nudge, nudge, wink, wink. [laughter and sound of kids going "Aaah!"]
2) "Do you honestly believe that he's going to marry the first girl he dates?"
Of course not. And I never made such a statement in the first place, so I don't understand where you got THAT ridiculous idea. Please stop deliberately misinterpreting what I've said.
3) "I haven't read Order of the Phoenix yet, so I have no clue what your -(bad grammar, should be you're) talking about,"
Okay, maybe I was wrong to give you the benefit of the doubt and regard you as intelligent. Intelligent people never enter a discussion without knowing the latest information. And since you haven't read OotP and didn't know what I was talking about, you had no right to criticise my statement in the first place. And if you had read the book, you would have known that points 1 and 2 merely add to, and strengthen the H/G position.
4) "but I can assure you that a Harry and Ginny relationship will not last forever."
Once again, I say that you don't know what you're talking about, and I refer to point # 3.
5) "Not that I'm saying a H/Hr will or a H/C (etc.), so just because that's the (supposed) situation now doesn't mean you can celebrate victory."
I'm not celebrating a H/G victory, although I and many others (among them several H/Hr shippers who were smart enough to at least admit that H/G was a serious possibility) agree that Ginny's character developments made her a very good match for Harry. Yet none of us presume to know J.K Rowling's mind, so...
Well, that concludes my answer. The general point I was trying to make: You should have held you tongue and read OotP first. It might not become Harry/Ginny, but based on the available evidence I'd have to say it definitely won't become Harry/Hermione. Now be gracious and apologise so we can continue being friends.
Gogirl: Why do you all assume Hermione was pregnant? As for my version of Ginny, you can't forget that she's been through emotional hell ever since finding out about Heidi. When she finally made love to Harry her insecurities were momentarily in remission, but by no means gone.
Casual Reader: In Sumerian mythology Anzu is a griffin who was charged with watching over the banished god Enlil. And yes, I did model it after Escaflowne. :-)
Lord Dreadnault: Chapter 25 will be over 9,000 words of pure Ginny.
nycgal: Well, my story did go AU on quite a few issues.
jona: Talk about painful! After Ron's 'furtive glance' near the end I did a back flip of pure joy. I landed badly and sprained my ankle. : p And I'll be wrapping up a subplot in chapter 25.
Cami: Thanks for your support, but as you've seen, I can fight my own battles.
LadySiri: Don't worry, I find your rants very entertaining.
Jake: Thanks.
The Millennium One: I didn't intend to diss H/Hr shippers. I wanted to educate them.
Foxfur: I'm glad OoTP is bringing you family closer together. I hope you scrolled past my little discussion at the top, and if you didn't, I hope it didn't ruin things too much for you. And I ask again, why do you all assume that Hermione was pregnant? On another note, Matt couldn't recognise Wolfe's style. Matt joined the Order at the same time Harry did, and it was Nathan, not
Matt, who'd spent a lot of time training with Wolfe.
Lamina Court: Pokemon? I didn't know about that. But I can't say I'm surprised, since Ninetales is a spiritual fox-like creature with special powers in Japanese mythology. And yes, I did pick Shinji from Evangelion. ;-)
Lioness-07863: Mary's father will turn up in chapter 25. And for the third time, (not to just you, but others as well) why do you assume Hermione was pregnant?
Jacqueline Hyde: You had some interesting questions, all of which will be answered in due time.
Maab: I deem it highly unlikely that Malfoy will turn good. In fact, J.K Rowling herself said that she couldn't understand the fondness many people had for Draco. She could have said that to throw people off the trail, of course, but I doubt it.
Starwest4_5: Glad you liked the Star Wars reference.
Roastpuff: I know, I know!" *evil cackle*
Lady Reaper of the Shadows: Go ahead and believe whatever you want. It just isn't going to happen. Haven't you noticed that Ginny firmly put Harry in his place where Hermione failed to do so? She also got Harry to open up to her where Ron and Hermione couldn't. Hermione can't handle Harry when he's really angry! And if you are going to advocate H/Hr I expect you to at least come up with some canon references to support your claim, which, given the development in OotP will be extremely hard to do convincingly. I'm not dissing H/Hr. In fact, there is an essay written on Ginny's character called: Ginny Weasley: Baby Sister, Best Friend at the Harry Potter Lexicon website.
It is based on observations made in the first four books. Before OotP I was actually inclined to agree with the point made in this essay, intellectually. (Unlike other H/G-ers, I never harboured any certainty that they'd get together. I honestly didn't even entertain the possibility. The reason I was H/G before OotP, was mostly because I was a hopeless romantic who would have liked to see a little girl's unrequited love reciprocated) But OotP blew that essay out of the water completely with the revelation of Ginny's awesome character.
I'm not asking you to renounce H/Hr. At least acknowledge that, based on the developments in OotP, the H/G case is very strong now.
Dalia: Everyone may believe whatever he or she wants. If they simply say they believe in H/Hr, that's cool with me won't argue. But f they say H/Hr is better than H/G, I feel obligated to argue the H/G case.
Shaess: Do you still have the same complaints now that you've read Chapter 2?
I DON'T WANT TO SPEND ANY MORE WORDS ON THIS H/G - H/HR DEBATE. THIS
IS A FANFICTION SITE, NOT ONE FOR SHIPPING DEBATES. SO I'D APPRECIATE IT IF WE CAN LET THE MATTER REST NOW.