"An Acceptable Risk

Chapter Nineteen

Ginny stood nervously in the doorway of the transfigurations classroom unobserved by Professor McGonagall who was grading papers at her desk. Taking a deep breath, she marched resolutely into the classroom.
"Professor McGonagall, may I ask you a question?" she asked.
"Yes, Miss Weasley, how may I be of assistance to you?" answered the instructor. She placed her quill on the desk as she spoke, and folded her hands, and focused all her attention on the young woman standing before her.
"I've a question about transfigurations?"
"Yes, Miss Weasley," said Professor McGonagall dryly. "I didn't assume you came to ask my advice concerning your wardrobe for the Yule Ball."
Oh, if only you knew,Ginny thought to herself as she mentally rolled her eyes.
"Well, actually, my question does have to do with clothing. I was wondering what would be the best way to transfigure a piece of material to change the colour.

Minerva McGonagall smothered a sigh and wondered to herself how such a promising student could have changed so dramatically.
"Really Miss Weasley. I find it a bit absurd that you would waste my time with something as trivial as this. I thought perhaps you were here with a serious question."
"But I am serious Professor McGonagall," said Ginny. "I-it's for my Mum," she improvised. "I found a wonderful tapestry that I thought she would love, but the colors don't coordinate with her bedroom. I thought if I transfigured the colors to change, it would make a wonderful Christmas gift. Oh if that wasn't quite possibly the worst fib in the world, thought Ginny. She's going to kill me, I just know it. But when she looked at the Professor, she was smiling.
"Miss Weasley, that sounds like a wonderful gift. You know, I always thought your mother would have had quite a future working in transfigurations had she not married your father. But I digress. It's actually quite a simple thing to do, and I don't think you'll have any problems," she said as she wrote down the method for transfiguring material. "If you do, I'm sure Miss Granger can be of assistance. She's very adept at this type of transfiguration."
"No thank you Professor, I'm sure I can handle it on my own. I won't need her help."
"Miss Weasley, as your head of house, I feel that I must discuss with you," began McGonagall.
"Thank you Professor," interrupted Ginny rudely. "I need to go to class." She snatched the parchment from the desk and ran from the room.

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips and thought for a moment. She grabbed a piece of parchment and scribbled a note on it, hung it on the door and strode down the corridor towards Dumbledore's office. Ron, Harry and Hermione approached the classroom from another corridor and saw the sign.
"Class Cancelled," Harry read. "Hmmm, I wonder what's up with that."
"Who cares," said Ron. "Let's go down to the Quidditch field and practice," said Ron. "Hermione, do you want to come?" he asked turning towards his girlfriend.
"Where'd she go?" he asked Harry looking at the empty space where Hermione once stood. Harry just shrugged his shoulders.
"Never mind, she probably went into shock at the though of Transfigurations being canceled and went to the hospital wing. You know Harry, I love her, but she sure is nuts sometimes?"

**********


"I tell you Albus, we have to do something," said Professor McGonagall as she walked into the room. "I don't know what has come over that girl, but we have to, oh I don't know, save her from herself," said the uncharacteristically flustered Minerva McGonagall.
"Minerva, please have a seat," said the Headmaster. "Would you care for a peppermint humbug?"
"Albus, this is serious," said McGonagall.
"I presume you are referring to Miss Weasley," said the headmaster popping a humbug into his mouth."
"Yes it is, I have to tell you, I am quite afraid for that girl. She's on a path she knows nothing about, and is unprepared to handle. Associating with Draco Malfoy and all those other Slytherins. It's unheard of!"
"Need I remind you Minerva, that we treat all the students and all the houses equally?"
"Of course Albus," said McGonagall, her face flushing. "It's just that Ginny Weasley is such an innocent, and Mr. Malfoy is," she floundered for a moment trying to come up with a suitable description. "Far more worldly," she finished. "And besides, there is no love lost between the houses of Gryffindor and Slytherin. Despite all your best efforts, the students in those two houses just do not exist well together."
"May I remind you that Lily Potter and Severus were friends while they were at school," said Dumbledore quietly.

The headmaster templed his hands, and bowed his head down to rest on their peaks.
"Minerva," he said. "I know this is difficult for you to accept, but you cannot save every student. Have faith that in the end, Miss Weasley will make the right decision."
Professor McGonagall stared shrewdly at the Headmaster. "You know something Albus, don't you?"
"Well, I'd like to believe I know a great many things Minerva," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. I wager they wouldn't let me run the school if I didn't."
"Albus, stop being coy!"
"Oh, was I being coy Minerva? I hadn't realized. In any event, I don't believe that you have anything to worry about."
"All right Albus, I'll defer to your judgment," said Professor McGonagall.
"Thank you Minerva. The students in your house are fortunate indeed to have you watching over them."


***************


Ginny, are you here?" whispered Hermione as she entered her room. Ginny sat up and pulled the invisibility cloak off of herself.
"What are you doing here so early?" asked Ginny. "I thought you had transfigurations."
"I did," said the older girl, "But it was cancelled. Professor McGonagall has never cancelled class before."
"Oh," said Ginny. "That's probably my fault. I went to see her today to ask her about transfiguring your dress, and I'm afraid I must have upset her. I wish I could apologize to her."
"I think she'll forgive you if you can manage to snap Harry out of his funk. And Ginny," she added excitedly. "I think it's starting to work. Harry asked me to help him catch up with his schoolwork."
"I know," said Ginny smugly. "He told me last night."
"What!"
"I saw him in the library last night, and we talked. He told me all about everyone helping him get caught up. I think it's a step in the right direction," said Ginny.
"The only thing I can't help him with is Divinations," said Hermione. "And neither can Ron, he makes up all his predictions. I knew he should have dropped that foolish class."
"I helped him with it last night," admitted Ginny, her voice soft.
"What did you say?" asked Hermione, her mouth gaping open.
"I said I helped him. I like divinations, and I'm good at them," she answered defiantly.

Hermione stared at Ginny as if she had never seen her before.
"I didn't know you liked divinations Ginny? Why didn't you ever tell me that before?"
"Well, I know how much you hate that subject, so I figured it would be better if I didn't talk about it."
"Oh, well, I-was I really that much of a prig about it?" asked Hermione.
"Yes," said Ginny bluntly. "But honestly, I don't think you ever really gave divinations a chance. You got so exasperated with Professor Trelawney that you gave up. I think you probably would have done the same with flying, but Madam Hooch wouldn't let you."
Hermione thought about what Ginny said and reluctantly agreed. "You may be right Ginny," she admitted. "But I think there's more to it than just that. Neither one of those subjects came easily to me, and I think I just couldn't deal with it. I don't mind working hard in a class but to work so hard and fail so dismally. I just didn't know how to deal with it."
"Well, you didn't expect to be terrific at everything, did you?"
Hermione had the grace to flush before answering. "Truthfully, I did. At muggle school, everything was easy, and when I came here, everything except for flying was a snap. And you're right. Madam Hooch wouldn't allow me to quit. But divinations was an elective, and when I couldn't get it right off, I just dropped it."

Ginny reached across the bed where the two girls had been sitting and hugged her friend. "To tell you the truth, I'm glad. It's hard being best friends with someone who's so perfect you know." The two girls were giggling when they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Ginny jumped off the bed and swathed herself in the invisibility cloak and went to stand in the corner. Hermione made sure Ginny was hidden and opened the door to find Harry standing on the other side.
"H-hi Harry," she stammered nervously. "Did you need something?"
"Yeah," said Harry. "Can I talk to you for a bit?"
"Sure, why don't we go down to the common room," said Hermione, trying to push him back out the door.
"No, this is private, and I don't want anybody to overhear."
"Fine," she said in a resigned voice. "Why don't you come on in?"

Harry entered the room and sat down on a chair by her desk, just inches away from where Ginny stood.
"Do you know where Ginny is?" he asked.
"Harry, why would I know where Ginny is," said Hermione. "In case you hadn't noticed, she's scratched me off her friend list. But if I were to wager a guess, she's probably with Malfoy. She's always with him."
"She can't be," said Harry. "Not after last night."
"Last night?" asked Hermione. "What was last night?
"I went to the library to study after lights out, and Ginny was there. We had the best talk. Did you know, she's practically an expert at divinations?"
"You don't say?" said Hermione faintly.
"Yeah," he said excitedly. "We came back here and she worked with me for hours."
"Harry, what aren't you telling me?" asked Hermione. "Even at the best of times, you don't get this excited over divinations. What else happened?"
Harry didn't say anything, but his face turned a dull red and his eyes snapped green fire.
"Never mind Hermione, but I have to find her. I want to ask her to the Yule Ball."
Hermione heard a faint gasp from the corner where Ginny was hiding, and she quickly coughed to cover it up.
"Um, Harry, I don't quite know how to tell you this, but Ginny's already accepted another invitation to the ball," she said gently.
"How would you know Hermione?" asked Harry. "You yourself said she isn't your friend anymore. Besides, none of the others have said anything about taking her."

Hermione toyed with her hairbrush and looked over into the corner where Ginny was hiding, trying to find an answer.
"In potions the other day, I overheard someone complaining that Ginny had stolen her date for the Yule Ball," said Hermione.
"Who? Who was it?" asked Harry.
"Pansy Parkinson," said Hermione, her eyes full of sorrow. "I'm sorry Harry, but Ginny's going to the ball with Draco Malfoy
"Oh," said Harry bleakly. "I guess I just waited too long to ask her."
"Probably Harry. I'm sure if you had asked her earlier, she would have said yes right away."
"Yeah, I just figured after last night that she'd want to go with me."
"Look Harry, don't give up," said Hermione. "It may be too late for the Yule Ball, but just don't give up on Ginny. Promise me!"
"I won't Hermione. It's taken me a long time to realize just how wonderful she really is," said Harry standing up and walking across the floor to the door. "I'm not about to let her go now."