I do not own HP. Go get a case of salt and rub it in my wounds now! Go on! Get it! I want to own Dan Radcliffe and Tom Felton. Dan would be a present for my friend and Tom would totally be mine.
Silver moon flower? Ginny couldn't remember Professor Sprout mentioning anything about such a flower during any of her classes. If Hermione wasn't the reason she was having to do this she wouldn't have hesitated to go and ask her about it. Circumstances as they were, however, Ginny decided she'd just have to figure it out for herself.
Ginny walked back to the dorm after her last class and got out her copy of 'One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi' and began flipping through it for any information on the golden moon flower.
'Silver moon flower. Silver moon flower.'
"Nothing," Ginny mumbled aloud. She couldn't believe it. Not so much as one word was mentioned about the flower.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Ginny sat up and looked toward the window. A small brown owl with white marks around his eyes stood on the ledge tapping the window with his beak.
Ginny moved over and flung the window up and the tiny owl fluttered in landing delicately on Ginny's pillow. He held out his leg.
Ginny undid the note for the tiny owl who ruffled his feathers and flew away again.
You need information on the silver moon flower. Come to the library at 7.
Sincerely,
Neville
Neville would help her. Ginny sighed. Relief flooded over her. She had no idea how he knew she needed information about the flower but he was the best at Herbology. He would assuredly be able to help her.
Ginny glanced at the clock. 6:45. Better go.
Ginny set the note on the bed and ran from the dormitory pausing only long enough to grab her cloak. She sprinted the whole way to the library.
Neville sat at a table near the restricted section and watched Ginny approach."Gin," Neville called. "I heard from a Slytherin you needed information on the silver moon flower."
"Yeah I do," Ginny said sitting down diagnally across from him and saying a silent thank you to Blaise and making a mental note to thank him properly when she saw him without Pansy.
"Well I have found some information for you," Neville said taking out a book titled 'Magical Water Flowers of the world.' "The silver moon flower can be found growing at the very deepest depths of most lakes. It is most often used in the making of pieces of love lockets. It only is in bloom on the nights of the waning and waxing half-moon."
"Well that means I better search the lake this coming Sunday," Ginny said breathing out heavily. "Does the book say anything about where in the lake to look?"
"No but there are merpeople in the lake and I bet you could ask one of them and they would know," Neville said shutting the book and looking at her. "What do you need it for?"
Ginny pondered whether or not she should say anything of the deal she had made with Pansy.
Now that she was thinking back on the deal she realized it was perhaps not the smartest decision she had ever made. She'd been told by everyone never to make deals with Slytherins but hadn't she been told not to be friends with Slytherins as well?
"I can't say. I just need it for something. I am sorry," Ginny said looking away guilt written across her face.
"Fair enough," Neville responded, "Ginny are you seeing anyone?"
Ginny who had just popped a piece of Droobles best blowing gum in her mouth choked and stared at Neville as though she had never seen him properly before.
"Neville, you decided we weren't really good for each other. I do not think it would be wise for us to try to be together again," Ginny said watching him with an alarmed look on her face.
Neville burst out laughing. Ginny stared at the round faced boy as he had gone mad.
"Seamus and Dean want to know, not me," Neville said through tears.
"Tell them I am or at least I will be very soon," Ginny said snootily standing up and staring at the boy who still shook with silent hysteria.
"Who?" Neville asked eyes sparkling playfully, "Who does Ginevra Weasley, Princess of the Weasley family, want as her boyfriend? I have no doubt that you can get them."
"Swear a wizards oath that you shan't breathe a word to anyone of what I'm about to tell you," Ginny said whispering just loud enough for Neville to hear sitting down next to the once chubby and unnattractive boy. "Only if I tell you, can you tell anyone else what I say."
"I swear it," Neville said reaching out and taking Ginny's left wrist.
Ginny wrapped her hand around his wrist and there was a small flicker of golden light.
"Draco Malfoy," Ginny whispered to him after they released each other's wrist.
Neville's eyes widened and old fear was evident in them.
"Please tell me you are joking," Neville said weakly, looking into her eyes pathetically.
"He is very sweet and kind to me. He would never hurt me," Ginny said trying to understand why Neville as a big boy was still afraid of Draco. She gave up after ten seconds.
"He's a demon, a monster," Neville said looking at her with slight sympathy. "NO good can come from being or wanting to be with a guy like him. Please Ginny, like anyone but him. It will only end in heartbreak on your part."
"Draco would never hurt me!" Ginny said voice dripping with venom.
"Ginny, Draco Malfoy is an evil person," Neville said reaching out to take her hand. "He does not care about anyone but himself. He can't care about you. It is impossible."
Neville stood up.
Ginny jerked back and felt her lip curl up in a perfect imitation of Draco. She reached out and slapped him hard across the cheek. The sound echoed in the still library. Ginny jerked her wand out.
"If I ever hear you say that again, I swear I will hex you," Ginny hissed before turning and stalking away.
People in the hall leapt out of her way and stayed to the side till she was out of sight.
Ginny stomped into the common room and it became silent as a graveyard. Everyone knew Weasleys were infamous for their horrid tempers. Ginny usually was one of the few who would hold in her temper. So it really worried them to see her so pissed off. Ginny usually did not behave in such a way even if she was mad. She would go somewhere else and cool off.
"Gin are you ok?" a soft voice asked.
"Do I bloody look ok?" She snarled snapping like an angry cornered crab.
"What's wrong?" the person asked softly.
Ginny spun and saw Ron standing there.
"Neville has gotten under my skin," Ginny said feeling her lip curl as she spat out Neville's name.
"You want I should hex him for you," her big brother asked eyes lighting up when he learned what was wrong with his baby sister. It made him feel good to know that she would tell him things.
"He's lucky I didn't break his jaw," Ginny said smiling with almost fondness at the memory of how Neville's head had spun to the side and he had nearly fallen to the ground. "No, I can handle that pathetic loser."
Ron grinned, "I know you can."
Hermione watched Ginny and Ron talking sadly. She missed her best friend.
Ginny sneered at Hermione before turning and walking up to her room.
Sunday Night
Ginny stood staring at the lake thoughtfully.
Moonlight reflected off the lake and danced merrily on the surface.
'No time like the present.' Ginny thought taking out her wand and swishing it around four times and jabbing it three times at her legs. Ginny's legs were pulled together slowly as auburn scales the same color as her hair formed pulling together into a tail. Her hands became slightly webbed and she pitched forward falling in an almost belly flop into the lake.
Ginny rolled over and sat up slipping off her outer cloak. She grasped her wand tightly. Ginny used her free hand to grasp vegetation of the lake and pull herself to deeper water.
Ginny dove down deep and began to search for another mermaid or merman who could help her find the flower as she had limited time to find the flower in bloom.
She flipped her tail gliding softly and slowly though the water, her eyes searching the bottom of the lake thoroughly as she went.
"Lumos," Ginny said and a huge bubble came out of her mouth as she spoke.
The end of her wand cast a pale eerie light that cut through the murky lake water. She swam deeper and deeper desperately searching for the flower or the merpeople's underwater city.
Hours slipped by like sand through an hour glass and still no sign of either the flower or the mer-civilization. The moon had moved and was on the far side of the lake.
Nothing. Ginny began to feel her whole body and mind panic. She just had to find that flower. She could not live without Draco and finding the flower was part of the only way she could think of to get him back.
"UUUph!" she yelped as something hit her from above knocking her to the lake bottom.
When she took in a breath there was a sharp pain in her rib cage on the right side. She lifted herself by slapping the lake bottom with her tail. Sand rose all around her and she swam away slowly free hand clutching her injured ribs. Ginny moaned but only more bubbles came out of her mouth.
In the water above her she heard the swishing sound of another creature swimming through the lake. Ginny flipped over onto her back and found herself pointing her wand at a merman.
He stopped in mid-tail flip staring at her wand with wide frightened eyes.
"Why'd you attack me?" Ginny asked angrily pointing her wand at the merman's chest. Her lungs burned as she took water in through her gills.
"You shouldn't be here," he replied as he flipped his tail to move up away from the wand. He clutched a spear tightly in his hands.
"I am looking for something," Ginny answered honestly lowering her wand slightly but never taking her eyes off the creature that had attacked her.
"What?" he asked still eyeing the wand wearily as if she might cast a spell on him the instant he turned his back on her.
"The silver moon flower," Ginny replied lowering her wand to her side.
The merman took a precautionary tail flip forward.
Ginny almost pointed her wand at him again but he seemed to mean her no harm so she controlled her natural urge and kept her wand at her side.
"I know where it is found," the merman answered waving with his webbed hand for her to follow him.
Ginny eyed him suspiciously. He attacked her once. He might do it again. She decided to trust him. If he turned on her she always had her wand. He seemed to want to help so she swam after him.
He led her past the city through a thick canyon on the lake bottom to a small crevice in the floor of the canyon that was barely big enough for her to swim through.
"Down there," the merman pointed watching her, "Water demons live there. Lots of them."
"Grindylows?" Ginny asked casting the crevice a dubious look.
"Aye," he answered nodding. "I'll wait here and take you back to the school."
Several pairs of eyes watched from the crevice to see which of the outsiders would be the one foolish enough to enter their lair.
Ginny held back her moan and raising her wand she pointed it at the crevice, "Relashio," she spoke firmly and a jet of boiling water shot out of her wand.
The grindylows shrank in from the sides and Ginny began to swim towards the bottom of the as quickly as she was able.
The silver glow that lit the bottom reached Ginny's eyes and she swam a little faster now that the walls were not so close together. She had to continually repel the grindylows with the charm Professor Lupin had taught them.
The bottom cavern was circular shaped and glowed with a pale silver light.
The moon flower was beautiful. It looked like a hibiscus and had an emerald green border. It glowed a little brighter when Ginny touched a petal.
A clear glittering stone with one jagged edge and a smooth edge caught her eye. She leaned down to examine it.
Ginny slipped her wand into its sleeve holder and picked of the stone with the softer smoother edge against her palm. She touched the flower again carefully and then began to hack at the roots that so firmly held it to the lake floor.
It took quite a few minutes to hack through the roots and she picked up the flower. It was so small that the petals just barely covered her hand. She shoved the stone into a pocket of her robes and the flower in another. Ginny looked up at where she had come from.
Only a very tiny speck of light was visible at the top. It was barely the size of the head of a pin.
She pointed her wand at the camber opening and shouted the charm from before and boiling water shot from her wand and repelled the grindylows.
No grindylow reached out to try to attack her on her return trip and she reached the top in half the time it had taken her to swim down to the bottom.
"Ready to go back?" the merman asked watching her wand as if he thought it likely for her to start cursing him at any moment.
The instant Ginny lowered her wand the merman relaxed. She nodded to him and slipped her wand away.
"I will take you back now," he said turning and swimming north.
They stayed at least three feet below the surface of the water the whole time. Neither dared to venture closer to the surface.
"Just swim straight from here and you will find it," the merman said diving down into the mer-city.
Ginny waved and shouted, "Thank you."
Ginny swam straight in the same direction for ten more minutes before cautiously poking her head above the surface and looking forward and seeing the many towers of Hogwarts.
Ginny swam upon the surface of the lake to shore. As soon as she could no longer swim for the water was too shallow she pointed her wand at her tail and muttered the counterspell and she had legs again.
Ginny walked on shore and stooped and pulled a small basket to her side and she undid the clasp. She removed the flower from her pocket and placed it inside the basket. She grabbed her robe and wrapped it around her shoulders.
Ginny turned and looked to the east. There was a slight pink tinge on the horizon. Wrapping her shabby tattered second hand cloak around her shoulders tighter, she clasped the basket shut and dashed to the castle holding it tightly to her chest. Holding the basket closer and using her cloak to conceal it should she meet anyone she slunk up the seven flights of stairs to the Gryffindor common room.
As soon as Ginny arrived in the common room she collapsed with a happy sigh into an armchair by the merry crackling fire. She held tight to her wand and the basket that contained the object she needed to give to Pansy to successfully complete the first task she had been laden with to get Draco Malfoy back. She could think and dream of nothing but having him back.
Please review...and please do not be funny. I have a short fuse. Just joking 'bout the short fuse bit. PLEASE REVIEW MY STORY! It would make me feel special. So little does. Please.[even though my story sucks!]