O that 'twere possible,
After long grief and pain,
To find the arms of my true- love
Round me once again!...
A shadow flits before me-
Not thou, but like to thee.
Ah God! that it were possible
For one short hour to see
The souls we loved, that they might tell us
What and where they be.
By Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Chapter XVIII: Andy and Marion
In the early hours of the morning Ginny arrived in Diagon Alley. She was shivering after the chilly flight, but headed straight for Gringotts. She had a hunch that the Death Eaters would be hiding out in the muggle world, and so she needed to exchange some muggle money. She had taken Harry's vault key from his trunk so that she could withdraw some of his money, seeing as she didn't have any of her own. She was tired and weak, but she didn't care. There was only one thing on her mind. Harry.
After collecting her money, with the help of Griphook, she slipped through the Leaky Cauldron unnoticed, and stepped out into muggle London. She walked quickly down the street, unsure of where to go next. She had abandoned her broomstick back in Diagon Alley so as not to look suspicious.
She wandered down a street when she noticed a newspaper stand. She glanced at the headlines and noted that each paper had the same front-page story.
FIVE DEAD IN AS MANY DAYS
She took one off the stand, handed thirty pence to the vendor and hurried away. She skimmed the article and realised that it sounded very suspiciously like Death Eater activity. She searched the article for a place name and quickly found one. The lake District in Cumbria.
She stuck out her wand hand and the Knight Bus appeared with a bang. Stan Shunpike appeared at the door and welcomed her aboard.
"Where do you want to go?" he asked.
"The Lake District, in Cumbria," she said.
"Keswick okay?" Stan asked.
"That's fine," said Ginny.
She sat down on one of the seats, watching streets roll past at lightning speed.
Eventually they arrived in Keswick. She thanked Stan and Ern and climbed off. She looked around at the quaint village. Each and every building was built of slate. She was surrounded by hills, high and low alike. She walked into the town centre through all the shops and realised that the vast majority were mountain sports shops. She entered one called Blacks. She found some maps on sale. They were maps of the area. Deciding that they would come in useful, she bought all four that were needed to cover the National Park. She also bought a pair of stout leather hiking boots, thinking that they just might come in handy. She left the shop and continued down the street until she reached a residential area. The flats were painted white and they all came in twos. She watched as a family emerged from one.
"And I'll be going to Hogwarts in six weeks, won't I, Dad?" said a girl, excitedly.
"Yes, Joanne, but keep your voice down, there are muggles around," said her father, sounding quite frustrated.
"Excuse me," said Ginny, jogging over to them. "My name is Ginny Weasley. You may have heard my family's name."
"Weasley," said the man. "Of course, the new minister."
Ginny smiled.
"What brings you here, Miss Weasley?" he asked.
"I need to talk to you about something, but first, what house were you in at Hogwarts?" she said.
"Gryffindor," said the man.
"And how do you get into Gryffindor Tower?" Ginny asked.
"The entrance is behind the portrait of the Fat Lady," said the man.
Ginny grinned.
"Sorry, about that," she said. "You don't know who you can trust these days."
"I know what you mean," said the man. "I don't need to question you, though. Your hair gives it away."
Ginny smiled.
"Would you like to come inside?" said the man.
"It would be easier," said Ginny. "Thank you."
The man led Ginny and Joanne inside. He called his wife through from the kitchen.
"My name is Andy Williams," he told Ginny. "This is my wife, Marion."
"Pleased to meet you," said Ginny.
"Marion," said Andy. "This is Ginny Weasley. The new Minister's daughter."
"Oh, of course," said Marion. "It's very nice to meet you, Miss Weasley.
"Ginny," said Ginny.
"What brings you here?" asked Marion.
"I have information that the Death Eaters are holding two hundred and eighty five people here, as prisoners," Ginny explained. "Dumbledore told me in a roundabout sort of way. Anyway, the Wizengamot, who is in charge of the Ministry until Dad is ready to assume full power, is telling everyone that they are dead. I am here on the off chance that I may be able to save the lives of some of those who are being held here."
Andy and Marion looked at her.
"Why have you come to us?" Andy asked.
"That was just luck, really," said Ginny. "I was walking through town, wondering how I would find a place to stay, when I overheard your daughter mention Hogwarts. I felt this was as good a place to start as any."
"You're welcome to stay here," said Marion at once. "It will be nice to do our part in stopping the Dark Arts."
"Thank you very much," said Ginny. "It is much appreciated. I will pay you of course, but it will be nice to stay with people who I can talk to about my life."
"You don't need to pay us, dear," said Marion. "You're welcome as long as you like."
Ginny smiled.
"That's very kind," she said.
She took the maps out of the shopping bag.
"I got these earlier," she said. "I think that the best place to start looking is in the hills. Will you be able to help me plane routes?"
"Of course," said Andy. "How far will you want to be walking?"
"Ten miles a day," said Ginny. "About. Any less and it isn't really worth going."
"I'll help you out," said Andy.
"Thank you," said Ginny.
She and Andy bent over the OS Lake District north-western map and began plotting routes from Keswick.
That evening, Ginny, Andy, Marion and their three children Joanne, Amanda and Lousie sat down to eat a meal of roast chicken.
"You cook as well as my mum," said Ginny as she swallowed her first bite. "And that is just about the best compliment I can give you."
Marion blushed.
"I'm glad you like it," she said.
"What makes you so determined to help all these people?" asked Joanne.
"I have an illness caused by the Death Eaters," said Ginny. "It will eventually kill me. So, I want to help these people while, I can and get back at the Death Eaters before its too late. Strictly speaking, I shouldn't be here. I'm too weak physically. But I can't let all these people die."
"How old are you?" asked Louise.
"I'm seventeen," said Ginny.
"Do you go to Hogwarts?" asked Amanda.
"Yes," said Ginny. "I should still be there now. Term only finishes tomorrow, and I'm only a sixth year."
"So you ran away?" said Amanda.
"Yes," said Ginny. "But only so nobody could stop me from coming. Which reminds me. When you go to Hogwarts next year, Joanne, don't tell anyone that I stayed here."
"Why not?" Joanne asked.
"I don't want anyone to know that it was me who saved all these people, if I save any," said Ginny.
"What else will they think?" asked Amanda.
"That I was kidnapped by Death Eaters," said Ginny. "It's a perfectly plausible reason, when you consider my closeness to Har... to the Minister."
Ginny stopped herself just in time.
"Do you know Harry Potter?" asked Louise.
"Why do you ask?" asked Ginny.
"I know he was at Hogwarts, that's all," said Louise.
"Yes," said Ginny. "We were in the same house. Gryffindor. We were on the Quidditch team at the same time. Other than that, I couldn't tell you much about him."
"Does he really have the scar?" asked Louise.
"Yes," said Ginny.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" asked Joanne.
"Yes," said Ginny. "A wonderful boyfriend. Andy, which route would it be best for me to take tomorrow? I don't want to start with something too big."
Marion looked at her slightly suspiciously after the abrupt change of subject, but let it pass.
"You'd probably be best heading for Walla Crag and Ashness Bridge. It's fairly low level, but there's wide expanses of land up top. Ideal for digging and concealing holes in the ground."
Ginny nodded.
"What about Latrigg?" asked Marion.
"It's easy and low," said Andy. "But other than the woods on the west slope, there's nowhere to hide anyone. She's better off heading out towards Castlerigg."
"Hmm," said Marion. "You're probably right. Have you done much fighting, Ginny?"
"More than you would like a seventeen-year-old to have done," said Ginny. "I was a member of Dumbledore's Army. That was a group set up by Harry Potter to train us to fight. I fought in a battle at the Ministry of Magic two years ago, the one in the Department of Mysteries."
"I remember reading about that," said Marion.
"I also fought at Hogwarts last year," said Ginny.
"Did you see the Triwizard Tournament?" asked Amanda.
"Yes," said Ginny. "I watched the four champions dodge dragons, dive into the depths of the lake and enter the maze. I saw Harry Potter return with Cedric's dead body in his arms, and I watched him cope with the guilt."
"Why was he guilty?" asked Louise.
"He felt that Cedric's death was his fault, because he told Cedric to take the cup with him," explained Ginny. "Harry always did like to carry the burdens of the world on his shoulders."
"So you were at the Ministry when Sirius Black was killed then," said Marion.
"Yes," said Ginny. "Although I didn't actually see it. I was in the room next door, unable to move because of my broken ankle, whilst my brother Ron was attacked by a brain. The only students who saw were Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom."
"At least he's dead," said Andy. "Nasty criminal that he was. Killing all those muggles and then laughing about it."
"He was innocent," said Ginny. "Peter Pettigrew killed the muggles, then faked his own death. Sirius was a great guy, didn't hurt anyone."
"I knew him when I was at Hogwarts," said Andy. "I was a Gryffindor. I told you that already. I was a year below them. Sirius, Peter, Remus Lupin and James Potter. They were fun loving guys. I remember them always picking on Snape. Your oldest brother will be Bill, won't he?"
"Yes," said Ginny.
"He started Hogwarts when I was in my sixth year," said Andy. "I remember him talking about his little brothers and his new baby sister. That would be you, wouldn't it?"
"Yes," said Ginny.
"I remember the hair, you see," he said. "Weasley hair, very recognisable."
"We love it really," said Ginny. "Anyway, I have a long day tomorrow, so I'd better be getting to bed. Where will I be sleeping?"
"I'll show you, Ginny," said Marion. "Come on."
She led Ginny up the stairs and into the bedroom on the left.
"It's only small," said Marion.
"It's fine," said Ginny.
Marion sat down on the pat and patted the space next to her. Ginny sat down.
"Can I ask you a question, Ginny?" she said.
"Of course," said Ginny. "Go ahead."
"You mentioned earlier that you had a boyfriend," said Marion. "What is his name?"
"I..." said Ginny.
"I only ask because I thought it strange the way you abruptly changed the subject when Joanne asked. And I also noticed the fondness in your voce whenever you mentioned Harry Potter. And I'm sure that you almost said that it is your closeness to Harry that would get you kidnapped, before you corrected yourself," explained Marion.
Ginny's cheeks reddened.
"Harry Potter is your boyfriend, isn't he?"
Ginny nodded.
"Is, was, I'm not so sure anymore," said Ginny. "They told me he died in the war. I don't want to believe it, but I don't want to get my hopes up. If he is dead, then I don't know how I'll cope. I love him so much. I guess that I'm surviving now on the faintest belief that he may still be out there somewhere. I can't give up on him. No matter how weak I get, or how close to dying I am, I won't give up. He didn't give up on me, so I should return the favour, right. I love him so much it hurts."
Tears rolled down Ginny's cheeks as Marion watched her.
"Everything happens for a reason, Ginny," she said. "I just hope that this journey of yours has its own purpose too."
A/N This chappie was quite short. The initials of both Andy and Marion are significant, I wonder how many of you will guess why. Next chapter Ginny begins her journey. Check out this website for more information about the Cumbrian Lake District: It is a place I know very well and love very much.