Ginny Weasley:

The Lion-Snake Prophecies

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter ... I merely worship JKR!

Chapter Twelve:

Ginny got a break after supper. She was helping mum clear away the table while everyone else finished up their chocolate pudding; it was delicious but Ginny was too anxious about meeting Hiss in less than an hour to sit around eating desert. Plus, the faster mum finished cleaning up, the faster Ginny could take off to wait in the paddock. She was just wondering whether she should try running off in secret or if she should stick around and wait for Harry when Mad-Eye Moody sat up at the table.

He cleared his throat, took a swig out of the ever present hip-flask and fixed his one beady eye on Harry, Ron and Hermione. The other eye, electric blue, continually scanned the area around the Burrow, watchful and unblinking.

"You three did very well today," he said finally, the praise coming out in measured tones that didn't sound as if they had done well at all. "Well enough in fact that I've been asked to take the three of you with me on an errand that I'm running tonight."

The news left those at the table momentarily stunned, and then a loud crash was heard from the kitchen. Mum had dropped a saucer by the sounds of it.

Dad, who was still at the table, pursed his mouth in a straight line and stood up, making his way to the kitchen. Ginny managed to duck her head when dad's eye swept over her and silently continued cleaning the table, hardly daring to breathe as she heard him comforting mum in the kitchen.

"Now I'm sure this is nothing dangerous," Moody continued, after sparing a glance towards the Burrow, "and I know your parents will be worried, but I've discussed the situation with Dumbledore and he agrees that there is no practice like experience. I'll give you the details once we're in the air. Kingsley Shacklebolt, Elphias Doge and Remus Lupin will be joining us." Ginny felt her heart lighten at the thought of her old Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, "But that's all I'm going to say for now." Moody concluded, sizing the Trio up with both eyes. "Are you in?"

With one eye fastened on the table, Ginny managed to notice that Harry actually glanced at her before answering. Moody must have followed his gaze because as soon as Ginny looked up, he was staring at her.

"Unfortunately, Ginny cannot accompany us. Magic-using wizards only."

His tone was gruff, as usual, but Ginny thought she caught the barest hint of apology.

Hermione spoke into the suddenly uncomfortable silence. "Well I'm in," she said, sparing a glance at Ginny as well, "even though I'm useless on a broom."

Ron looked at Hermione, his eyes filled with worry. "I don't know, 'Mione. You're not quite better yet; maybe you should stay back ..."

But Moody shook his head, "There won't be much action, so don't get your hopes up and don't worry about Ms. Granger. Best thing to do is keep her active. No worries about the flying either, we aren't crossing the country. Besides, Dumbledore says the three of you shouldn't be separated, and I'm with him on that. Nothing like friends to watch your back in times of trouble. Constant vigilance!"

Okay, that hurt. Ginny turned away to the kitchen so the others wouldn't see her jaw clench. She knew, she knew, what he meant – Ron, Harry and Hermione had been inseparable for years now – but it still hurt. They couldn't be separated, but she was being left behind like the irritating little sister she was. As if she wasn't good enough, wasn't a real friend. It brought back their anger against her, their suspicions. If Dumbledore had sent a phoenix saying one of them was a spy for Voldemort, they wouldn't have believed it for an instant.

By the time she had come back from the kitchen for the last of the dishes, all three of the Golden Trio had signed on for Moody's adventure. Ginny worked hard to keep her expression passively neutral, but couldn't miss the stare Harry aimed at her before they left. Immediately, Ginny felt her heart lighten. Let them run off to their adventures, she was going to see her best friend in only a few minutes time and there was nothing Harry could do about it now.

They left only moments later. Mum came out of the kitchen with dad beside her to wish them luck, just in case. Her face was splotched and Ginny felt her heart twist painfully. This must be so much worse for mum and dad than for her. All she was worried about was not going along, mum was terrified they'd never come back.

Still, with Harry gone and the table cleared Ginny had no one to stop her from leaving the Burrow. While dad went upstairs and mum got the sink started on the dishes, Ginny crept out the back door and forced herself to walk at a normal pace across the yard. While they had been eating, the sun had started sinking down behind the hills and the light from the kitchen and a few upstairs windows were now the only source of true illumination out on the grass. Only when she was far enough away from the Burrow that the shadows overtook her small form, did Ginny kick up her heels and run for the paddock.

She reached the edge of the bushes and slowed down, scanning the shadow-filled grasses for any sign of Hiss. Nothing stirred, so Ginny walked carefully over to the oak tree and peered around.

"Hiss?" She called.

After a moment a familiar voice answered her, "Here, little sssnake."

Feeling relief wash through her, Ginny hurried around to the back of the oak tree and saw her friend lying there entwined among the roots. To the untrained eye he would have melted into the shadows but Ginny saw him immediately.

"Hiss! I've been so worried about you, where did you go? Why did you run off like that? Is everything okay?" The questions poured out of Ginny in parseltongue as she sank to the roots in front of her friend, but her relief didn't last.

Hiss looked exhausted. His skin was peeling in places along his smooth belly and his black-green scales hardly glistened at all in the dimming light. His voice, when he answered her, was laced with fatigue and his tail barely moved when he greeted her.

"I am fine, little sssnake. Only tired." He answered her spoken and unspoken worries. "I have traveled far today, in sssearch of the Den Mothersss. I am ssssorry for worrying you, but there wassss no time. I had much to asssk."

Ginny frowned, "The Den Mothers? You mean THE Den Mothers? The leaders of your people? But ... they're so far from here. I thought ... I mean you told me once that it took several days ..."

Hiss flickered his tongue in agreement. "Indeed. I, however, had reassson to hurry."

"Why? What ..." Ginny felt her insides condense in fear, "what happened?"

Hiss bent his head, collecting his thoughts. Ginny, feeling that he must be cold in the twilight, picked him up and put him in her lap, her warm blood sheltering his cold. Hiss tapped his tail appreciatively before answering her question.

"It isss ... difficult ... to explain. You remember thisss morning? When Harry Potter cursssed you, by missstake?"

Ginny felt her jaw clenched in anger, "Hardly a mistake, he was aiming for you."

Hiss smiled with his tail, "Truth. But in the end, he did attack you. Now ..." he thought for a moment, "... sssomething odd occurred when he did ssso. How to explain it ...? It wasss if hisss power, ssso very ssstrong, leap from hisss body. It, for a moment, conssssumed him."

Ginny thought back to what she had witnessed that afternoon, of the lightening lion that Harry concealed in his lanky frame. "I ... I understand Hiss. I was watching him practice today, and I tried the smelling-vision thing you mentioned. I caught a glimpse of Harry's power; it's awe-inspiring."

Hiss summoned the energy to glance up and peer proudly into her eyes, "You learned the ability that quickly? I ssssee that I have not underessstimated you, little sssnake."

Ginny blushed, and Hiss continued on. "You underssstand then, how frightening that wasss for him. I do not believe he even knew it wasss there, at leassst, not really. I, who could sssmell it'sss power when unleasssed, did my bessst to help him control it again."

Ginny nodded, understanding now why Harry had vouched so easily for Hiss. It was probably impossible to go through that kind of experience with someone and not learn to trust them.

"Why did this require a visit to the Den Mothers then? And why did you return from such a journey so quickly?"

Hiss flickered his tongue, "The journey wasss not entirely mine. I will explain. You remember, of courssse, of the prophecy you found one day in your mind?" When Ginny nodded he continued, "When I realized the extent of the power inssside of Harry, I sssaw that you were correct, that it did most likely relate to him."

And here he paused, glanced once into her eyes, and gave Ginny a look she could not easily identify. But before she could question him about it, he continued.

"Once he recovered, I took only the time needed to write a messsage ssso you would not worry, and left at once to find the Den Motherssss. I made the journey with utmosssst hassste, with the help of Avian friendsss."

This was news to Ginny. Avian friends? But Hiss, seeing her confused, explained.

"In many waysss are the Winged Folk and the Reptilian Kind clossse, little sssnake. In all conflictsss with the Mammalsss, they have they joined our ssside in battle. With the sssecret wordsss of conflict, I convinced an owl to carry me.'

'When I reached the Den Motherss, I sssaw at once that I wasss in fortune. With the fessstival of Lammasss ssso closse, many of the Mothersss had traveled to meet together. Not all were assssembled, but enough were presssent for me to presssent my findingsss.'

'I related the sssequence of eventsss. They were quite intrigued, and bid me to follow and keep a clossse watch on the young Harry. On you asss well, little sssnake, for they found you equally intriguing. They bid another Winged member to carry me back, but ssshe could only travel ssso far, and I have crossssed the remaining dissstance to reach you in time."

Ginny's heart went out to her friend, so noble, so protective! She hugged him close, warming him further and stroked him under the chin where he liked. "You are the greatest best friend ever Hiss. Do I tell you that enough?"

Hiss smiled with his eyes, and stroked her appreciatively with his tail. "And you, little sssnake. Even had the Mothersss not ssso charged me, I would have returned to you, never fear."

Ginny smiled back at him, "So what happens now? With Harry, I mean; did the Mothers have any advice?"

And here again did Hiss give her that same strange look as before, though this time with a little more sadness behind his eyes. "None," he finally replied, "except to watch and lisssten. If the time of the prophecy isss indeed clossse at hand, there isss much to be done for my people. The Mothersss I ssspoke to will inform the othersss once Lammasss comesss, and a delegation will be sssent to the Mammalsss. We have been enemiesss for long, and the final battle drawsss near."

The final battle. Those words had an inevitability to them, a depression that echoed somberly in Ginny's mind. They sat there for a moment, in companionable, if not comfortable, silence and Ginny realized something terrible. Turning to Hiss she asked frightened, "Hiss, I've only just realized ... its Harry against Tom, in this final battle thing you mentioned, but it'll be Tom who's fighting for the snakes, won't it? And I can't … I mean I won't support Tom, but how will I stand with you?"

But Hiss did not seem to be as concerned as she. "Think not of it, little sssnake. In the battle, all will be made clear. Remember, too, the wording of the prophecy:

pray not for one or each but all
for in thisss battle one shall fall
and neither can the world sssupport
whoever wins this lassst rapport

He said the words as if they meant something, but Ginny frowned. "I don't understand ..."

"Yess, you do." Hiss assured her, "You sssimply do not want to believe it. Thisss isss a battle for the end, little sssnake. Whoever winssss," Hiss flicked his tongue, "it will hardly matter. Sssome have believed that in the end, only the winning sside will prevail, but I do not believe thisss iss sso. Asss deep asss our conflict goesss with the mammalsss, I know in my sssoul that one cannot sssurive without the other. The delicate balance will be disssrupted. No matter who winss, I believe that in the end both will lossse."

And on that chilling thought, Ginny had no words.

They stumbled back to the Burrow shortly after that, Hiss clutching tightly to Ginny's leg as if afraid that at any moment he would simply fall off. Ginny half-feared he might, he was so exhausted that his muscles might simply give up. And yet she couldn't take the risk of carrying him all the way into the house. As it was, they passed Tonks on their way in and waved a greeting as she completed her last inspection of the grounds.

The sight of Tonks brought another worry into Ginny's mind, but she was careful not to give voice to it until she and Hiss were nestled securely inside her room and only then did she speak in the softest whisper.

"Hiss, what did you mean, 'watch and listen'? Not only for another week? Because after that it's Harry's birthday and we're all moving back into Headquarters."

"And then I, little sssnake, am moving with you."

"But you can't! That's the problem, see? It's the same situation as it was last year ... there's no way to sneak you into Headquarters. I can't even tell you where it is because I'm bound by a charm of Dumbledore's! You can't even see the place unless you have specific permission from him and him alone."

"But it isss not at all like lassst year, little sssnake." Hiss contradicted her, "There isss much more at risssk now. I have been charged by my Mothersss to watch you and the Potter boy, and watch I will. Isss there no way to ssspeak to this Dumbledore? To asssk him to let me in?"

At this Ginny remembered her conversation with Mundungus Fletcher, and quickly repeated it to Hiss.

"So you see, there might be a way to get a hold of him, but I'm really not sure if it's going to work."

Hiss flickered his tail twice, the only indication that he was as worried as she was.

"Tomorrow," was all he said in the end. "We'll assk about it tomorrow."

Hey All,

A short chapter, but again it sets the stage. For those of you who don't know, Lammas is the festival of the first summer harvest – it's enjoyed on August 1st.

Below is the original comments I made to reader's questions and points of discussion:

gallandro-83: you know, you might have a point! I never really thought of Ginny being that stubborn ... I wouldn't go quite so far as to say that Harry is Ginny's "puppet", but I do see what you mean. There will be yelling back, though, have no fear! I am an angst driven writer ... lol

Witch of Darkness: lol, I love new powers, don't you? Of course it's all due to Hiss, but still ....

Comet Moon: tee hee, you'll just have to wait to see about the invisibility cloaks, won't you? Lol ... no clues!

Calm Soul: ooo!!1 New reader??? Review more!!! Details, details!!!

Note: I re-read all the HP books last week ... gave me some great ideas for Ginny, and I see how my Ginny is on and off of JKRs. Ah well, that's the joy of AU (alternate universe) ... lol

Review, Review, Review!!!!!