Disclaimer: I am so very, very poor. Harry Potter and his universe are the intellectual property of J.K. Rowling.
Harry Potter and the Lost Library
Chapter 3: Hermione's Idea
Harry apparated into Hogsmeade one Monday in mid-September. He strolled down to Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes where he met up with Fred and George. The twins always moved their headquarters from Diagon Alley to Hogsmeade during the school year to be closer to their target customers. The three set off to the Three Broomsticks for a mid-morning butterbeer. After a few drinks, Harry walked back towards the twin's shop with them.
"Hey Harry," Fred said as he unlocked the shop's front door, "Are you in a hurry?"
"A bit," Harry replied, "I'm suppose to meet with Professor Dumbledore today, and I need to stop by Hollyhock's before I go."
"That's too bad," George said, "We've got a few prototypes that we'd like you to try out."
Harry made a hasty retreat before Fred and George could suggest an alternate time for product testing. He strolled towards Hollyhock's. The garden shop sold a variety of plants from ordinary wildflowers to exotic species for potion gardens. A plump, old witch by the name of Tansy Foxglove was the proprietor. Just as he always did, Harry bought a large bouquet of Hollyhock's Wilt-Resistant flowers before heading to Hogwarts.
The walk from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts was a bittersweet one. The school had been his beloved refuge and home for seven wonderful years, yet it was the site of some of his most painful memories. Harry paused for a moment as Hogwarts first came into view. The vista across the lake always stole his breath away as a menagerie of emotions washed over him. Eventually, a cool gust of wind came along and urged him forward.
Harry passed through the entrance gate unhindered. The area between the outer wall and the castle had been a rolling lawn during his time at Hogwarts, but now was a memorial garden and a cemetery. Decorative ponds and rock gardens had been placed where the grass had refused to grow back. Beds overflowing with blooms lined the many paths, and small clusters of trees provided private areas to remember and grieve. Beyond the garden were rows of solemn white grave markers. A familiar lump caught in Harry's throat, and tears burned at the back of his eyes.
Taking a deep breath, Harry wove his way through the well-tended flowers and shrubs. The cemetery was divided into four sections with one each for Hogsmeade residents, Aurors, faculty and staff, and Hogwarts students. Wide, white stone paths separated the sections and met at a tall fountain in the center of the cemetery. The base of the fountain was engraved with, "Erected in the memory of those who gave their lives to rid the world of darkness and champion freedom."
Harry left flowers on Hagrid's, Professor McGonagall's, Sirius's, and Mad Eye Moody's graves before moving among the gravestones of his fallen schoolmates. He paused several times to remember or place a flower. Eventually, he made his way to one very special marker. Underneath a carving of the Gryffindor Lion was the epitaph, "Ginevra Weasley. Battle of Hogwarts. Beloved daughter, sister, and friend."
Harry kneeled down to clear away some grass clippings and debris from the base of Ginny's headstone. Then he added the remainder of his Wilt- Resistant flowers to the vase in front of it. Hermione always ensured that Ginny's grave had a fresh bouquet of flowers, and Harry recognized one of the twin's handwriting on a small card that said, "We miss you and love you."
It was while sitting by this grave, that the injustice of war seemed the most bitter to Harry. Ginny Weasley had ceased to exist right before his very eyes. Harry could still hear Ron's wails of grief in the back of his mind, and he was haunted by the echoing laughter of Lucius Malfoy. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair.
"Hey Harry," a shaky voice said from behind him. Harry turned to see Ron carrying a dozen Wilt-Resistant roses.
"Ron, what are you doing here?" Harry asked. Ron tucked his flowers in with Harry's and Hermione's.
"Dumbledore wanted to meet with me about something," Ron answered gently tracing the letters of Ginny's name. "It seems like yesterday."
"Yeah," Harry whispered. They sat in silence a minute or two before rising together and heading towards the castle.
"What are you doing here, Harry?" Ron asked as they started to climb the steps to the castle entrance.
"Same thing that you are," Harry answered pulling open the door. A wave of warm air hit them. Both he and Ron inhaled the familiar scent of Hogwarts.
"Some things never change, do they?" Ron murmured.
"No," Harry agreed as his lips turned up in a slight smile.
They walked in companionable silence to the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to Dumbledore's office. "Do you know the password?" Ron asked.
"It's Turkish Delight," a feminine voice said from behind.
Harry greeted Hermione with a gentle hug then turned away while she and Ron exchanged a more private sort of hello. Hermione than swept past Harry and uttered the password. The gargoyle stood aside, and the three friends stepped onto the slowly moving spiral stairs.
"What is this all about?" Harry asked Hermione as they rose steadily.
"You'll have to wait until we reach the Headmaster's Office," she replied tersely. The agitated look in Hermione's eyes reminded Harry of their conversation in Floogle Castle's library a few days earlier.
Dumbledore's office was just as he remembered it, full of interesting things beyond measure. Hogwarts' Headmaster was seated behind his large desk apparently indulging in a noontime snooze. Often while he was in school, Harry had wondered what the Headmaster did all day long. He had always assumed that it was something terribly more important than a nap.
"Professor Dumbledore," Hermione said softly.
Dumbledore's eyes snapped open so quickly that Harry wondered if he had been sleeping at all. "Ahhh, Professor Weasley," he said graciously, "Harry and Ron, good as always to see you."
Harry and Ron simultaneously chanted, "Good afternoon Professor Dumbledore."
"Come, come," Dumbledore continued, "You are no longer students here. Call me Albus."
Harry and Ron nodded politely, but neither of them would ever think to address their former Headmaster by his given name.
"Please," Dumbledore said motioning to two rather comfortable looking chairs, "Sit down."
Ron and Harry waited politely for Hermione to sit, but she waved them off and went to stand by the fire. Ron sent Harry a questioning glance as they sat.
Dumbledore chatted amiably with Ron and Harry about recent events in their lives and the latest news. When they had run the gambit of polite conversation, Dumbledore released a long sigh. "I suppose," he said, "that it is about time we got to the heart of the matter. Professor Weasley?"
Hermione, who had been staring absently into the fire, jumped slightly upon hearing her name. She looked desperately at Ron and wrung her hands together in a nervous gesture. "I don't know how to say this," she stuttered.
Ron shot Harry a brief confused look before going to his wife. He captured her hands in his. "Hermione," he said gently, "You can tell me anything. You know that."
Hermione sent a frantic glance at Dumbledore who nodded encouragingly. She took a deep breath and said quickly, "Ginny might be alive."
Harry choked loudly. He didn't know what he was expecting Hermione to say, but that definitely wasn't it. Ron was equally stunned. His face was whiter than snow, and his eyes were the size of milk saucers. "What!?!" he gasped.
Feeling stronger after her initial admission, Hermione said, "I believe, and Professor Dumbledore agrees, that there is a chance Ginny might be alive."
"I don't...I don't understand," Ron uttered. He staggered back slightly, and Hermione helped him to sit. Ron seemed completely bewildered. Repeatedly, he would start to stand up and then would sit down hard again.
"Hermione, I think you better explain," Harry said in what was a remarkably calm tone.
"Yes of course," Hermione replied quickly glancing at Harry. She seemed relieved that Harry was remaining cool. Looking frequently at Ron, she began to explain. "I've been thinking about this for a long time, and I've done a great deal of research.
"We all remember what happened before Ginny disappeared. Lucius Malfoy," Hermione seemed to stumble on his name, "tried to use the killing curse on Ginny. Dumbledore and I both cast spells to try and protect her. The three spells hit her simultaneously, and she disappeared. After the battle was over, I kept running through the sequence of events in my mind and wondering what really happened. I couldn't convince myself that she was really gone.
"My thoughts were nothing more than hopeful musings until I ran across a text in Professor McGonagall's personal library. It was all about the dangers of spell crossing. I began trying to track down every book I could find on the subject, and unfortunately, there are not very many. The more I read; the more I became convinced that there was hope for Ginny. You see, when more than one spell is cast on an individual at the same time, the effects become all distorted. Remember at the end of our fifth year, when Malfoy and his goons had that run in with the DA on the train. They were a mess afterwards."
"Yeah," Harry said, "But Malfoy and his friends were fine."
"A month later," Hermione reminded. "Besides, they were just hit by simple jinxes. You don't need to reverse them. You just have to cure the symptoms.
"It is actually quite hard to predict the outcome when two charms are combined. Basically, you have to test every possible permutation of the spells in question. Professor Dumbledore used the Incolumitas charm, which is a safety or preservation spell. My charm was intended to move Ginny out of the way of the curse. I've worked out all the potential combinations of the two charms, and only one of them is a legitimate spell. That spell would have moved Ginny to a safe location."
Harry glanced at Ron; neither had truly grasped what Hermione said. "That doesn't make any sense," Ron uttered, "If Ginny was moved to a safe place, then why didn't she turn up in a few days."
Hermione's expression darkened. "Well you see," she explained, "My calculations didn't take into account the Aveda Kedavra curse. Including that spell increases the number permutations. Quite frankly, it would take me another ten years to figure out all the possible variations. So, I worked under the assumption that our spells hit Ginny first."
"It is also quite possible that Ginny was moved to a location that she was unable to leave," Dumbledore added.
Harry had almost forgotten that the Headmaster was still in the room. He searched Dumbledore's face for some sign of his opinion, but as usual, it was unreadable.
"What does it all mean?" Ron demanded.
"It means Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore clarified calmly, "That we might be able to perform a counter-charm and bring your sister back."
Dumbledore's words hit the room with the force of a hurricane. Harry was too shocked to even think. Ron nearly turned his chair over when he stood up. His face was red with rage. "No," he shouted, "You're lying. This is all some sort of cruel joke." Hermione tried to comfort him, but he shrugged her off. "She can't be alive," he yelled, "we all saw her die."
"Ron," Hermione said in a softly urgent voice, "Think about what you saw. Three spells hit Ginny, and she disappeared. She didn't collapse. There was no body."
Ron wildly swung his gaze from his wife to Dumbledore to Harry. Finally, he collapsed back into his chair and buried his face in his hands.
"Ron," Hermione whispered gently kneeling down before him, "I know that you blame yourself for losing Ginny. I think I can safely say that everyone in this room have felt themselves responsible for what happened, but don't you see, we have hope now. There is a chance that we can get her back."
Ron met his wife's gaze for a moment or two before pulling her into his lap. Harry discreetly turned his head away and was amused to see Dumbledore do the same. A few awkward minutes past before Ron said, "What do we do?"
The procedure was extraordinarily complicated. Dumbledore and Hermione would have to simultaneously say different spells that combined to make the counter-charm. Also, they had to be standing in the exact location where they cast their initial charms from ten years ago, and the spells had to intersect at the precise position where Ginny had been standing.
"That's impossible," Ron muttered after forcing Hermione to explain the process again.
"It is very tricky," Dumbledore agreed, "but Professor Weasley and I have choreographed the whole charm. All we need is a little help from you and Mr. Potter."
"What?" Harry asked. He was willing to donate anything to the cause.
"We need your memories of that afternoon so that we can triangulate each of our positions in the hallway," Hermione explained.
In very short order, Harry and Ron had removed a silver thread of memory from their temples and placed it in Dumbledore's pensive. Hermione's and Dumbledore's memories were then added, and the whole lot was emptied into a strange looking machine on the edge of Dumbledore's desk. The contraption hummed and hissed for a moment, then it glowed bright orange. Dumbledore placed his wand into the machine and declared, "That's done it."
After their memories were returned, the group rose rather shakily.
"Before we go any further," Dumbledore said, "you must all understand that it is very unlikely that this counter-charm will work. The odds are against us that we will be able to perfectly execute the counter-charm. Even if we manage the counter-charm correctly, it might not give us the desired results."
"But there is a chance?" Ron demanded.
"A very slight one, yes," Dumbledore replied.
"Than we must try," Ron stated.
Harry felt slightly nauseous as the group made their way to the hallway outside Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. There were so many things that could go wrong, and so many variables to consider. Was it conceivable that all these improbabilities could add up to a possibility? And, what would it mean if they did? Could Ginny Weasley really be alive? An ember of hope was kindled deep within his chest.
"The student's are assembled in the Great Hall for lunch," Dumbledore said, "but just in case..." He muttered a spell to seal off the hallway at either end. "Are we ready to begin?"
"Wait," Ron said, "Shouldn't we contact my Mum and Dad?"
"I don't think it would be wise to get their hopes up," Hermione said as gently as possible.
"Right," Ron mumbled, "Of course. How stupid!"
Dumbledore waved his wand, and a series of X's appeared on the floor. "I'm the yellow one," he said, "Hermione, you're blue. Harry is red and Ron is green. Ginny would have been standing on the purple X. Everyone take your position."
Harry went over and stood where the red X slashed the floor. As he looked around, a sickening sense of déjà vu infiltrated his mind. He turned until he was facing the purple X. Much to his astonishment, a translucent figure of Ginny was standing there. Her body was froze in the exact pose Harry remembered seeing her in a split second before she disappeared.
Harry and Ron had no active part to play in the counter-charm. They merely stood by anxiously and watched as a Hermione and Dumbledore exchanged nods. A counter appeared above the mock-up of Ginny. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Dumbledore and Hermione each let loose their charms. This time, the stream from Hermione's wand was orange and Dumbledore's was violet. The two energy streams collided exactly where the figure of Ginny was standing. Everyone held their breath and watched expectantly.
Nothing happened.
"It...it didn't work. It didn't work," Hermione stuttered disbelievingly. "Maybe our timing was off. We could try again." Desperation had crept into her voice. She didn't want to believe that all those years of work were for nothing. That would mean that there wasn't any hope.
"We all knew that this was a possibility," Dumbledore said quietly, but Harry could read the disappointment in his face.
"We couldn't really expect it to work the first time," Hermione said quickly, "Let's try it once more."
"No," said a sad and resolute voice. Everyone turned to face Ron. His head was bowed and his eyes clenched shut. "She's truly gone."
The small ember of hope in Harry's chest was doused, and he felt colder than ever before. He went to offer what little comfort he could to Ron.
Dumbledore waved his wand. The X's on the floor, the counter, the Ginny stand-in, and the hallway barriers disappeared. In their place remained shock and sadness.
"PROFESSOR DUMBLEDORE," a voice shouted, "PROFESSOR DUMBLEDORE." The occupants of the hallway turned to see Professor Lupin hurrying towards them. "Come quick," he cried, "A woman has fallen through the ceiling of the Great Hall."
Harry Potter and the Lost Library
Chapter 3: Hermione's Idea
Harry apparated into Hogsmeade one Monday in mid-September. He strolled down to Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes where he met up with Fred and George. The twins always moved their headquarters from Diagon Alley to Hogsmeade during the school year to be closer to their target customers. The three set off to the Three Broomsticks for a mid-morning butterbeer. After a few drinks, Harry walked back towards the twin's shop with them.
"Hey Harry," Fred said as he unlocked the shop's front door, "Are you in a hurry?"
"A bit," Harry replied, "I'm suppose to meet with Professor Dumbledore today, and I need to stop by Hollyhock's before I go."
"That's too bad," George said, "We've got a few prototypes that we'd like you to try out."
Harry made a hasty retreat before Fred and George could suggest an alternate time for product testing. He strolled towards Hollyhock's. The garden shop sold a variety of plants from ordinary wildflowers to exotic species for potion gardens. A plump, old witch by the name of Tansy Foxglove was the proprietor. Just as he always did, Harry bought a large bouquet of Hollyhock's Wilt-Resistant flowers before heading to Hogwarts.
The walk from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts was a bittersweet one. The school had been his beloved refuge and home for seven wonderful years, yet it was the site of some of his most painful memories. Harry paused for a moment as Hogwarts first came into view. The vista across the lake always stole his breath away as a menagerie of emotions washed over him. Eventually, a cool gust of wind came along and urged him forward.
Harry passed through the entrance gate unhindered. The area between the outer wall and the castle had been a rolling lawn during his time at Hogwarts, but now was a memorial garden and a cemetery. Decorative ponds and rock gardens had been placed where the grass had refused to grow back. Beds overflowing with blooms lined the many paths, and small clusters of trees provided private areas to remember and grieve. Beyond the garden were rows of solemn white grave markers. A familiar lump caught in Harry's throat, and tears burned at the back of his eyes.
Taking a deep breath, Harry wove his way through the well-tended flowers and shrubs. The cemetery was divided into four sections with one each for Hogsmeade residents, Aurors, faculty and staff, and Hogwarts students. Wide, white stone paths separated the sections and met at a tall fountain in the center of the cemetery. The base of the fountain was engraved with, "Erected in the memory of those who gave their lives to rid the world of darkness and champion freedom."
Harry left flowers on Hagrid's, Professor McGonagall's, Sirius's, and Mad Eye Moody's graves before moving among the gravestones of his fallen schoolmates. He paused several times to remember or place a flower. Eventually, he made his way to one very special marker. Underneath a carving of the Gryffindor Lion was the epitaph, "Ginevra Weasley. Battle of Hogwarts. Beloved daughter, sister, and friend."
Harry kneeled down to clear away some grass clippings and debris from the base of Ginny's headstone. Then he added the remainder of his Wilt- Resistant flowers to the vase in front of it. Hermione always ensured that Ginny's grave had a fresh bouquet of flowers, and Harry recognized one of the twin's handwriting on a small card that said, "We miss you and love you."
It was while sitting by this grave, that the injustice of war seemed the most bitter to Harry. Ginny Weasley had ceased to exist right before his very eyes. Harry could still hear Ron's wails of grief in the back of his mind, and he was haunted by the echoing laughter of Lucius Malfoy. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair.
"Hey Harry," a shaky voice said from behind him. Harry turned to see Ron carrying a dozen Wilt-Resistant roses.
"Ron, what are you doing here?" Harry asked. Ron tucked his flowers in with Harry's and Hermione's.
"Dumbledore wanted to meet with me about something," Ron answered gently tracing the letters of Ginny's name. "It seems like yesterday."
"Yeah," Harry whispered. They sat in silence a minute or two before rising together and heading towards the castle.
"What are you doing here, Harry?" Ron asked as they started to climb the steps to the castle entrance.
"Same thing that you are," Harry answered pulling open the door. A wave of warm air hit them. Both he and Ron inhaled the familiar scent of Hogwarts.
"Some things never change, do they?" Ron murmured.
"No," Harry agreed as his lips turned up in a slight smile.
They walked in companionable silence to the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to Dumbledore's office. "Do you know the password?" Ron asked.
"It's Turkish Delight," a feminine voice said from behind.
Harry greeted Hermione with a gentle hug then turned away while she and Ron exchanged a more private sort of hello. Hermione than swept past Harry and uttered the password. The gargoyle stood aside, and the three friends stepped onto the slowly moving spiral stairs.
"What is this all about?" Harry asked Hermione as they rose steadily.
"You'll have to wait until we reach the Headmaster's Office," she replied tersely. The agitated look in Hermione's eyes reminded Harry of their conversation in Floogle Castle's library a few days earlier.
Dumbledore's office was just as he remembered it, full of interesting things beyond measure. Hogwarts' Headmaster was seated behind his large desk apparently indulging in a noontime snooze. Often while he was in school, Harry had wondered what the Headmaster did all day long. He had always assumed that it was something terribly more important than a nap.
"Professor Dumbledore," Hermione said softly.
Dumbledore's eyes snapped open so quickly that Harry wondered if he had been sleeping at all. "Ahhh, Professor Weasley," he said graciously, "Harry and Ron, good as always to see you."
Harry and Ron simultaneously chanted, "Good afternoon Professor Dumbledore."
"Come, come," Dumbledore continued, "You are no longer students here. Call me Albus."
Harry and Ron nodded politely, but neither of them would ever think to address their former Headmaster by his given name.
"Please," Dumbledore said motioning to two rather comfortable looking chairs, "Sit down."
Ron and Harry waited politely for Hermione to sit, but she waved them off and went to stand by the fire. Ron sent Harry a questioning glance as they sat.
Dumbledore chatted amiably with Ron and Harry about recent events in their lives and the latest news. When they had run the gambit of polite conversation, Dumbledore released a long sigh. "I suppose," he said, "that it is about time we got to the heart of the matter. Professor Weasley?"
Hermione, who had been staring absently into the fire, jumped slightly upon hearing her name. She looked desperately at Ron and wrung her hands together in a nervous gesture. "I don't know how to say this," she stuttered.
Ron shot Harry a brief confused look before going to his wife. He captured her hands in his. "Hermione," he said gently, "You can tell me anything. You know that."
Hermione sent a frantic glance at Dumbledore who nodded encouragingly. She took a deep breath and said quickly, "Ginny might be alive."
Harry choked loudly. He didn't know what he was expecting Hermione to say, but that definitely wasn't it. Ron was equally stunned. His face was whiter than snow, and his eyes were the size of milk saucers. "What!?!" he gasped.
Feeling stronger after her initial admission, Hermione said, "I believe, and Professor Dumbledore agrees, that there is a chance Ginny might be alive."
"I don't...I don't understand," Ron uttered. He staggered back slightly, and Hermione helped him to sit. Ron seemed completely bewildered. Repeatedly, he would start to stand up and then would sit down hard again.
"Hermione, I think you better explain," Harry said in what was a remarkably calm tone.
"Yes of course," Hermione replied quickly glancing at Harry. She seemed relieved that Harry was remaining cool. Looking frequently at Ron, she began to explain. "I've been thinking about this for a long time, and I've done a great deal of research.
"We all remember what happened before Ginny disappeared. Lucius Malfoy," Hermione seemed to stumble on his name, "tried to use the killing curse on Ginny. Dumbledore and I both cast spells to try and protect her. The three spells hit her simultaneously, and she disappeared. After the battle was over, I kept running through the sequence of events in my mind and wondering what really happened. I couldn't convince myself that she was really gone.
"My thoughts were nothing more than hopeful musings until I ran across a text in Professor McGonagall's personal library. It was all about the dangers of spell crossing. I began trying to track down every book I could find on the subject, and unfortunately, there are not very many. The more I read; the more I became convinced that there was hope for Ginny. You see, when more than one spell is cast on an individual at the same time, the effects become all distorted. Remember at the end of our fifth year, when Malfoy and his goons had that run in with the DA on the train. They were a mess afterwards."
"Yeah," Harry said, "But Malfoy and his friends were fine."
"A month later," Hermione reminded. "Besides, they were just hit by simple jinxes. You don't need to reverse them. You just have to cure the symptoms.
"It is actually quite hard to predict the outcome when two charms are combined. Basically, you have to test every possible permutation of the spells in question. Professor Dumbledore used the Incolumitas charm, which is a safety or preservation spell. My charm was intended to move Ginny out of the way of the curse. I've worked out all the potential combinations of the two charms, and only one of them is a legitimate spell. That spell would have moved Ginny to a safe location."
Harry glanced at Ron; neither had truly grasped what Hermione said. "That doesn't make any sense," Ron uttered, "If Ginny was moved to a safe place, then why didn't she turn up in a few days."
Hermione's expression darkened. "Well you see," she explained, "My calculations didn't take into account the Aveda Kedavra curse. Including that spell increases the number permutations. Quite frankly, it would take me another ten years to figure out all the possible variations. So, I worked under the assumption that our spells hit Ginny first."
"It is also quite possible that Ginny was moved to a location that she was unable to leave," Dumbledore added.
Harry had almost forgotten that the Headmaster was still in the room. He searched Dumbledore's face for some sign of his opinion, but as usual, it was unreadable.
"What does it all mean?" Ron demanded.
"It means Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore clarified calmly, "That we might be able to perform a counter-charm and bring your sister back."
Dumbledore's words hit the room with the force of a hurricane. Harry was too shocked to even think. Ron nearly turned his chair over when he stood up. His face was red with rage. "No," he shouted, "You're lying. This is all some sort of cruel joke." Hermione tried to comfort him, but he shrugged her off. "She can't be alive," he yelled, "we all saw her die."
"Ron," Hermione said in a softly urgent voice, "Think about what you saw. Three spells hit Ginny, and she disappeared. She didn't collapse. There was no body."
Ron wildly swung his gaze from his wife to Dumbledore to Harry. Finally, he collapsed back into his chair and buried his face in his hands.
"Ron," Hermione whispered gently kneeling down before him, "I know that you blame yourself for losing Ginny. I think I can safely say that everyone in this room have felt themselves responsible for what happened, but don't you see, we have hope now. There is a chance that we can get her back."
Ron met his wife's gaze for a moment or two before pulling her into his lap. Harry discreetly turned his head away and was amused to see Dumbledore do the same. A few awkward minutes past before Ron said, "What do we do?"
The procedure was extraordinarily complicated. Dumbledore and Hermione would have to simultaneously say different spells that combined to make the counter-charm. Also, they had to be standing in the exact location where they cast their initial charms from ten years ago, and the spells had to intersect at the precise position where Ginny had been standing.
"That's impossible," Ron muttered after forcing Hermione to explain the process again.
"It is very tricky," Dumbledore agreed, "but Professor Weasley and I have choreographed the whole charm. All we need is a little help from you and Mr. Potter."
"What?" Harry asked. He was willing to donate anything to the cause.
"We need your memories of that afternoon so that we can triangulate each of our positions in the hallway," Hermione explained.
In very short order, Harry and Ron had removed a silver thread of memory from their temples and placed it in Dumbledore's pensive. Hermione's and Dumbledore's memories were then added, and the whole lot was emptied into a strange looking machine on the edge of Dumbledore's desk. The contraption hummed and hissed for a moment, then it glowed bright orange. Dumbledore placed his wand into the machine and declared, "That's done it."
After their memories were returned, the group rose rather shakily.
"Before we go any further," Dumbledore said, "you must all understand that it is very unlikely that this counter-charm will work. The odds are against us that we will be able to perfectly execute the counter-charm. Even if we manage the counter-charm correctly, it might not give us the desired results."
"But there is a chance?" Ron demanded.
"A very slight one, yes," Dumbledore replied.
"Than we must try," Ron stated.
Harry felt slightly nauseous as the group made their way to the hallway outside Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. There were so many things that could go wrong, and so many variables to consider. Was it conceivable that all these improbabilities could add up to a possibility? And, what would it mean if they did? Could Ginny Weasley really be alive? An ember of hope was kindled deep within his chest.
"The student's are assembled in the Great Hall for lunch," Dumbledore said, "but just in case..." He muttered a spell to seal off the hallway at either end. "Are we ready to begin?"
"Wait," Ron said, "Shouldn't we contact my Mum and Dad?"
"I don't think it would be wise to get their hopes up," Hermione said as gently as possible.
"Right," Ron mumbled, "Of course. How stupid!"
Dumbledore waved his wand, and a series of X's appeared on the floor. "I'm the yellow one," he said, "Hermione, you're blue. Harry is red and Ron is green. Ginny would have been standing on the purple X. Everyone take your position."
Harry went over and stood where the red X slashed the floor. As he looked around, a sickening sense of déjà vu infiltrated his mind. He turned until he was facing the purple X. Much to his astonishment, a translucent figure of Ginny was standing there. Her body was froze in the exact pose Harry remembered seeing her in a split second before she disappeared.
Harry and Ron had no active part to play in the counter-charm. They merely stood by anxiously and watched as a Hermione and Dumbledore exchanged nods. A counter appeared above the mock-up of Ginny. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Dumbledore and Hermione each let loose their charms. This time, the stream from Hermione's wand was orange and Dumbledore's was violet. The two energy streams collided exactly where the figure of Ginny was standing. Everyone held their breath and watched expectantly.
Nothing happened.
"It...it didn't work. It didn't work," Hermione stuttered disbelievingly. "Maybe our timing was off. We could try again." Desperation had crept into her voice. She didn't want to believe that all those years of work were for nothing. That would mean that there wasn't any hope.
"We all knew that this was a possibility," Dumbledore said quietly, but Harry could read the disappointment in his face.
"We couldn't really expect it to work the first time," Hermione said quickly, "Let's try it once more."
"No," said a sad and resolute voice. Everyone turned to face Ron. His head was bowed and his eyes clenched shut. "She's truly gone."
The small ember of hope in Harry's chest was doused, and he felt colder than ever before. He went to offer what little comfort he could to Ron.
Dumbledore waved his wand. The X's on the floor, the counter, the Ginny stand-in, and the hallway barriers disappeared. In their place remained shock and sadness.
"PROFESSOR DUMBLEDORE," a voice shouted, "PROFESSOR DUMBLEDORE." The occupants of the hallway turned to see Professor Lupin hurrying towards them. "Come quick," he cried, "A woman has fallen through the ceiling of the Great Hall."