Disclaimer: Anything you recognise isn't mine – god bless JK!!

Chapter 3 - Beyond the Grave

Reminder: No one could get into Hogwarts; it's the safest place on the earth which meant one thing only …. Whoever killed me was inside Hogwarts, and they could kill again.

~*~*~* Getting to Grips *~*~*~

            The Grey Lady placed a hand on my arm, surprisingly her touch was no longer icy cold, instead it just felt kind of tingly, sort of like when your hand goes to sleep when you sit on it too long…

"I have to find out who killed me" I said in a flat tone, she merely nodded in agreement, I looked at her face, and realised I knew very little about her, she had always been the Grey Lady, the Ravenclaw ghost, never anything more, she appeared to be very young, she had probably been about my age when she died, but the clothes she always wore, the old fashioned style dress they made her look much older.

"What's your real name?" I asked uncertainly,

 for a moment she appeared shocked…

"you know, you're the first pupil to ask me that" she smiled to herself,

"it's a long time since I told anybody my true name, I've been the Grey Lady for so long now, but seeing as though you asked, it's Jane"

Jane…  a simple name, not half as commanding as the grey lady, now that was a title I mused, perhaps I should even have my own title now I'm dead,  The red lady? Nope, too similar to Jane's, I needed something commanding, regal even.. my thoughts wandered and I focused on a star chart pinned to the opposite wall.

Jane was studying me,

"what are you thinking?" she asked….. I shared my thoughts about a title, and she laughed,

"Well mine followed on from life" she said thoughtfully, "people knew me as Lady Jane Grey, I was even queen of all England for 11 days, although I never wanted it"

I gasped, all thoughts of a title for myself forgotten;  Queen of all England, and now she haunted Hogwarts..

"were you a witch?" I asked,

She nodded,

 "Yes, but my people never knew, I hid it well, shame I didn't tell them really, then they would have just burnt me at the stake, and a simple cooling charm would have worked, and I wouldn't be here talking to you now"
           

She broke off staring out the window at the great lake which was gleaming in the morning sun.

"how did you die then?" I asked hesitantly, "if you don't want …

"no, it's alright" she interrupted, turning back to me.

 "I was beheaded, for treason against the queen, plotting to steal the throne, although in reality it was my cousin that did all the plotting, they just used me because my bloodline was closer to the throne"

"But if you were beheaded...

"How have I got my head?" She interrupted "your thinking of Nick aren't you?" she said thoughtfully..  I nodded, it was easy to see why she was the Ravenclaw ghost.

"Nick only looks like that because he wants to have a hinge on his neck, we can control our appearance look however we like, That's why the bloody Baron always has those bloodstains, he seems to think that because he's the Slytherin ghost he has too look scary, although really the rest of us are grateful, because it means he can control Peeves….

She turned to look me in the eyes, catching me by surprise…

"I know what your going to ask …. So here is your answer….

"we cannot, tell the living of the dead, or that we can see them, because you see we would never be given our own peace, it was done many years ago, wizards even built a trap for us, so they could hold us and make us talk to they're dead relatives, especially in cases of murder, and even now some of our kind get caught there, and your kind to…. but you shouldn't worry….. Your family will cope without hearing from you….. I've seen it time and time again….

you're no longer one of them….

your thoughts now should not be for the living but the dead. I cannot, and will not speak to them for you"

I nodded, my one hope dashed momentarily until I reasserted myself determinedly,

I would find a way to speak to my family again, If it was through this trap, and meant I got captured then it was worth the risk, I would do anything to let them know I was alright.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

I sat on the window ledge after Jane had left, gazing down into the castle grounds, at the many pupils going about they're usual day, the breeze carried they're voices and laughter up to me, did they know there was a murderer in Hogwarts?

Seeing them gathered with there friends caused a torrent of thoughts, questions…

 would I ever run around classes again? Would I have any friends to giggle with? Would I be able to sit in the hot sun with the cool waters of the lake lapping around my toes, laughing at Ron's jokes and Hermione's temper?

Perhaps the grey… no…. Jane, perhaps she would be my friend….. but still she's just a ghost…..  Just a ghost -- well what are you Guinevere Weasley? Alive?  I don't think so!

I reprimanded myself, I had better get used to this ghost business,

what were my limitations? Where were my boundaries? Could I still feel? Not pain or love or anger, I knew I still I had my emotions, but plain and simple physical touch? Was it possible? Would anyone ever love me? Not because they have to but because they want to? I had hundreds of questions and I decided, I had a lifetime, correction eternity, in which to find them.

And to address the first question, physical touch, physical pain… I knew just the solution….. I stepped through the mesh of iron and glass that was the window, for the first time fully aware of what I was doing, and with this knowledge, further secrets were revealed to me, I felt the actual composition, or was it the spirit? of the window, and was therefore very glad to step out of the mixture of atoms, and onto the narrow ledge beneath the window feeling a shudder pass down my spine..

I knew what I had to do, and gulping in my breath, I still breathe?  I allowed myself to fall forward from the sill in a swan dive…

It was only as I was rushing to the ground below, that a panic overtook me, what if I really did still feel pain? This would hurt. But worse still what if I just kept falling?, what if the ground didn't stop me? I am no longer a corporeal being, I could fall right through the earth and come out the other side in the world! I always had wanted to travel to Australia I thought to myself just as I neared the moment of impact, closed my eyes and braced myself for landing…..

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

            I opened my eyes and looked around me, somehow I had teleported to the Gryffindor common room, I had never impacted with the ground, I remembered my 'apparition' from this morning and realised that I must have subconsciously transported myself out just before I came into contact with the ground.

            But my experiment it had worked after all I realised miserably, I knew, and that knowledge tore me apart inside..

After all, what use is eternity, if you can't feel the wind on your face.

[a/n – sorry bout the short chappie, got a few days off work now, so I'm hoping to add some more soon J

Darlon – thanks for the suggestions, at the moment I'm trying to create a sense or urgency, she's just realised she's dead, she's not going to be taking time to stop and smell the roses yet well metaphorically speaking of course! – I am hoping to include all that later though]