Disclaimer: anything you recognise isn't mine – god bless JK!!
Chapter 6 – Beyond the Grave
Reminder: I thought back to a muggle romance movie that Hermione had dragged me along to a cinema to see last year, the title of the film had been A life less ordinary, my only wish I thought ironically was that my life had been a little more ordinary.
*~*~* Companionship *~*~*
Harry stayed there the rest of the night, and I stayed by his side unable to leave him in his anguish. The irony of the situation struck me, a boy in my room, on my bed, and not just any boy, the boy I loved. The boy who loved me - and here we were alone in my room together. I had pictured this scene over and over again in my head, but in my head Harry didn't cry himself to sleep, and more importantly I was alive and he knew I was there with him.
Whilst Harry slept I sat on my bed next to him, and looked around my room, all around me reminders of my short lived life. My posters of the weird sisters, my program from the quidditch world cup which I had fastened to my notice board, a small stuffed owl on a shelf by my bed.
Hootie, I had him as a birthday present from Bill when I was three, and in the years leading up to Hogwarts it rarely left my side. That was one of the worst things about all this; I couldn't even get a bit of comfort from hugging a stuffed toy, because I knew, were I to touch it my hand would pass through it,
Or would it?? I thought back to that day in the hospital wing, the day I crashed into the door, and Harry and Charlie both heard the clutter. Perhaps it was worth a try, I reached for Hootie confident that I would be able to touch him, but my hand passed straight through him.
How had I ran into the door, Jane had said it was because my mind still thought of it in live terms, my subconscious still thought of it as material so it was.
So this was the question, how could I get my subconscious to think I was still alive. I figured the only way I would be able to do it would be to concentrate, very hard I mean didn't ghost's communicate through Ouija Boards all the time by moving the pointer.
So here it was the moment of truth, I had convinced myself that Hootie wouldn't drop, that my hand wouldn't pass through him, focusing all my thoughts on touching Hootie, on picking him up.
I reached out my hand and instead of passing thorough the owl I felt the rough worn material of Hootie's body. The next step was to try and pick him up; I closed my hand around his wing and tried lifting it into the air, success! I had done it; I'd picked him up,
"Learning quick then?"
the voice from the doorway started me, and I spun around looking for its source, leaning against the door post was a familiar looking boy, a face I hadn't seen for four years, a very handsome face…
"Cedric?" I asked
"you got it" he replied grinning,
"but, wha.."
My question was interrupted by a sound behind me, when the voice had startled me I lost my concentration, the toy had fallen through my hands and I now realised it had landed right on top of Harry's face, waking him almost instantly, He bounded to his feet looking around him frantically,
"Ginny?" He asked "Ginny are you here?"
"yes" I replied
he still looked around the room and even under my bed,
"Harry i.."
"He can't hear you" interrupted Cedric, "believe me, I've tried, we can do all sorts, but talking with them is not one of them"
I watched Harry sadly, "Ginny are you here? Answer me goddamit!" he yelled, as Ron burst through the door closely followed by Hermione, Fred and George
"Harry, what on earth are you doing?" Scolded Hermione, "That noise is enough to wake the ……." She trailed off
"Dead?!" Harry finished in a funny tone, "That's the whole point Hermione, Ginny are you here" he yelled again spinning around
Cedric had stayed quiet throughout their exchange, but now he stood at my side, "they won't hear you Ginny, no matter what you try, they never hear you"
I ignored him, I had realised if I could pick something up I could let them know I was here,
Ron meanwhile was now talking "Harry, she's ... she can't be here"
"Then explain this" replied Harry holding up Hootie,
"it's a toy" said Hermione scathingly
"I know it's a toy" he said, "But that wouldn't mean it could just jump off the shelf and hit me in the head"
I rushed to my desk looking for something else to throw at his head, spotting a lipstick I reached out for it hurriedly, but my hand passed through it, come on Ginny concentrate! I told myself...
Ron meanwhile had gasped, "it did what?"
"Exactly" finished Harry
"Ginny?" Hermione now called uncertainly,
focusing all my concentration I once again reached for the lipstick, but my hand passed through it…… it was no good, there were too many distractions, too many thoughts running through my head, I turned to Cedric,
"Can you pick it up?" I asked now in tears, he walked to my side momentarily touching my shoulder,
"I'll try" he replied and reached for the lipstick,
His hand also passed through it, I once again became aware of the conversation around me,
"It must have been the ghoul from the attic" Hermione was now concluding, "or perhaps you performed wandless magic in your sleep Harry, like children do"
Harry didn't look convinced, "Quickly" I urged Cedric,
"I'm trying" came his reply
"Why don't you come downstairs for a while Harry?" asked Ron,
"No" I yelled, stepping in front of Harry, "don't go, look behind you"
Nothing could have prepared me for what happened next, he nodded grimly to Ron and Hermione and walked right through me,
In that instant I knew Harry, I could feel him all about me, but as quickly as it came it went away. Harry stopped momentarily and shuddered, then left the room, "No" I yelled after him, turning to see Cedric holding up the lipstick with a smile on his face.
He took one look at me and the smile faded as my lipstick fell to the floor…
"Ginny" he said,
Tears drowning my vision, I stared at the faded pattern in
my blue carpet, I had failed.
He reached out a hand placing it
on my shoulder, "there will be other chances" he said, "but for now, come away
from here, it's only upsetting you, come with me"
Ordinarily I would have followed them down to the kitchen; I would have persisted until I had picked something up, until I could show them that I was there, that I wasn't gone. But that was before Cedric, I realised, for now I didn't want to fight or even watch them, there was finally someone like me who I could talk to, I placed my hand in Cedric's own and we both materialised on a rocky beach.
I looked around me, "where are we?" I asked looking around me, "Wales" he replied, "I used to come here on holiday, back when I was still alive" he continued, "I used to come here when everything was getting on top of me, it was always a good place to think"
I nodded dumbly, "well it's certainly pretty" I replied half heartedly and sat down on the floor, still caught up in my thoughts from the Burrow.
"It get's better" he said flopping himself down beside me, " I know what it's like at first, I remember, when I died I thought I could never … " he broke off
"Never?" I asked
He gazed into the sea as its waves crashed upon the straw, "I thought I would never be able to cope, alone in the world, it was like a personal hell for me, no-one to hear, when you can see and hear everyone else"
I nodded recognising his words as my own feeling of desolation. "How did you know where to find me?" I asked mirroring his gaze into the ocean, and watching the moonlight play on the ripples,
"It looks like a path doesn't it" he said turning to look at me, I nodded confused at the change in subject, "how did you know?" I asked again.
He stood up, "I was at my parent's, and my father asked my mother if they would be going to your funeral"
Well that would probably be right I thought, remembering that Cedric had played with Fred and George when we were all much younger, being the only wizards in Ottery along with the Lovegood's over the years the three families had spent a lot of time together on various occasions.
"I just couldn't see you as the sort to kill yourself" he continued, "You were always such a happy person when I knew you, and when I've seen you over the last four years"
"You haunt Hogwarts?" I asked, wondering why I hadn't seen him on my many trips around the school, and why Jane hadn't mentioned him
He shook his head, "I go anywhere, that's the beauty of this Gin, the world is at your feet, when I first died I spent a lot of time at Hogwarts, and then I spent a lot of time away touring the world, looking for more people like us."
"Did you find any?"
He nodded, "a few, but not many, and they're not all like us, some are in denial, others still think they're alive" I remembered what Jane had said and nodded,
"When I died" he continued, "I spent all my time following around my family, trying to let them know I was still here, that's how I knew where to look for you, and sure enough I found you" he grinned at me,
"I'm glad you did" I replied returning his smile, " I was starting to go mad, no one I knew to talk to, no one to listen to me or give me any help, my only friend is Jane, and she's been a ghost so long that she's forgotten what it's like to be human"
"Jane?" he questioned
"The Gray Lady" I replied,
"Oh right" he said nodding in agreement.
"so what happened?" he asked, "How did you die?"
" I was hoping you could tell me" I replied
[A/N – thanks for reading, sorry its short, more soon …. Darlon – your fab, I look forward to reading your review!]
Luna