Chapter six: Wizard Chess and Helpless Tears

Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall were sat in the headmaster's office, playing one of their regular games of Wizard Chess. The two of them had found over the years that this, seemingly innocuous activity, provided them the chance to discuss matters they didn't necessarily wish to discuss in either staff, or Order of the Phoenix, general meetings. Quite naturally one of their topics of conversation that evening, was their visitor from the future.

"Has she come to speak to you at all?" McGonagall asked.

"No, I take it she hasn't visited you either?"

"No. I can't help thinking that she should speak to one of us though. I've been watching her."

"Ah. I wonder if you have come to the same conclusions I have?"

"And those would be?" She asked tartly.

"She is a complex young woman." He replied slowly, with a slight smile for McGonagall's evasion. "And in a troubling situation."

"She looks at people sometimes, and there is a dead look in her eyes."

"Undoubtedly she knows of horrors yet to come. Knowledge of the future: a dreadful thing to live with."

"Are we doing the right thing, not allowing her to tell us?"

"Yes." His answer was uncompromising. "There is too much possibility in these things, for the world to be thrown completely off kilter."

"The future is not immutable."

"But there are some things we should not change. And I'm afraid that neither of us is wise enough to know what those things are."

The two professors played on silently for a few minutes. Professor McGonagall broke the silence. "I can't help but feel that we should be doing more for her."

"I've been researching ways to send her back."

"I know. Any conclusions yet?"

"Alas, most of the ways I've found involve pulling someone from the past, through to the future, not sending them there." He paused. "I'm leaving full notes of the processes, however, in the hope that they will be found and utilised at the appropriate time."

"But surely you're not …"

"I am not giving up on the idea of sending her from this end of time, I just haven't found anything yet. Time travel, is not an area greatly explored by wizards, other than for short periods of time." They paused in their conversation for a moment while Dumbledore extracted himself from the cunning trap McGonagall had been working some time on in their game. "What do you think of her as a person?"

"She's bright. A good student, not the best, but certainly adequate." Minerva rarely acknowledged her students as being more than adequate. Dumbledore raised his eyebrows at her – she knew that had not been exactly what he was asking. "She's been through a lot, it's in her eyes. I can't help worrying what the future holds if our children …" she trailed off.

"I suspect, that even in the future, our Miss Weasley is not typical."

"I hope so. Oh that sounded wrong, she is a student I would be proud to have in Gryffindor, it's just – "

"I know what you mean Minerva." They paused again to concentrate on the game, the two professors were fairly evenly matched and their chess games tended to be hard fought and require a great deal of concentration.

"She seems to be avoiding people when she can."

"You'd noticed that too." He said mildly. "Yes, unhealthy for her."

"Perhaps one of us should …" McGonagall paused. "Albus you know you are so much better than me at those sorts of things. I think you should talk to her."

"You underestimate yourself Minerva." She scowled at him. "Although I probably should be the one to approach her, I think we should both be there."

"When?"

"Tomorrow evening. After dinner perhaps."

And decision made, they moved on to other topics. At the end of the closely fought game, McGonagall won. That evening brought their total tally to McGonagall having won 626 games and Dumbledore 637.

The next evening Ginny approached the Headmaster's office with a mixture of trepidation and hope. Had he found a way to send her back? Or did he want to tell her it was hopeless?

"Come in Miss Weasley and do have a seat. Mint humbug?"

Ginny smiled, "No thank you Professor."

"Firstly, I'm afraid, I have not yet found the solution to sending you home – I do have a number of possibilities though, some of which involve people from your time collecting you. If I cannot find any other way, is there somewhere I should leave the information I've found?"

"I think if it was accessible to the Head Teacher of the school that would be fine Sir. But if you don't mind me asking, if you had done that, why isn't someone here already?"

"There are a number of considerations which mean that the solutions have to be enacted upon at a certain time, both in your time and in this one. Do not lose hope Miss Weasley."

"Thank you sir. Was that everything?"

"No Miss Weasley." Professor McGonagall took over. "We wanted to talk to you about your behaviour in this time."

Ginny looked at the floor in concern. She had been trying, really she had but she didn't know how she could explain it. Everything was so difficult. "If I could only tell you …"

"That you cannot do." Dumbledore interrupted her. "I do understand how difficult this is Miss Weasley, and in general we both agree that you are handling the situation admirably." Ginny perked up a bit. "But we are concerned for you."

Ginny looked puzzled at that.

"You don't have to do it alone Ginny." McGonagall said. "I know you cannot tell us anything, but we are here for you even if …"

"Even if all you need is a jolly good cry." Dumbledore completed the sentence that McGonagall couldn't seem to finish. Without thinking about it Ginny's eyes filled with tears.

"Its just so hard." She said despairingly. "So hard knowing … things."

"We understand." Said McGonagall, unconsciously moving to sit next to her. That small action opened the floodgates and Ginny sobbed into her shoulder. Not really used to having students cry all over her (McGonagall wasn't really that type of teacher) she panicked a bit. She did her best to make comforting noises and gestures, but wasn't really certain what she was doing. Dumbledore was torn between sympathy for the girl in front of him and amusement at the look on McGonagall's face.

McGonagall wasn't doing too badly, all told. The opportunity to cry was what Ginny needed, and the realisation that both professors understood her predicament was, in a strange way, comforting in itself.

After Ginny had cried herself out, she was informed by both professors that any time she needed to do that, no matter what the hour or how frequent, both their doors were open to her.

As the emotionally exhausted girl was leaving, Professor McGonagall had one more piece of advice for her. "Don't isolate yourself child. Make friends, even if it seems hard, it really will make things so much easier. Just be yourself with them."