Dsiclaimer: Own nothing
Chapter 8 – Unspoken Testimony
Professor Dumbledore stood up expectantly, unfortunately at exactly the same time that breakfast commenced in all its chaos. He stood patiently whilst the students woke those who were sleeping and shushed each other, then shushed the ones who were shushing.
"I have a few announcements to make," he began, calmly studying the mass of waiting (and very hungry) students. "Firstly, Halloween is but a few weeks away, and the feast will begin as usual. Mr. Filch requests that no tricks (or 'treats') are played on him or Mrs. Norris this year." Dumbledore's sparkled with amusement. "The head girl and boy also ask that on October the thirty-first no students enter the hall after two p.m."
Harry and Ron looked Hermione askance, but she just tapped her nose, knowingly.
Dumbledore waited until the whispering and wondering died down. "The second notice is that there seems to be an influx of people reporting lost or 'stolen' watches to Lost Property. Madam Laclaster reports that she has no watches or clocks in her possession and sends the exact message: "Look harder." A couple of the pupils harrumphed in annoyance. "And finally I will be setting up a Dark Arts Comprehension lesson every Friday evening from six until seven-thirty for all students from the sixth and seventh years. That is all." With that Dumbledore promptly sat down and the tables filled with food and drink.
"Dark Arts Comprehension," mused Harry thoughtfully. "Sounds interesting."
"I wonder who will be taking it?" Hermione agreed.
"Probably Snape knowing our luck!" Ron piped up. "Do you reckon its just like advanced D.A.D.A?"
Hermione shook her head, "No, it's more likely to be an analysis on dark curses, hexes and incantations. Probably so we can understand better who we will be fighting against."
"Fighting against?" queried Ron.
"Well, you-know-who isn't going to leave Hogwarts alone indefinitely is he? This is like the power-base of his opposition." Hermione explained.
"Yeah, I see what you mean," said the tall redhead, "if I was you-know-who I'd take Hogwarts out first, then we'd all be learning you-know-who's ways, and the good side would hardly have a chance in hell." He scratched his head thoughtfully; unaware that he was demonstrating abilities that would mould an impressive strategist.
"Talking of D.A.D.A though, did you notice the new teacher acting rather weirdly last lesson?" Hermione asked, curiously.
Ginny tuned Hermione, Ron and Harry out, they often shared conversations that no one else would understand. Sometimes, it was almost as if they were speaking in a code that only they could appreciate, and often the three of them did it almost without thinking. She supposed it must be nice to have that kind of in-tuneness with another person, but it made anyone listening realise that they really were on the outside. She should know because she'd experienced it countless times in the past five or so years.
# # #
"Ah, ah, ah!" exclaimed Persephone breaking the silence.
"Very eloquent," observed Ginny. "What have you found?"
Persephone turned the book round so Ginny could read it: 'Faes and their counterparts: a guide to understanding'.
Ginny read the accompanying passage out loud, " 'Originally from Greece, these tiny, winged, seasonal faeries are born teasers. They have four guises, one for spring, summer, autumn and winter. As they honour the seasons, they have grown to dislike the years as this reminds them how old they have become. Often you can tell if a Fae has taken up residence as all clocks will either stop or disappear, but will miraculously reappear once they have moved on. Frequently, this is the only way of telling if Fae lives nearby as they painstakingly avoid humans.' It all fits!" she marvelled. "And it explains why your watch disappeared and Ron's stopped working, and why the common room clock consistently shows the wrong time"
"Yes," agreed Perse, sucking her lip in thought. "You'd also be able to tell if the Faes ever left as everything would go back to normal and that would mean the Banshees would be gone as well."
"Right," said Ginny, scribbling the information down on a very messy bit of paper, "now all we need to find out is whom the 'Inverse' are that you talked about."
"I haven't found any references to them at all," replied Perse, irritation creeping into her tone.
"Me neither," coincided Ginny. "I found something about the Diverse and the Reverse worlds. But that didn't even say much, only that mirrors join the two and that very little was known about the Reverse world." She paused for breath, "I don't even know whether that's relevant."
Persephone shook her head, deep in contemplation, "Maybe we're looking in the wrong place altogether…" She glanced around the library as though the answer might pop out and put the mystery to rest. Alas, no such thing happened.
"Look, it's the diminutive Weasley and her little black-haired friend," drawled a voice from behind them. Ginny rolled her eyes in exasperation. Draco Malfoy came into her line of sight, hair and robes in perfect alignment and style as always. "Hmmm, let's see," he spoke disinterestedly as usual, not even looking at them. He picked up one of the books strewn across the table, " 'Ten Faery Tales: Origin in Fact?' " He raised an eyebrow, looking at Ginny whilst smirking. "Aww, does widdle Weasley still believe in fairies? How twee."
"Sod off Malfoy," snarled Ginny, snatching the book from his hands.
Blaise Zabini abruptly made an appearance behind Malfoy's right arm. This time Persephone rolled her eyes impatiently. The two Slytherins stood shoulder to shoulder, effectively blocking Ginny and Persephone into the corner of the library where they had hidden themselves away.
In baffling unison, the two Slytherins sat down on the other side of the table, facing the two younger Gryffindors. Ginny eyed them apprehensively; at the same time noticing the obvious similarities between the two, and at the same time the evident differences.
Both Draco and Blaise sat with the same, proud, straight back and neither of them so much as darted a glance at the other one. The differences were that Draco's eyes were solid chips of ice whereas Blaise' were much gentler (mind you, a cliff would be gentler than Draco's look, Ginny considered) and Blaise wouldn't stare Persephone in the eye where blonde Slytherin's gaze was unwaveringly intimidating.
"We have a few questions that we require answers to," Blaise said, an unmistakeable undertone of commandment in his voice.
"That's good 'cause so do we," retorted Perse appearing unconcerned, although Ginny knew her well enough to notice that the consistent playing with her jet locks was a sign of worry.
"I've asked before, I'll ask again," Draco cut in, "Weasley, why are you hunted? Last time I asked you escaped, this time you can't. I demand an answer."
Spoken like a true spoilt brat, Ginny noted.
After a moment's thought she just came out with the truth, "Because I'm powerful. Because they want to control the world."
Draco snorted derisively, "Yes, and Longbottom's taken up Potions Master in his spare time."
Ginny sneered at him, "Guess that means you don't need to be Potions Apprentice anymore."
The blonde found himself at a loss for words, how do you respond to someone who just sounded a hell of a lot like you do? The side effects of the Joining must be more potent than I thought.
Blaise took advantage of the pause in the bickering to jump in with a question of his own, this time directed at Persephone, "When Pansy cornered you earlier in the week, what did she say?"
Perse, who had been staring inattentively into space, jolted to attention. She narrowed her eyes severely, "What's it to you?" Out of the corner of her eye she could see Ginny staring at her astutely – she hadn't told the redhead of her latest run-in with Pansy because she didn't want her to worry. In hindsight it probably hadn't been a good idea not to enlighten her friend.
The dark-haired Slytherin shrugged uncaringly, but his eyes told a different story.
"Ginevra Weasley and Persephone Nixen!" cried a male voice from the other side of the shelves. "Where are you? I need a word!" the voice rose towards the end of the sentence, belying the speaker's anger.
Ginny smiled at Persephone, "Ron, we're over here!" she turned to tell the Slytherins that they should probably get going before her brother found them, but they had already vanished. They couldn't be quieter if they were ghosts, she thought to herself.
Suddenly the tall and (at the moment) intimidating form of her brother towered over them, his face perfectly clashing with his hair. "Quidditch tryouts are happening NOW."
# # #
Sleep came quickly to Ginny that night giving her little time to think about the Gryffindor team tryouts and their implications. Although she didn't feel particularly tired it was as though something coerced her brain immediately to a blissful sleep.
Instantly she found herself standing on a lofty hilltop, overlooking a valley and meandering river. The wind rustled her hair and the sun beat down onto her bare arms and face. The smell of summer wafted in the air, so different from the intoxicating odour of winter. Ginny walked barefoot across the meadow, the grass tickling the soles of her feet.
Everything was so colourful and vivid, it had to be one of the dreams that the fairies had told her about. Since they had visited her she hadn't remembered any of her nighttime dreams, only had a vague feeling of fear and the residue of terror that nightmares leave in the light of day. It had almost been as if her subconscious had been blocking her.
"Ginevra Weasley," a squeaky voice commanded from behind her.
Ginny spun to find a fairy hovering on her eye level.
The fairy had garlands of tiny flowers sewn into her vividly red hair, and, unlike Mirabella and Patience, she had an impressive blood-red rose petal skirt and a shimmering shawl made from what looked like woven spider webs. She looked queenly, and for such a miniature creature seemed to demand respect and reverence. Ginny fought the urge to curtsey.
"Uh, hi," said Ginny nervously.
"I am Faery Queen of the Whispering Faes, and the only Sleepsoarer to date." The tiny fairy inclined her head gracefully, as though acknowledging Ginny as an equal.
Ginny was a little taken back, Sleepsoarer?
"I'm here to teach you the ways of Resumbria," the fairy continued.
"Hang on, hang on," Ginny interrupted, "Sleepsoarer? Resumbria? Could you please explain them to me… miss, um, Faery?" she tailed off, what was she meant to call her?
"Exquiseta," the fairy filled in for her. "A Sleepsoarer is what you and I are, we take what we see and weave it into our dreams. Our subconscious's are very strong and allow us to change what happens to us in our dreams. Some very exceptional Sleepsoarers have mirrored this into reality, and therefore have gained great power and status on both sides of the good and evil divide." The fairy paused, letting this sink into Ginny. "You are yet a novice, but I will teach you to the best of my knowledge." Her green eyes flashed dangerously. "Be aware that Resumbria, this place of woven dreams, feels real, which also means that any injuries you fall victim to here, happen to your physical body also," she warned sternly.
Ginny nodded gravely, eyeing the world around her nervously. It looked peaceful enough, the trees and flowers bobbing gently in the warm breeze, but she knew from experience that not everything was as it seemed.
"The first lesson I will teach is a very basic understanding," explained Exquiseta. "Remember this place is made from woven dreams, it is simply looks the way your mind perceives it, which means you can manipulate it."
Ginny paid rapt attention as Exquiseta explained the basics of learning to exist in Resumbria. The first lesson she was to learn was how to project her mental picture of herself to another place in the land of dreams.
As she learned how to control the power she was gifted with, the foundations in the grand scheme of things were beginning to grind into place.
Yet a menacing figure watched impatiently as dark shadows stalked Hogwarts hallways. If things fell into their proper places then pretty soon the opaque shadows would be able to do more than simply stalk, soon they would be able to destroy.