THE SPELL: CHAPTER 3

It was a week before the wedding, and Ginny was still working up the nerve to talk to Neville about her plan. Neville had been there for three days already, and no time seemed like the right time for such a serious conversation. However, the mood and the will seemed to strike her while she was working on her potions homework.

"Neville, I remember you telling me about a protection potion a while back, called amor something," Ginny said slyly, without looking up from her homework.

Neville looked up at Ginny questionably, "which one? There are many."

"Oh I don't know, I remember you were doing a report on a specific form of gildwerdal seeds for herbology and you came across a protection potion that was made from it."

"Oh, yea, that was, uh, a sacrificial protection potion; very dangerous."

"Right, what did it do again?" she asked, biting on the tip of her quill.

"Ginny, why do you want to know this?"

"I'm writing a paper on protection potions and I need one that has enough information written about it to fill up 3ft. of parchment," she said, gazing at Neville convincingly.

Neville looked at her uncertainly. "Are you sure that's why you want to know?"

Ginny sighed. "Yes, I swear."

"Well, alright then," he said staring at her uneasily. "The potion forms a protective barrier around the person that you are wishing to protect. The protection is basically made from the potion maker's soul. The person brewing the potion must drink the concoction with a strand of hair plucked from the person's head (the one you wish to protect.). The brewer will slowly have his or her soul sucked away from him or her, sending him or her into a deep slumber; an almost coma like state. However, the brewer's soul will shield the person they are protecting from any sort of harm for a short duration; probably a week or two. This means that for that week, any spell, jinx, or even curse will be inflicted not on the person they are protecting, but on the person who brewed the potion."

"Only a week?" she asked, sounding disappointed.

"Ginny, what were you thinking about?" he asked uneasily.

Ginny sat up in her arm chair. "Neville, can you go up and get that book for me to look through? You do have it don't you?"

"Look, Ginny, I have it, but…"

"Please, Nev. I really need your help right now."

Neville nodded, he got up from his position in front of the fire, and made his way upstairs.

Neville came back down the stairs moments later carrying a leather bound book. He handed it to Ginny, and plopped back down in front of the fire, sprawling out on his stomach.

"You know, Harry asked me what I was doing when I went up there only for a minute."

"And?" Ginny asked, clearly not following.

"Well, I told him I was getting something for you, his head almost popped clear off his head. Ginny, I honestly think that me being here with you, though helpful, is really not a good idea."

"Oh buck up Nev. You're hear for Bill's wedding as my guest! Honestly! Can't I have friends? Besides Luna's coming tomorrow for the wedding too."

Neville nodded briefly. "That's all well and good, but I don't want to lose Harry's friendship because he happens to think that I want to steal you from him."

She shook her head and opened the book that Neville had brought her. A few minutes later she had found what she was looking for. The potion looked really complex; it reiterated the fact that it only worked for a short duration. However, it did mention a spell, amor infinite, that had the same effects, only it lasted much longer. It lasted until the person was either dead or was reunited with his or her soul. There were no directions, just this small description.

She closed the text with a snap and looked up at Neville who was unaware of her gaze.

"Nev?"

"Hmm?" he grunted, looking up from his homework. Noticing her look of determination, he sat up and looked at her dead in the eyes, his look of unease slowly intensifying.

"What? What is that look?" he asked.

"I think I have to do something?" she said.

"What exactly do you have to do?" he asked uncomfortably.

"Sacrifice myself."

Neville gaped at her. His left eye started to twitch, soon followed by the right side of his mouth. "Are you kidding?" he asked after a minute of shocked silence.

"Not at all." She was determined.

"Ginny, do you have any idea how dangerous that potion is? You could die!"

"I know that. I'm willing to face the consequences," she said bravely.

"It only lasts a week! Two at the most!" he tried.

"The spell doesn't. The spell lasts until the job is done." She smiled.

"THE SPELL? WHAT SPELL?" Neville shouted. Ginny scrambled down to the carpet in which Neville was sitting and held her hand over his mouth.

"You can NOT blow this for me, ok? I need to do this!" she hissed, slowly taking her hand away from his mouth.

Neville glared at her. "I can't believe you are actually considering this!"

"Neville, please support me on this! I need your help! You know that I have to do this!"

"I know no such thing," he growled. "Ginny, I can't let you go through with this stupid idea. If Harry wouldn't let you come with them, do you honestly think he would let you pull this?"

"Harry won't know," she said triumphantly.

Neville continued to stare at her.

A second later there were footsteps on the stairs. "What's all the yelling about down here?" the voice of Ron asked.

Neville opened his mouth to answer but was silenced when Ginny's foot came crashing down on his hand.

"Nothing, just a minor disagreement," Ginny smiled at her brother.

"Minor my arse," Neville muttered, rubbing his hand.

Ron raised his eyebrows. "Right then, I'll just be off.

Ginny waited until Ron disappeared outside before continuing. "Neville, please, I beg of you, just hear me out! I love Harry! I need to do something or I will only feel guilt for standing by, and basically watching Harry put himself in danger day after day! I mean, think about it! Don't you ever feel left out? I mean, Harry, Ron, and Hermione get to do EVERYTHING together. Don't you ever want to just lash out and scream for them to let you help for once? Don't you ever want to show them that you are capable of being worthy of standing by them? And I've been thinking; if I die, at least I'll have done it bravely and for the man that I love."

Neville was silent. "Ginny, I understand where you are coming from, but please, think about this. You aren't sacrificing your hair, your face, or even your magic; you are sacrificing your life. You can't go back and change it. Once it's done, it's done."

"I realize that, but it's something I need to do, something I'm going to do; with or without your help. Just promise that you won't blow my cover?"

Neville sighed. "I guess if you know what you're doing, I can respect your wishes; but please, for my sanity, can you at least tell Hermione what you are doing, so she can 'look after' you?"

"I will when I get everything sorted out, more likely when it's too late for her to talk me out of it." She grinned, trying to lull Neville out of his gloomy mood.

"Come on, no more talk of this. Let's go get some ice cream."

Neville nodded, closing his school books slowly and standing up with Ginny to go get some ice cream from the kitchen.

The sun was shinning a couple days later as Ginny walked into Flourish and Blots. She had told her mother that she was going to buy her school books, when she was really going to research the Amor Nonfinite spell. She took about a half an hour to pick out what she thought were worthy books, before selecting a small table near the back door to sit at. She took out her notepad and quill and began the mind numbing trouble of research.

About an hour later, she had all the information that she needed; she sat back and reviewed what she had learned. She was surprised to see that the spell was much like a Horcrux in that it was an object that held a piece of a person's soul. However, it was not meant as a protective agent or rejuvenation agent for that one specific person alone. This spell was created to hold the soul of a person that is wishing to protect another; and it wouldn't be only one piece of that person's soul; it would be the whole thing. Basically, she was to place her soul in a locket that Harry would wear around his neck to protect him. The magic would begin when Harry clasped the locket around his neck. While her soul was in this locket, her body would be at rest, having slipped into a coma. Any jinx, spell, or even curse that would be thrown at Harry, would be bounced off of him and onto her; even the killing curse. If 'Avada Kedavara' was to be thrown at Harry, Ginny's soul would pass on, the locket and the person who uttered the curse would be destroyed, but Harry would remain alive. However, if later on, the locket and the soul inside were not destroyed, they could be reunited with her body, with a simple spell. She began to see the hope. Maybe love really would conquer all; and maybe they'd all win. Even if it killed her, she was determined to show Voldemort the power of love.

Now all she needed was to find a locket.

eh...let me kno? how you like it? lol