It was the next morning before Ginny awoke. Looking around she noticed that she was in the hospital wing. But there were people all around her. She didn't know any of them really. So, she wondered what they were doing there. Looking at them all she noticed the new professor.
'What's she doing here?' thought Ginny. Yet she shrugged and continued scanning the faces in the room. She was calm until she noticed the person closest to her bed. It was him, the guy from Diagon Alley, and from the common room! She jumped into a sitting position and soon moved to the foot of the bed. Jumping off she made a break for the door. Unfortunately Professor Kiliani was an elf.
Mind you, elves have very good hearing, and even quicker reflexes. She caught Ginny around the waist and heaved her onto the bed.
"How did you hear that?" Ginny demanded
"Army training, Ginevra. "
"Oh."
"Yes, now why did you run? No one in this room is going to hurt you."
"That boy" she said, pointing at Aubrey, "I've seen him before. He gave me a letter."
"A letter. Why do you think he's going to hurt you?"
"It was at the Alley. And he was there, and he gave me the letter, and he was gone. Didn't even tell me his name. Nattering on about compulsions. Bloody mad if you ask me."
"No Ginevra, he's not mad. Merely a tool of fate like yourself. Now, I have a story to tell you. But pay attention. Because if you don't you'll never know the story. I don't plan on telling it more than once."
"Yes ma'am."
"Call me Professor Kiliani."
"Okay… Professor."
"Okay, now where to begin? Ok, a good beginning. Four lived. Four of one kind, for centuries lived alone. None to help them, or to share the burden of their lonely lives. For centuries they went without aging. Living alone in a crowd. And in one day it was all to be changed.
"The four were named Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw. When it started there were three. Ravenclaw did not come for many years.
" In those times, a girl went by her mother's name, and a boy by his father's. Subsequently Hufflepuff and Slytherin were half-siblings, born a decade and a half apart and looking nothing alike.
"These four made a castle. Not by building the structure, but by imbuing their magicks into it. The three originals lived in the castle for years. When Slytherin was 40 and Hufflepuff 25, Gryffindor set out on a two-year quest to find others of their kind.
"When Gryffindor returned with his bride, a pretty lass of 30 named Ravenclaw, the legendary feud had already started out between the founders. Slytherin had always detested his sister, whose mother he felt, had supplanted his own. Slytherin felt that Hufflepuff was too docile to have real power. Sensing his hatred for her, Hufflepuff had always been careful to hide her temper and power. Salazar was her guardian and her elder. Such things had to be observed.
"Also, Slytherin was jealous of Gryffindor. Gryffindor was much more attractive than him, and possessed the impetuous manner that the cunning man had none of.
"To be perfectly fair Slytherin had a reason for the hatred of his kin. Hufflepuff's mother had abused him behind his father's back. Always slapping the young Slytherin when not seen. Gryffindor's mother-who in reality had also been a Hufflepuff, joined in when visiting her younger sister.
"When Gryffindor returned with his bride the hatred Slytherin felt for his cousin escalated. Along with being beautiful and totally in love with Gryffindor, she was incredibly intelligent. In fact, Ravenclaw should be creditedfor the making of Hogwarts.
"The imbuing of the castle took about five decades. Every Founder imbued their common room, their house table in the Great Hall and several other places. Then a book was made. It was the Hogwarts admissions book. This book was designed to inform the first four mages of the birth of any magical child. Being born of their house, or of a common house.
"In time, it was evident that those who each Founder chose possessed the same personality traits that the founder was famous for. Gryffindor preferred those who were brave and chivalrous. Slytherin favoured those with cunning, and the will to do anything. Ravenclaw preferred those who were intelligent and studious. And Hufflepuff preferred those who were loyal and hardworking. It was Gryffindor who came up with the idea to fix their conundrum. Why not separate the school into houses? The Founders would name each of the houses. And to decide, they would make a hat. This hat would chose the house that eachmage would enter into.
"But over time it became obvious to the Founders, as they are called now, that none of the "mages" were as strong as they were. So, the name of the school was changed from Hogwarts School of Mages, to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Because a woman could not be a wizard, nor could a man be a witch.
" When the Founders started making the school they had made a sword. One that they could all use. But once they started to grow old they knew that they would have to finish that sword. For their heirs would come and find it, and together they would form the greatest coven since they had walked the earth.
"And so they finished the sword. And as you know each of the Founders gave some characteristics to the sword. But you own the sword now, so you'd know that, wouldn't you?
"Now, not much is known about the sword or the heir of the Founders. The legend of the Sword has been lost into mythology, much like the myth of the Heir. The public mostly just knows that neither has been found. Up until now. You have the sword. Now, the real question is, where did you find it?"
"I found it in the alley. Same time I saw him" she said pointing at Aubrey.
"His name is Aubrey, Ginevra. He's the Watcher. He'll take care of you. No matter what. And she's" pointing at Braeleigh " the companion. She will keep you company if you are ever alone."
"Who am I?" Asked Ginny curiously.
"You are the Princess of Hogwarts."
Ginny laughed. "The Princess of Hogwarts? You've got to be kidding me. I'm not powerful enough. Wouldn't the Princess be from a richer family? Like the Potters or something?"
"You know of the Princess of Hogwarts?"
"Of course, my father used to tell me the story."
"You are powerful enough Virginia. By the time you're 20 you'll be more powerful than Dumbledore."
"You can't be serious. I mean, I'm just Ginny. I never asked for this. I never even wanted this."
"It's not what you want Ginevra," Kiliani said, a flash of sympathy going through her, "It is your duty. To yourself and the world."
"I see." Ginny turned the other way, not wanting to look at anyone.
"Come on Ginevra, I'll bring you to Gryffindor. You can go to your room and sleep."
"Okay Professor." Ginny got off the bed and they made their way to Gryffindor Tower. And once the password was spoken Ginny entered the common room, but not before, once again, the snake shaped scar on her stomach was spotted by a teacher.
"Good night Princess." The teacher muttered to herself. And spoke the spell and was in her chamber before anything or anyone noticed her. She would indeed have to talk to Dumbledore in the morning.
Ginny sat on her bed, holding the- her sword. She just looked at the sword with the onyx handle, and the diamond on the tip. And every once in a while she would stroke the handle, amazed at the smoothness of the stone. And she sat still like that just looking at the stone.
And she knew no one would come looking for her. Ron, Hermione, and Harry wouldn't even have noticed that she had disappeared yet. They wouldn't notice until she didn't come down to supper. Not that she wanted to. Not that she needed to.
So she sat like that for hours. And then she started rock back and forth. Little rocks at first, and then they progressed to bigger rocks. She didn't notice at first, but then she became aware of the motion. And the movement relaxed her. Soothed her fragmented soul. The soul that had been beaten so many times that it lay in tatters, but it never broke.
And so she thought of the injustices that had been heaped upon her through her life. The rape of her soul and body by Tom, she had trusted him, and he had betrayed her. The fact that she was poor, when so many others who were rich deserved not to be. And the fact that almost as soon as she had met a friend she could trust, he was ripped away from her in the most terrible way.
And then she got angry, angrier than she had ever been in her life. And she the rocking got more violent and it was no longer soothing. It was making her more and more anxious.
Unbeknownst to her, the sword was heating up in her grasp. All the emotion that she was feeling was going into the sword. As she got angrier and angrier the sword became closer to filling up. As she hit the climax of her anger the sword erupted with power. A lightning bolt sprung from the tip and hit the far wall of her circular room.
'Uh oh' she thought, snapping out of her reverie. 'What just happened?' Her next thought was 'I don't think that will come off.' Magic residue had an awful habit of staying on the walls. Not even house elves could get it off sometimes.
"Ginny? You up here?" It was Hermione. 'Uh oh.'
"Yeah Hermione. I'm up here. What do you need?
"You missed supper. We were worried."
"Sorry, I lost track of time."
"What were you doing up here?"
"Thinking."
"That's all? I heard some noise."
"I was just thinking."
"What were you thinking about?"
"Things."
"You know, if you ever need to talk…"
"Yeah, yeah. I think Harry needs to talk more than I do."
"He seems fine to me Ginny."
"Ok. Now, I should go to the kitchens. For supper."
"Good idea."
"I have to change now Hermione, I'll see you soon."
"Alright Ginny," with that she left. Ginny let out a big breathe, that girl could be so annoying. She thought she was smart, but when it came down to it she wasn't. Bookishness was different than intelligence. Hermione Granger might have been at the top of the class, but she wasn't very observant. Anyone with one eye could tell that Harry wasn't as happy as he let on. But, no one did. No one ever did. Which is why suicide is the second highest rate of teen death in countries like Canada.
Any how. Ginny kept on the pyjama shirt the hospital matron had given her. And put on a pair of baggy black pants. The shirt was long sleeved, and made of a thin material. Most of the buttons weren't done up, just the two under the top. And once she was satisfied with the way she looked then went down the stairs to the common room.
She was about to walk out the portrait hole when she was stopped.
"Ginny. Come here!" It was Ron. God help her. He could be thick at times.
"What do you want Ron?" She sounded exasperated.
"Where have you been?" He shouted.
"In my room." She answered back shortly.
"Doing what?"
"Thinking."
"You're hiding something from us. Tell me what it is."
"Why should I?" She challenged.
"Because I'm your brother, and they're your friends, and we deserve to know."
"No."
"What?"
"NO!"
"Why the bloody hell not? We tell you things."
"Yeah, when its convenient for you. And you're my friend. When its bloody well convenient for you." Her voice was escalating to a yell. "You ignore me for three years, then you decide that I'm worth your time. Well, I'll tell you one thing. I have no friends. No wait, scratch that. I have two friends. Neville and Luna."
Ron gaped.
"Yeah, they actually care about what I have to say, and what I think." She said frostily. Now if you'll excuse me. I have to go now."
"No. This isn't you Ginny. What's happened to you?"
"How would you know what I'm like Ron? You don't know me."
With that she exited into the hall. Where she bumped straight into the last person she wanted to see. Without making eye contact she walked around him.
"Princess, wait!"
"What do you want?"
"We've never actually been introduced. I'm the Watcher. My name is Aubrey." And he held out his hand.
A/N: I haven't updated in awhile. No excuse, not going to bother making one. To appease you, this is the longest chapter I've ever written. And I mean EVER,
Well, I've got to go. It's getting late. And I'm tired. Real fast typing.
Ta,
-Eireann
