Chapter 3
"How could this happen? All these years we have tried to maintain secrecy, and all of that has gone to waste," Eldon whispered as he stared at the article in The Quibbler. Daren stood silently behind him, feeling incredibly guilty for thrusting this upon his elderly grandfather.
"You got this from Ginny?" Eldon suddenly asked.
"Yes, Grandfather."
"And she got this information from the daughter of the printer?"
"Yes, sir."
"Very well," Eldon sighed. "Write to Ginny, tell her to ask the daughter where her father got the information about Avalon. Do it subtly. We don't want her getting suspicious."
Daren took the magazine from Eldon. "But why can't Ginny know about Avalon yet, Grandfather? Aren't we inviting her to Yavieba?"
Eldon sighed. "Grandson, if you find a way to convince Ginevra that Avalon is real, you live there, and you are the heir to the throne of the High King before Yavieba, then she may come. I you don't, she'll come at Yenearsira instead." Daren nodded, somewhat disappointed, and gave his grandfather a bow of reverence before turning to march out of the room.
"Wait a minute, Daren," came his grandmother's soft, willowy voice. Daren turned, a frown etched onto his handsome face.
"Yes, Grandmother?" he asked.
Giselle's eyes flickered to Eldon's for a moment, who nodded. She smiled prettily and looked at Daren.
"Your grandfather and I have been talking with your mother; we know how much you wanted to go to Hogwarts when you were younger, but it just wasn't safe. And even though it's even more dangerous for you to go, we feel as if you need to stretch your wings a little, as well as your sisters. So tomorrow you will go to the place Diagon Alley to get your school things. Your mother and I will go with you, along with Nero."
A disbelieving look came onto Daren's face for a moment. "This isn't some kind of joke, is it? There isn't a catch?" Giselle shook her head. Daren grinned widely, before crossing the room and to hug his grandmother. Giselle laughed as he kissed her cheek and then her hand, an sign of immense thanks in Avalon.
"Thank you, Grandmother. May I write to Ginny and tell her?" he asked, turning to kiss the ancestral ring that sat on his grandfather's right middle finger. Eldon smiled.
"Why don't you surprise her when you get on the train?" Daren grinned even wider before giving a clumsy bow and hurrying out to ask Ginny about the article.
Giselle stood and crossed the room to where Eldon sat. Her husband was getting along in years. He had not aged gracefully like she had; the boyish look he once had was no longer there. His face had thinned out, and his once smooth skin had become marred with age spots and gentle folds of skin. His hair and beard were now streaked with liberal amounts of white, so much that the blonde was barely noticeable. His eyes were the only thing that remained constant all those years, still twinkling puddles of blue.
"Are you sure you can handle having him gone? He's been your support for almost ten years, Eldon," the queen whispered. Eldon looked up with tired eyes and smiled sadly.
"Yes, my love. I am sure. I have depended on the boy far too much; he has a look in his eyes that no child his age should have. Yet it is there, and it is my doing. He shall be a child for nine months, and let us hope it will be enough."
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Daren had never been so excited in his life. In a month, he would get to see Ginny. He hadn't seen her in almost two years, ever since the winter of her fourth year, when he had stopped by her house for a few minutes to deliver his gift in person. He could still remember the look on her face when she found the dainty, elfin made gold locket in the small gold box, a look of utter joy and surprise. She swore that she would wear it forever.
Sighing, Daren collapsed at the chair in his desk. Hastily scribbling a note to Ginny asking what his grandfather told him to ask for, he tied it to the leg of his owl and let it fly off into the distance. He wished that he could see her now, and meet her in Diagon Ally when she got her books. Just to be able to see how beautiful she had become, and if she had any feelings for him at all.
The thought brought a smile to his face. Ever since six months ago, he'd been experiencing emotions towards Ginny that seemed out of place. He'd never felt that way for anyone before, not even the two girls that he had courted earlier in his life. The longing to be near her had been so great that sleep had evaded him, and he had finally told his grandfather about it, somewhat sheepishly. Eldon had smiled slyly at him, although he knew that it would happen one day.
As it turned out, Daren and Ginny shared a connection- a soul connection, to be more specific. It was one that the Fates had placed on them when Daren had first come to Avalon. Alec had been sent to check the Book of Records once for Eldon, and came back with the news that the two shared a soul bond, one so strong that he was surprised that Daren wasn't at Ginny's house, professing his love for her.
There were times, however, when Daren could almost hear Ginny's voice in his head when she argued with her mother and her brothers, or giggled with Luna and Hermione, or just sang to herself as she swept the front porch. Sometimes he even got little flashes of what she was doing, once when she was writing a letter to him, another time when she sat in front of the fire with her father as they discussed Muggle contraptions, and once even when she walked down the hall, wrapped in a fluffy blue towel, humming a tuneless song. He had turned red for ten minutes after that.
The bond practically made them married. More like engaged. With a last sigh, he realized that he only had to break it to Ginny.
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The first of the month dawned cheery and bright in Avalon. Daren was up to see the first tendrils of the sun come over the horizon, as he was too nervous and excited to sleep any longer than necessary. By the time they were ready to leave, Daren had already been sitting by his trunk on the stairs for an hour, impatiently reading his Potions textbook. He looked up as the females of his family descended the stairs, glaring playfully at them all.
"By Avalon, I've been here for the better part of an hour, and what have you five been doing?" he asked, stowing his book away and standing up.
"Getting out beauty rest," Dalila said in a bored tone, examining her nails. "We, unlike some people I know, actually like to sleep."
"I can't help it. I want to see Ginny!" Daren said. Anthea laughed.
Two hours later, at ten-thirty, the six of them stood at King's Cross Station in London. The four younger members of the group were amazed, as they had never been in London; they had Flooed to the Leaky Caldron to get their books, so they never actually stepped into Muggle territory.
"Come on!" Anthea called as she and Giselle led the way to the platform. They stopped in front of the barrier between platforms nine and ten.
"Now, remember what I told you. Just ran at the barrier," Anthea said. Daren nodded and was about to run towards it when he heard a very familiar voice from behind him.
"This is a day for the record books. The Weasley family actually made it to the platform with thirty minutes to spare!" Ginny Weasley said, her tone filled with awe. There came a girly giggle from somewhere else, making Ginny laugh. Daren turned around, only to find her walking straight past him, talking animatedly to a girl with bushy brown hair.
She would never know how much she had changed, Daren decided. She had grown out her red bob cut into long golden-red tresses that cascaded down to reach the small of her back. She had obviously been out in the sun a fair bit that summer, for she had a lovely golden glow to off set her adorable freckles quite nicely. She didn't seem to have grown much in height, but had developed very womanly curves. Her hips swayed almost hypnotically as she glided confidently towards the barrier, not even sparing him a passing glance; she obviously hadn't noticed him there.
Something hard collided with his head. He let out a gasp of pain and turned around, only to find Dalila smirking at him smugly. "All right there, Daren?" Daren scowled at her and turned back, only to find Ginny gone and through the barrier. He let out a growl of frustration and ran towards the barrier, not stopping until he reached the other side.
A roar of sound rose like a wave as he passed the barrier. A large collection of children, teenagers, and adults stood on the platform, milling around the massive scarlet steam engine that stood in front of him. He let a grin creep onto his face.
A gasp behind him let him know that Dalila had arrived on the platform. He turned and grinned cheekily at her before pushing his trolley towards the train.
"Luna!"
Ginny's voice shocked him once again. She dashed past him in a blur of red and threw her arms around the neck of a willowy blonde, blue-eyed girl with a dazed expression about her. The girl, who Daren guessed to be the Luna Lovegood that Ginny told him about, laughed quietly and hugged Ginny back.
"Hello, Ginny. It's nice to see you," Luna said politely. Ginny giggled and took Luna's hand, turned her around, and began to march resolutely back to where a mob of redheads stood.
He stared after her as she rejoined her family before wheeling his trolley around and shouting, "Ginny!"
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"Ginny!"
Someone was shouting her name. She looked up from where she was saying goodbye to her parents and turned her head around. She didn't see Colin, Rosie, or Anna anywhere.
"Ginny!" There it was again. It wasn't Rosie or Anna, because the voice was too deep. She knew it wasn't Colin's, because his voice was much higher than the normal voice of a boy; he was on the more wild side of the fence. She looked one more time and found a tall boy approaching her.
Of course, boy would be an understatement. He was much more like a man. Her head came up to about his chin, making him about as tall as Ron. His shoulders were broad and powerful, and he walked with a strong, but unsure, gait. His hair was dark, uncontrollably messy, and long, curling innocently at the nape of his neck. His nose was straight, and his jaw set. His eyes were brilliantly green with bits of gold and brown swirling in them; they were fixed on her, a strange determination and joy in them.
Stopping in front of her, he smiled a bit uncertainly. "Ginny?" She nodded slowly, aware of the curious glances from behind her. She noticed a faint scar above his left eye, in the shape of a lightening bolt, which suddenly made her curious.
"Good," he said, obviously relieved. He drew a lily out of his cloak and handed it to her. She took it and found a note attached, which she read anxiously. She could have recognized that handwriting anywhere.
Gin,
Guess who's coming to Hogwarts this year?
Love from, Daren
With a little shriek, she threw herself into the arms of her mystery man, who was in fact her Daren. He laughed and hugged her back. It suddenly felt like her entire body was on fire.
Merlin, he smells good, Ginny thought as he held her. He was a mixture of her favorite smells, cinnamon and peppermint. They were odd smells to mix together, but a comforting one to Ginny. Ever since she was a child she had loved them, although she never knew why.
"Your parents and grandparents said yes?" she whispered breathlessly, pulling back far enough to look up at him. He nodded happily, and she launched herself at him again.
"Good to see you, too, Ginny," he whispered, his breath tickling her ear pleasantly. A sudden thought struck her, and she pushed him away, her face set in a look of outrage.
"Why didn't you write to me and tell me? You must have found out weeks ago! And you've been keeping this to yourself!" she said indignantly. Daren had the decency to blush.
"Yes, but miss the look on your face when I showed up on the platform? I don't think so," he answered. She poked her tongue out at him.
"Um, Ginny?" Ron's voice came from behind her, question evident in it.
"Oh!" she cried. "Sorry. Everybody, this is Daren Komaya. When I got lost when I was ten, he was the one that found me and helped me home, and we've been writing to each other ever since."
Turning to Daren, she pointed to each of the group in turn. "These are my parents, Molly and Arthur Weasley, my twin brothers Fred and George, my brother Bill and his wife Fleur, my brother Ron, Ron's girlfriend Hermione, and you know Luna."
Luna smiled brightly at him. "Hello, Daren. Ginny's told me a lot about you. It's nice to finally meet you." Daren laughed and took her outstretched hand, kissing the back of it lightly.
"It's very nice to meet you, too, Luna. Ginny has only good things to say about you, as well as all of you," he answered. Luna smiled at him before turning to Ginny.
"You never told me he was such a gentleman," she said simply. "I'm going to find a compartment. Do you want me to take your things and save you a seat?" Ginny nodded, and when Luna offered for Daren, Ron and Hermione jumped in to help. Daren gave them his trunk and turned to Ginny.
"Well, my mother and grandmother are here, and so is Dalila, Fleta, and Ondrea. They want to meet you, you know," he said.
Ginny smiled happily. "Well, I'd like to meet them, too. Just let me say goodbye." She kissed her parents and hugged her brothers before taking Daren's hand and allowing him to lead her towards his family.
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Daren could barely breath at the moment, and was struggling not to turn around and kiss Ginny. He hadn't so much as touched her for two years, and in the past five minutes, she had hugged him twice, and was now holding his hand, which was currently numb from so much electricity in it.
Spotting his mother in the crowd, he patiently made his way over to the five members of his family present. Ondrea smiled brightly up at him as he approached, so he scooped her up in his arms.
"Everyone, this is Ginny Weasley. Ginny, this is my mother, Anthea, my grandmother, Giselle, and my sisters Dalila, Fleta, and Ondrea." He tickled her stomach, making her smile even more.
"Hello. It's nice to meet you. Daren's told us so much about you," Anthea said pleasantly, extending a hand for Ginny to shake.
"Nothing good, I hope," the redhead answered coyly, winking at Daren. His heart rate speed up as he grinned cheekily at her.
"About you? Oh no, nothing good about you," he answered, making her laugh and accept a hug from Giselle.
After a few more minutes of chatting, the train whistle blew, signaling five minutes until they left. They heard Luna's voice calling for them, so Ginny said she'd wait by the door for him. He nodded and let her run off.
"Good bye, Mother," he said, giving her a formal bow since no one was looking. Anthea let out a sniff and grabbed him in a bone-crushing hug. "Mother!"
"Oh, Daren, be careful this year! You know what lurks outside of Hogwarts' walls, so I want you to promise me that you won't go running off," she said seriously, tears in her bright green eyes. Daren sighed and hugged her tightly, trying to console his weeping mother.
"I'll be fine, Mother. I promise," he whispered. "Stop worrying." Anthea quickly dried her tears and kissed his cheek.
Giselle stepped forward, a package in her frail, slender hands. "This is for you. Open it in private when you reach the school. There's a note inside for you, explaining." Daren hugged his grandmother tightly, placing a gentle kiss on her soft cheek.
"Goodbye, Ondrea. Will you be good while we're away at school?" Daren signed, crouching down to say goodbye to his deaf little sister. Ondrea nodded and kissed him.
"All aboard!" someone yelled. Daren gave his family one last fleeting look before he, Dalila, and Fleta ran towards the train, jumping on as it began to pull away.
"Write to us!" Anthea called as the train picked up speed. He watched as Ondrea ran behind the train, silent tears rolling down her face. He waved at her before turning to find Ginny standing behind him, looked amused.
"Does you hair ever lie flat?" she asked, reaching out to ruffle it. He grinned and shook his head.
"No. Grandmother has tried, and nothing has ever worked except when we plaster it down. And then it looks ridiculous," he told her. She laughed and turned to Dalila and Fleta.
"Do you want to sit with me and my friends? Because if you don't, I know some girls your age that need some friends…"
Dalila and Fleta both voiced that they would rather sit with people their own age, though Dalila shot Daren a frightened look, to which smiled reassuringly to. Both girls were seated, and Daren was following helplessly behind Ginny, who was eager to get to the compartment and meet her friends.
"Ginny! There you are!" came Luna's voice as the redhead stepped into the compartment. Ginny smiled and reached over to hug a black haired girl with pretty aqua eyes and a rather straight figure.
"Hello, Rose," Ginny said as she and the girl embraced. The girl named Rose smiled before her eyes fell on Daren. She turned quizzical eyes on Ginny, who blushed and let a plump, nervous boy embrace her, and then a mousy-haired boy.
"Oh, Merlin, Gin! You look wonderful. How have you been?" the mousy one asked. Daren's eyes widened in surprise. He sounded like a little girl!
"Oh, fine, Colin," Ginny said with a giggle. "France treated you pretty well." Colin laughed girlishly and swatted at Ginny before turning curious eyes to Daren.
"And who might this good looking fellow be, hmm?" he asked. Daren turned red under Colin's appreciative stare.
Ginny noticed his discomfort and laughed. "This is Daren. Daren, this is Colin Creevy, Neville Longbottom, and Rose Keller. And Colin, he's as straight as an arrow." Colin looked disappointed.
The compartment was very full. Ron and Hermione sat next to each other by the window, with Colin and Rose next to them. Then there was Neville and Luna near the door on the other side, leaving two empty seats near the window for him and Ginny. Once the two of them had settled in, Daren was ambushed with questions.
"Is this your first year here?"
"Are you an exchange student?"
"Why haven't you come here before?"
"How do you and Ginny know each other?"
Daren laughed. "One question at a time, please! Yes, this is my first year here. I'm not an exchange student; my parents and grandparents just decided to home school me."
"How do you know Ginny?" Rose asked again.
"It's actually a very interesting story," Ginny said, curling a lock of hair around her finger; Daren thought she looked like the most beautiful creature on earth. "See, when I was ten, the family was on a picnic. I, of course, got left there, and when my family came back to look for me, I was gone. I was wandering around for hours until I just gave up and cried. Fortunately, Daren had chosen that night to run away from home, and happened to stumble upon me. He helped me home, and we've been writing to each other ever since."
"Why would you run away?" Hermione asked with wide eyes.
"Because my parents wouldn't let me come to Hogwarts, and they promised me that I could," the raven-haired man answered stubbornly.
After a few hours of merriment and Exploding Snaps, Ginny stood up. "I'm going to find the food trolley. Do you want anything?"
At once, everyone was shouting our their orders.
Ginny laughed at the demand. "Alright, so let me get this straight. A pack of Drooble's, a few Licorice wands, chocolate frogs, pumpkin juice, butterbeer, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Cauldron Cakes, and Pumpkin Pasties. Did you want anything, Daren?" He shrugged and stood.
"I don't know. I'll come with you and see what they have," he said. Ginny nodded and quickly collected money from everyone before she and Daren set out down the corridor.
"Ginny!" Daren turned to find a medium sized, mocha skinned boy running towards them, a smile on his face.
"Hi, Dean!" Ginny said, giving the boy a hug. Dean smiled and kissed her cheek.
It was as though something large and scaly erupted into life in Daren's stomach, clawing at his insides: Hot blood seemed to flood his brain, so that all thought was extinguished, replaced by a savage urge to jinx this boy named Dean into jelly. Wrestling with this sudden madness, he heard Dean's voice as though from a great distance away.
"So, how has your summer been?" Dean asked. Ginny proceeded in giving him highlights from it, including her brother's wedding and the disastrous dress.
"Oh, Dean, this is Daren Komaya. He's been home schooled up to this point, but he's coming into seventh year. Daren, this is Dean Thomas," she introduced them, suddenly remembering Daren standing behind her. The two boys shook hands and smiled at each other, although the new monster inside of him was roaring at Dean to be thrown off the train at once.
"We better go, Gin. Everyone will be wondering where we've been," Daren advised. Ginny nodded and said goodbye to Dean before starting off down the corridor again.
The pair walked along in silence for a few moment before Ginny suddenly burst out, "Daren, how can you possibly be angry at me?"
"Why would I be angry at you?" he asked, stopping and turning around to face her.
"Daren, I've known you for almost seven years. When you're angry, you get all tense and you bite your lip, and then you get defensive," she answered, placing her hands on her hips. "Now why are you angry at me?"
"I'm not angry at you," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. Ginny couldn't resist a smile, and she leaned over and smoothed it down with a slender hand.
"You're angry at Dean." It wasn't a question. He answered with a nod. "Why?"
He let out a groan of frustration. "Because! He waltzed over here and decides that he can kiss you whenever he wants. I don't think that he's good enough for you." He turned to walk away.
"It was a friendly, welcoming kiss on the cheek. He's been doing it all year, Daren. And besides, you aren't my brother, so you don't get to decide who's good enough for me or not. I'm a big girl, and I am well capable of making those decisions for myself," she told him. An understanding glint suddenly appeared in her eyes. "You're jealous of him, aren't you!"
"No!" Daren cried, walking in a hurried manner down the corridor.
"Oh, yes, you are! Admit it!"
"Fine!" he said, whipping around. "I'm jealous of someone that I've just met because he's been kissing you all year and you've been letting him. I'm jealous because I want to be the one kissing you, Ginny!" He stormed off, leaving Ginny standing there looking nonplussed.
He was such an idiot. How could he have just told that to her? After all the hours that he had spent planning for that moment, to make it romantic and perfect, he had told her in the corridor of a train. Of course, instead of saying that he loved her, he said that he wanted to kiss her! He was such an idiot…
"Daren!" He stopped and gritted his teeth. She was coming to laugh at him, he knew it. He turned around and found her, breathless. He must have walked a long way.
"Yes?" he asked, afraid of her reaction.
She let out an explosive breath and launched into a speech. "Look, I shouldn't have pushed you back there. It's perfectly natural for you to feel jealous that another boy is kissing me; you're practically my best friend, and I should have told you. But I swear, I've never let him kiss me anywhere other than my cheek, and I'd never, ever, consider dating him, because the truth is…. Well, I want to be kissing you, too." Her cheeks were suddenly stained red.
A broad grin was slowly making its way across his face. It was like he had just drank something hot after being in the bitter cold for a long time, and it was spreading all the way up from his toes. He looked at said toes for a moment before lifting his eyes to her blushing face again.
"Do you think you want to be kissing me now?" he asked in a hushed voice. Her face came up from a thorough examination of the floor and, if possible, turned even redder as she nodded.
And so throwing his elaborate plans to the winds, Daren kissed her.
After several long moments - or it might have been half and hour - or possibly several sunlit days - the broke apart. The chatter coming from the compartments around them was suddenly nonexistent, as if someone had put a silencing charm around the couple.
The creature in his chest roaring in triumph, he grinned down at Ginny and gestured wordlessly down the corridor. Everyone in the compartment wanted something, and was probably wondering where the couple had disappeared to.
