A/N: Sorry this took so long; I've been busy planning this out, and finishing up the novel I'm actually publishing! I'll let you know when it hits shelves, of course ;)
Ginny awoke to a strange feeling in her right temple. The last thing she could remember was playing Quidditch with Michael, with a Bludger flying towards-
Oh. That explained her sudden headache.
She opened her eyes to see a strange place, consisting almost entirely of nothing but white. Ginny couldn't fully explain it, it was just as if the floor was there, but everything else around her was only white, a vibrant, shimmering white. Ginny then became conscious that she wasn't wearing anything, a concept which she found quite odd. She could clearly remember being fully clothed when the Bludger struck the side of her head.
She looked around, trying to find some sort of life. But the more she searched, the more she became convinced that she was alone in this place. Was she dead? The thought struck her hard. She couldn't die! There was so much more she wanted to do with her life!
Ginny felt herself begin to panic, when suddenly, she was no longer alone.
"Hello, Ginevra," a female voice said. Ginny whipped her head around and saw an obscured figure, clothed in white like the rest of the world now seemed to be.
"Who are you?" Ginny demanded, trying to keep her voice steady. "How did I get here?"
"In good time, Miss Weasley," the figure told her good-naturedly. "Or shall I deign to say, Mrs. Potter?"
Ginny was shocked. Mrs. Potter? But she wasn't married! Alright, so she did have a bit of a crush on Michael, but that was crazy! There was no way she was married to him! And his brother- Ginny didn't want to think about it. His brother, Harry, had been of interest to her. He was obviously more attractive than Michael, and Ginny had been attracted to him from the start. But when she tried to talk to him, he turned away from her with a strange expression on his face, as if talking to her caused him pain. She couldn't understand what was wrong with her.
But then the rumors started. Her mother had told her that people were beginning to suspect that Harry Potter, brother of the famous, beloved Michael Potter, might be going Dark. She had brushed this off at first. Where was the proof? She wouldn't believe it until she saw a Dark Mark. But as time went on, and Harry Potter avoided her more and more, she couldn't help but ask.
"Mum, who told you that Harry Potter was Dark?" She had asked one day, unable to help herself.
"Why, Lily and James, of course!" Her mother had replied. Ginny heard her mother continue to talk, but she wasn't listening. So he was a Death Eater after all, or soon would be. After all, what parent would turn against their own child?
"My apologies," the white woman said. "It seems you have misunderstood me. You see, in your world, you are in a comatose state from which you will not awaken for another two hours."
Ginny's mind reeled. "My world?" She asked. "Then where is this?"
Ginny could have sworn she saw the figure smile through the blinding white light. "You're quite perceptive, even in this world, aren't you?" The woman asked. "We are at a sort of crossroads between worlds. From here, you can travel to millions of alternate universes."
Ginny could barely think straight. Alternate universes? How was she supposed to be taking this? Calmly, like the odd woman who had thrust her into this unusual set of circumstances? Ginny couldn't believe herself for a moment. Why did she just blindly trust this woman? She couldn't even see her face! But with the combination of everything that had occurred so far, Ginny realized that she did not have much of a choice but to obey this strange, ethereal figure's instructions. But why was the woman here? Why did this strange being summon her here?
"You are, perhaps, wondering why you are here. You see, you have a difficult decision to make, Ginevra," the woman said, seemingly reading Ginny's mind. "Depending upon who you choose, your world will be saved… or destroyed."
How could she handle that so nonchalantly? A decision that could save or destroy her world? The pressure she now felt was nearly unbearable. Had she really been just a carefree sixth year only fifteen minutes previously? Or perhaps it had been longer- it was hard to tell in this strange place.
"Who-who am I supposed to choose between?" Ginny asked, the slight quaver she had been trying to hide emerging plainly.
"Why, the Potter twins of course," the figure said with a slight laugh.
Ginny gulped. "Why am I choosing between them?" she asked.
"You can only have one soul mate, Ginevra," the figure said. "I'd advise you to choose wisely."
Ginny was in shock. She was destined to love one of the Potter twins? "But… why am I here?" she questioned, cringing slightly at the pitiful tone she had taken on.
"As I said," the figure told her, "this is a crossroads between worlds. Your decision is a difficult one, so you will be sent to two worlds where you never had to make it. The first one you will be sent to shortly, a universe in which Michael Charlus Potter was never born, and your counterpart married Harry James Potter."
Ginny was now definitely having trouble comprehending the situation. Michael would not exist? The thought displeased her. Michael had always been a constant friend to her- well, except when he was spending time with his best friends, Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas. And then an even worse thought struck her.
If Michael had never existed, never lived, never deflected the Killing Curse, never destroyed You-Know-Who, then what would this world be like? You-Know-Who would still be roaming free, murdering innocent people. Fear gripped her like an icy fist around her heart. She did not want to be sent to a world in which she would fear for her life. A portion of this fear must have shown on her face.
The strange figure's voice took on a more soothing tone. "I assure you, no harm shall befall you while you are in either dimension." The figure seemed to twinkle brightly for a split second. "Of course, if you so choose, you may enter the dominion in which you reside under the name of Mrs. Michael Potter first."
Ginny nodded, grateful to be able to choose. She found herself lost in thought, and full of apprehension as to what was to come. The figure stepped aside, revealing a white door that Ginny might have mistaken for ordinary, had the edges not been inconsistent. Where the crisp edges marking the outline of the door should be was a thick, pearly mist that flowed around the door frame in a tranquil dance.
Ginny found herself mesmerized by the door, and the patterns that the smoke-like substance seemed to be making in the air. She was unaware that she was stepping closer and closer to the door, the figure watching her all the while. Ginny took another step forward, and her peaceful thoughts gave way to panic as she realized the floor no longer existed, nor the strange figure, nor the door. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound emerged from her lips as she fell into nothingness.
A/N: Alright! Chapter 2! Updates should be much more frequent now, as I have several chapters planned out and written. Also, please continue to guess who the figure is, I'm interested to hear who you think she is. If you get it right, I'll message you- can't have anyone reading your review and cheating! Feedback and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Similarly, I'm looking for a beta for this story, and potentially some of my other stories. Leave a review or PM me if you're interested! The next chapter should be out within a week, depending on if anyone will help beta this. Thanks for reading!
