Author notes: This chapter is going to be from the POV of Harry, and we're back to the part where Harry originally flew off from the Burrow. This is the chapter where I'll explain everything about Ginny's mysterious argument etc. etc. So this should be quite a long chapter. Anyway, enough rambling, on with the story!
Chapter 7 – The unexplainable . . . explained
As soon as Harry got on his broomstick, he felt the same amazing thrill as he always did. He was in the air, on a broomstick, and he was flying again. So yeah, OK, Harry had played Quidditch often enough, but he never ceased to be amazed at the pure joy he felt every time he took off. Soon, he was well away from the Burrow, and pulling his father's invisibility cloak around himself and his luggage. He had made his suitcase weightless and attached it to the end of his broom using a magical rope. Then he had shrunk it so that it would be covered with his invisibility cloak, too. You wouldn't know it was there, apart from the shimmery golden thread used to secure it to the broomstick.
From experience, Harry decided to stay well beneath the clouds. They were always very wet, and often very cold, particularly with the strong wind that was blowing. Harry sighed. Although he was flying, this was nothing like Quidditch. In Quidditch, Harry knew what to do. He had to search for the snitch, and catch it. It had always seemed fairly hard to Harry, looking for a tiny gold ball in the middle of a gigantic stadium. But what he found even harder, was what he had to do now. For the simple reason that, he didn't know what he had to do now. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack, only harder, because he didn't know that it was a needle he was looking for, he just knew that it was something very small. He sighed again. Why was everything always so complicated? His relationship with Ginny, for a start. Why had she got it into her head that Harry and Hermione were dating? Why? It was all so sudden. All so . . . unexplainable.
Harry had been flying all day. He didn't stop for breakfast. He didn't stop for lunch. And he most certainly didn't stop for dinner. But now, night was falling, and he decided that it would be as good a time to stop as any. He landed in the middle of a vast field of corn, and conjured a nice big, warm meal. His mouth watered as he looked at all the delectable food that he had produced. Five chicken legs, a dish full of roast potatoes, a packet of ready prepared salad, a plate with a big slice of Pumpkin Pie on it, a packet of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, a big flask of tea, a bottle of orange juice, and a bottle of water. He devoured it all in seconds. Burping, he vanished the dishes, packaging, plates, flasks and bottles, then conjured a sleeping bag and a tent, preparing him for the long night ahead.
It was a long. A very long night. There were all sorts of night time noises. And it was cold. Very cold. Eventually, though, Harry got some sleep, and woke up reasonably refreshed. Maybe I should give this up, he thought, maybe I should just go back to the Burrow.
-Flashback-
"Oh, yeah, sure, that's what they all say!" Ginny muttered. She collapsed into a chair and started crying. It hurt Harry inside to see the one he loved crying. But it hurt even more to be accused by the one he loved. Him and Hermione, as if! They were friends, sure, but go out? Nah!
-End flashback-
Harry groaned as he remembered the ongoing conflict between himself Ginny, and got back on his broom. He wouldn't give in, he wouldn't. No, no, not wouldn't. He couldn't give up. Vanishing the sleeping bag and tent, jumping onto his broom, and reattaching his luggage to it, then covering himself and the lot of it with the invisibility cloak, Harry set off again, zooming high up above the field, but just below the clouds. He flew for an age, and eventually his stomach was growling so loudly that he couldn't ignore it a moment longer.
"Timefactum!" Harry said, giving his wand a flick. Almost at once, florescent numbers piled out the end of his wand, to form the time in the air. 12:00. Lunchtime. He found a good place to land and set down there, shrinking his broomstick, and putting it, along with his luggage and wand, into his coat pocket. He decided that it would be best not to attempt magic in this Muggle filled environment, so he went in search of a place that sold food. As he rounded a corner, he saw a man who looked about middle aged, and he was holding a signpost which said 'The Great Ape' on it. Thinking that it sounded like a place that sold food, he walked up to the man and asked him directions to it.
"It's on the other side of town," the man said, in a deep, rumbling voice. "Quite a long way away. On foot, it would take about half an hour to get there."
Half an hour? Wasn't prepared to walk for that long, and it was too risky to get back on his broomstick just yet. He'd have to find somewhere nearer.
"Excuse me, sir…" but the man was already gone, walking around with his signpost, calling out something. Harry wasn't sure what he was saying, but he caught the words 'great', 'ape', and 'charity'. Sighing, Harry carried on walking, and eventually saw a newsagent that was open. As he was about to walk into it, however, Harry saw a familiar figure walk out. It was Ginny. She looked up and smiled at him. Harry noticed a strange glaze over her eyes.
"Harry!" she said, stumbling towards him, wearing some orange gloves that Mrs. Weasley had knitted, and that Ginny had sworn never to wear. Grabbing hold of Harry's arm, she jerked him around and started marching- seemingly purposely- down the street and towards a train station that Harry hadn't noticed before. Harry was brought out of shocked silence, however, when Ginny marched right up to the ticket booth.
"Two children's tickets for Straghal, please," she demanded.
"Certainly, will you be wanting return tickets, miss?" the ticket master asked politely.
"Nope," Ginny said, laughing loudly, "we're going to be staying there for a very long time!" she giggled again. Harry was scared now. What was wrong with her? This wasn't the Ginny he knew . . . this was… some kind of … new Ginny, almost . . . scary Ginny.
"Er, Gin, are you sure you're OK?" Harry asked hesitantly.
"Yeah! Never been better!" she screamed in his ear. Harry flinched, but was not convinced. He shrugged her hand off his shoulder, and felt his temper rising.
"Look, I don't know who you are, and I don't know what you've done with Ginny, but GIVE HER BACK! Give her back, I tell you, I don't know who you are but I know you're not her!"
-Flashback-
Harry noticed a strange glaze over Ginny's eyes . . . wearing some orange gloves that Mrs. Weasley had knitted . . . sworn never to wear them . . . "we're going to be staying there for a very long time," . . . this was some kind of new Ginny, almost scary Ginny.
-End flashback-
Ginny just smiled at him again, and moved closer, batting her eyelashes at him.
"Get away from me!" Harry screamed. People were beginning to turn, now, turn and stare. Tears streamed down Harry's face, and he shouted some more.
"Give her back! Give Ginny back! Take me, take me instead! Anyone but Ginny!" he was rambling now. Ginny took another step towards him, and Harry turned, preparing himself to run. But behind him, walking towards him, was the man that he had seen holding the 'Great Ape' sign, though he was no longer holding the sign, and Harry could see a wand tucked up his sleeve. He had the same glazed look as Ginny had had, although he looked a little more . . . evil. Hurriedly, Harry turned around, searching for another way to escape, but Harry's rant had attracted attention and there was now quite a crowd. Harry was alarmed to see that Ginny was only a step away.
He did the only thing he could. He pushed Ginny on the shoulder. Hard. Then he ran past her, pausing to look back only once. But looking back that once was all it took. All it took for him to see what happened next. And what happened next was, from Harry's shove, Ginny had lost her balance and fallen over the edge of the track. Right into the path of a moving train.
Author notes: Dun dun dun! Sorry to leave you on such a cliffhanger, but I thought that it was a good place to finish. If you can guess what happened to Ginny, then write it in your comment! I wanna know what you thought of this chapter, as in was it any good or not? Sorry that I haven't updated in a while; I've been really busy and concentrating on different things. I also had a good bout of writer's block. I'm halfway through the next chapter, though, which, unfortunately for you, doesn't take place from either Harry nor Ginny's POV. You'll just have to wait and see what it's about, though. Please leave your comments; I'm counting on you guys! Remember, the more reviews, the faster I update!