A Note to the Reader: Well, I think I warned you that updates would be . . . sporadic. Part of the problem is I have way too many ideas for what I want to be doing with these characters when they're three years older, but I need to get the background written before I write myself into a corner. The other part of the problem is that I'm trying to stay true to the books as much as possible, while showing events from a different point of view. I reserve the right to mangle HBP beyond recognition.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters used in this story; they belong to J.K. Rowling and whomever she has chosen to assign those rights to.
Summary: After dealing with Tom Riddle in her first year, Ginerva Weasley realized that she needed to learn how to protect herself.
The Path from Darkness to Fire
Chapter 4: A Journey
Thud. Thud. Thud. Ginny's trunk felt even heavier that it had in previous years. She only had three extra books with her: The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 3, Intermediate Transfiguration, and The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4. Perhaps the problem wasn't actually the weight of her trunk, but staying awake every night after the rest of the house had gone to sleep, reading over all of the books. Based on Charlie's notes in the margins, she'd finished the second year material two days before the family had flooed over to Diagon Alley.
She'd hoped to be a bit further along by now, but Hermione had seen her reading about Animagi in the beginning of Intermediate Transfiguration, and proceeded to spend the next several hours gushing about how hard it was, and other famous witches and wizards who had managed the transformation, and something about hair color helping with the transformation. At that point, Ginny had just started repacking her trunk. Hermione had finally shut up just after midnight, promising to give Ginny all her notes from last year's class. Ginny rolled her eyes as that part crossed her mind again. She'd only finished Beginning Transfiguration last week, but she had actually understood it perfectly well, and didn't need notes which probably had three pages of useless information copied out of some book in the library for every page that might be relevant to the topic.
Thud. Ginny finished dragging her trunk down the stairs, and began maneuvering it over towards the Leaky Cauldron's door. Fortunately, one of the Ministry workers came over and took the trunk from her, levitating it out the door and into the trunk of the Ministry cars, which had come to take Harry Potter (and accompanying friends) to the train station.
The trip to the station was as uneventful as any time spent in the backseat of a car with Fred and George could be. Molly was keeping a close eye on them, and they seemed to be too busy planning for Welcome Feast to set off dungbombs in the Ministry car. For once, the Weasley family didn't have to run across the station and onto the train; instead, Ginny walked through the wall to Platform 9 ¾ with Percy, although he abandoned her as soon as he spotted Penelope. Ginny took a couple of steps towards the train, but Ron grabbed her arm saying, "C'mon Ginny, you shouldn't wander off by yourself. I'll help you get your trunk onto the train."
Ginny sighed quietly, and then followed Ron onto the train. The trunks were all loaded into the carriage at the end, although Ginny pulled out her bookbag and the books she was currently reading for the train ride. They ended up standing in the corridor, waiting for Harry to finish talking to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and get on the train. He scrambled on at the last minute, and said something to Ron that Ginny couldn't hear over the train's whistle.
"Go away, Ginny." Ron ordered.
"Oh, that's nice." Ginny snapped back, but she took advantage of this opportunity to get away from Ron. As she walked down the corridor looking for an empty compartment, she muttered under her breath "I swear, I'll just do my best to avoid speaking to Ron this year. I can take care of myself, or at least I could if he hadn't kept me standing in the corridor until all the compartments filled up." Ginny finally found Colin's compartment, which had an empty bench, and managed to settle down with her book after Colin introduced her to Dennis.
Hours passed, and Ginny only stopped reading when the food cart came by. She hadn't actually noticed when the witch opened the compartment door, but Colin poked her on the shoulder to let her know. Suddenly, Ginny was almost knocked off the bench as the train stopped with a jolt.
"Colin? Are we there already?" she asked.
"I don't think so. The prefects haven't come by to tell us to change."
There was an uncertain look on Colin's face, and then the lights on the train went out and their compartment was plunged into darkness. Ginny reached into her pocket to get her wand, but just as she pulled it out the temperature in the compartment dropped.
She heard a voice off in the distance whispering. "Master back . . so hungry . . . rend . . . bite . . . . new mistress . . . obey . . . blood . . . kill . . ."
She was standing as a huge scaly body rushed past, screaming at her body to run away. Instead her hand reached out and touched smooth, cold scales.
Her hands were coated in blood as they clutched the knife. Specks of blood had been scattered across her arms, blending in with the freckles.
She lay on a cold, hard floor, barely able to keep her eyes open, as energy poured out of her and laughter echoed in her head. The last of her energy slipped away and she fell into darkness.
Then the cold floor faded into a seat cushion, and the laughter transformed into whimpers from the other side of the compartment.
"Colin?" Her voice sounded weak, cracking in the middle of his name as she tried to pull herself together.
"Ginny? What happened?"
"I don't know. Are you alright?"
"I think so." His voice was wavering.
"I guess we should go try to get a prefect or something." Ginny offered. She tried to stand up, and realized that her wand was still in her hand.
"Lumos"
The light from Ginny's wand showed Colin and Dennis, both hunched over on the opposite bench. Ginny managed to get to her feet, and walked over to the door without stumbling.
"Will you two be alright in here while I go check for someone in the other compartments?" she asked.
"Yeah, I think so." Colin replied, and Ginny opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.