Dredging for Information
The rest of the day found Ginny and Hermione desperately searching for some sort of clue within the Hogwarts library. Ginny, who normally didn't get very worked up about research for school assignments, threw herself into the task with such dedication that even Hermione was impressed. Their search was broad, ranging from magical charm creation to telepathic possession theory, but they had yet to find any insight into the Emerald or Ginny's possession-like experiences.
As the minutes turned into hours, the stacks of unhelpful books grew to epic proportions. The few times that Madame Pince walked by to check on the girls, she would snort in disgust at the obscene way they were handling her precious tomes.
Both girls were poring over a text on astral projection techniques sometime after lunch, when the sound of footsteps came up behind them. Two hands wrapped around Hermione's head covering her eyes. "Guess who."
Ginny rolled her eyes without looking up as Hermione jumped in her seat. "Well if I were to judge by the calloused hands, I'd say that it was a certain Quidditch player that I love."
"Right in one, love." The hands turned Hermione around so she could look into the face of her boyfriend.
"Ron, I've missed you!" Hermione quietly squealed, leaving Ginny to wonder how the girl could make such a noise without getting louder than a whisper.
"It's good to see you to," the youngest Weasley male smiled before planting a kiss on Hermione's lips. "Mmm, tastes just like I remembered."
"You're not so bad yourself."
By this point, Ginny had lowered her head into her hands and sighed dramatically. Her voice came muffled from behind her hands. "I know that you two haven't seen each other in something like a week, but could we skip the tonsil tennis and get back to the task on hand?"
Hermione blushed as Ron sat down and pulled her into his lap. "I never thought I'd see the day when my little sister would show such devotion to homework."
Ginny stuck her tongue out at him. "This isn't about homework. This is about saving Harry."
The smile instantly fell from Ron's face. "Harry's in trouble? What do you need me to do?"
Ginny was once again amazed at how loyal Ron was to his best mate. Hermione seemed to notice as well, as she hugged him tight and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.
"Ginny and I are going through the library looking for any information concerning her necklace or the visions she's been having. Since you aren't in school any longer, do you think that you could go back to Grimmauld Place and go through the library there for us?"
Ginny knew her brother, and the last thing he would want to do would be cooped up in a library looking for books. She was just about to tell him not to worry about it when he nodded in agreement.
"No problem, I'll go tonight. What types of books should I look for?"
Ginny was speechless once again. Who was this and what had he done with her lazy brother?
Hermione was positively beaming. "Bring back anything that has to do with magical artefacts or jewellery. To be safe, bring us anything concerning mental and magical bonds as well." Ron nodded in acknowledgment.
Ginny finally found her voice. "Ron, I'm surprised that you are willing to go sort through a bunch of books for us."
Ron just shrugged. "That's what best mates are for, Ginny. I know that if anybody is smart enough to find Harry, that would be you and Hermione. I might not have the brains to figure out the problem, but I'll help wherever I can, even if that means being a pack mule and sorting through old musty books."
Hermione sniffed as unshed tears pooled in her eyes. "You're too good for this world, Ronald Weasley!" She hugged him fiercely before kissing him full on the lips.
Ron blushed as he returned the kiss with equal intensity. "So I guess I should head out then?"
Hermione stood and pulled him to his feet. "Not yet, love. Perhaps you could walk with me to Professor Flitwick's office? I'd like to see if he would let us look through his personal book collection for some leads."
Ron nodded. "Sure thing, 'Mione" He took her hand in his as he looked back towards Ginny. "Are you going to be okay here, Ginny?"
Ginny sighed. "Yeah, I'll be fine. I'll just keep looking through these stacks. Let me know if you two find anything. Oh, and try not to get lost in too many broom cupboards on the way to Flitwick's office." She smirked at the couple.
Ron's answering grin was quite mischievous. "But it is a man's duty to make sure that there are no evildoers hiding in broom cupboards, waiting for a chance to jump out and assault beautiful women."
Hermione slapped his arm. "Honestly, Ron, is that all you think about?"
Ron gave a tragic sigh. "The price I pay for being noble!"
Hermione laughed as she kissed his cheek. "Come on, Romeo. Let's get going then." She turned back to Ginny. "I'll meet up with you later then?"
Ginny smiled, "Sure thing. I'll probably still be here."
"Good luck, then." The couple turned and walked out of the library hand in hand.
As Ginny watched them leave, she felt a deep sadness well up inside of her. She knew it wasn't right to be jealous of Ron and Hermione's relationship, but she couldn't help it. She had waited for ages for Harry to finally notice her. Her wildest dreams came true during her fifth year when Harry finally decided to ask her out. It was short lived, however, because Harry pushed her away in fear of her becoming a target for Voldemort. It had been a long year, but Harry had emerged victorious and she knew then that Harry would come back to her and they could pick up where they left off. Instead, Harry disappeared, leaving her struggling to make sense of it all. If there was one thing she wanted, it was to snuggle up against Harry's warm body into which she fit so well. To be able to lay her head on his chest and fall asleep to the sound of his beating heart, her greatest wish.
Heaving a great sigh, Ginny forced the sad thoughts down and turned back to the mountain of books beside her. It's not important to dwell on the past. Harry needed her right now, and she had to find a way to get to him.
The light was all but gone in the library as Ginny put the last of the books back into its original place. She had gone through every single tome and had found nothing concerning the Emerald or the strange bond she had with Harry. She was sporting quite a headache from reading in the low light and was more than a little irritable. To top it all, Hermione had not returned from her trip to Professor Flitwick's office with Ron. That meant either of two things. She and Ron had gotten into an intense snog session and lost track or time, or she was down in Flitwick's office and had lost track of time as well. Rubbing her temples, the young redhead walked to the door and left.
Ginny wandered the halls of Hogwarts aimlessly as thoughts tumbled through her head. Why was it that bad things always had to happen to Harry? And the answers to his problems never had simple solutions. Want to live a normal life? Well, all you have to do is kill a practically immortal Dark Lord and save the world. And now this strange crisis had reared its ugly head. Try as they could, no one who cared about Harry could find any way to fix things. They hadn't even been able to figure out just what the problem actually was.
As she wandered the corridors, the frustration in Ginny seemed to build to a fever pitch. No matter how hard she wracked her brain, she just didn't know what to do!
"Calm down, Ginny. You need to think with a clear head. Getting worked up won't make anything easier," she told herself as she took a deep breath.
"I need to find a way to help Harry. I've got to find a way to help my Harry," she spoke to no one in particular as she paced the halls.
She repeated this over and over as she walked, the words almost becoming a mantra helping to organize her thoughts and feelings. Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of something flash out of the corner of her eye. Stopping in mid stride, she turned to look for the source of the flash. There before her stood the now visible door to the Room of Requirement. Apparently, in her wanderings, she had made it to the seventh floor and the room had responded to her silent mantra.
"Of course!" she exclaimed, "Why didn't I think of the Room of Requirement before? Sometimes you can be pretty daft, Ginny Weasley."
As she moved to open the door to the magical room, a feeling of anxiousness washed over her. What would the room give her to help her find Harry? A magical portal, a means of communication with her love, or, dare she think it, Harry himself? The suspense was overwhelming as she reached for the doorknob with a trembling hand. Taking a deep breath and setting her jaw, Ginny opened the door and looked inside. She was quite unprepared for what she found.
"Ah, there you are Miss Weasley! I was wondering when you would finally make your way here. Please come in and join me."
Ginny could only nod in disbelief as she stepped into the room and closed the door behind her.
