Disclaimer--If you like it, assume I don't own it. The Potterverse belongs to JKR, Steve Klowes, Scholastic and WB. Fanon belongs to the multitude...I'm simply paying homage with the sincerest form of flattery. Most of this scene is from GoF by JK Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended, and no money is being made.
Author's Notes-- Progress has been a lot slower in this work. I hope you're still willing to stick with me anyway. As you all know, I may not own it, but I work hard, and I love it, so if you read it and enjoy it, please review it! Please don't print or post this elsewhere without my knowledge.
Bee11-It is hard on Ginny to have seen so much so young, but at least she's still involved in the world around her. :-)
JamieBell--Wow...what a nice compliment! Thanks. :-D I do try to give Ginny a wide emotional spectrum, I'm glad you noticed. I'm looking forward to your next review.
Raiining--I'm doing my best to do justice to Ginny's maturation, but something like that isn't always easy to put into words. I hope you enjoy my attempt! She may have known what the Dark Mark looked like...a sort of subconscious memory of something she knew when Tom had a lot of control over her, but I don't think she realized it if she did...Tom is still a close fear with her, and the Mark reminded her a lot of things she identified with him. But I like that she's refused to make him such a mythical figure in her life he isn't human. She knows he's just selfish, greedy, nasty Tom, no matter how scared she is. That's strong! Thanks...I love the rapid posts, but I'd hate to burn out, too! *hugs*
J.Rhaye--No problem...I'd been wanting to update for a while, but even I wasn't sure when it would happen. *makes wry face* I hope the chapters were worth the wait! (I'm glad to see you back.) I totally agree with you about Ginny seeing Harry's face...I think he's starting to see hers by book 5, but I might be wrong. (Good point about their similar relationships to Tom...I think that might be important.) I agree, Ginny knows and appreciates the dynamics of her relationships with each brother, and makes them work for her. Maybe Ron will learn that after he's had a bit more experience. Percy...I think he needs a knock on the head, but he might get it. I think Charlie is pretty great, too! ;-) *hugs*
EEDOE--I couldn't resist! I HAD to slip that in there...how could you not? After all, we've all had the urge. *hugs*
Bill--I am on a roll--temporarily at least--but I'll try to slow down for you to post. ;-) Ginny and Bill do indeed seem to have a special understanding...similar but not the same as the one shared by Fred and George. Have I mentioned that I really like Bill myself? *grins* Absolutely. Hermione's passion is admirable...it's the timing and expression that need work. I think she'll learn that with experience, just like Ron will learn to feel out relationships more comfortably. It is a funny mental picture to see her chosing a time like that to rant, though! *snickers* Yup...you're right...that paragraph is key. *grins* Maybe I should let YOU write for a while. *winks* And I totally agree with the idea of Ginny as a mirror for the whole wizarding community. *HUG*
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They caught an old rubber tire to Stoatshead Hill, and walked down the hill in the same darkness they had come up it. Only the anticipation was different, replaced with a kind of tense dread. In all her life, Ginny had never felt so happy to see the Burrow come into view.
She had barely caught the first slivered glimpse of it, when Mum's familiar shout echoed from it. "Oh thank goodness, thank goodness!" She flew at them, unencumbered by the shuffling weight of her houseshoes, her tired face at odds with the nimble youthfulness of her gait. "Arthur," she gasped, gesturing with the rolled up paper she still held, "I've been so worried-so worried--"
Mum flung her arms about Dad's neck, heedless of her elbows. It was an endearing picture, but there was a tone in her voice Ginny had never heard there, not even in the infirmary when she'd narrowly escaped death in the Chamber. Harry's eyes met hers as he glanced up from the headline of the paper, and she wondered if he heard it, if he remembered.
"You're all right," Mum was chanting like an absent-minded mantra. "You're alive...Oh, boys..."
She grabbed them even more energetically than Dad, knocking their heads together so they yelped and pulled back, swaying. "Ouch! Mum-you're strangling us--"
"
I shouted at you before you left!" Mum sobbed, taking no notice. "It's all I've been thinking about. What if You-Know-Who had got you, and the last thing I ever said to you was that you didn't get enough O.W.Ls? Oh Fred... George..."
The twins looked dumbfounded. Even Ginny, who'd known all along that sooner or later Mum would have to realize the twins' happiness meant more to her than their success, was a little dazed. They were used to seeing Mum mad...but not like this...
"Come on, now, Molly, we're all perfectly okay," Dad soothed, freeing the twins. "Bill," he murmured under his breath. "Pick up that paper, I want to see what it says."
Hermione, less affected by Mum's reaction than the Weasleys, bustled around the kitchen, rummaging around until she'd managed to brew Mum a much needed-and very strong-cup of tea. Ginny wondered if Ron had ever told her it was always Mum's cure in a crisis or if it was just a lucky guess. "Here, Mrs. Weasley," she said kindly, "drink this."
"Wait just a minute," Dad said, surprising everyone.
"Sorry," Hermione said, obviously perplexed, "I just thought--"
"And you were absolutely right," Dad assured her, patting her shoulder briefly. "I just want to add a shot of this." He brandished a large-and very dusty-glass bottle. Ginny frowned curiously, wondering what it was, but the twins recognized it immediately.
"Hey! That's Ogden's Firewhiskey!"
"We've had a bottle in the house all this time, and no one's ever told us!"
"I can't imagine why not, aren't we members of the family?"
"It's almost enough to make you think they don't consider us trustworthy!"
"I know! And just imagine what we could have done with it!"
"Alright, that's enough boys," Dad said firmly, but he was smiling. He added a very generous dose of it to Mum's tea, and waved his hand so the bottle vanished. The twins looked highly disappointed, but didn't say anything.
Bill handed Dad the "Daily Prophet" as he took a weary seat. "I knew it...'Ministry blunders...culprits not apprehended...lax security...Dark wizards running unchecked...national disgrace...' Who wrote this?" He snorted. "Ah, of course. Rita Skeeter."
Ginny glanced at Bill and made a face. He smiled faintly.
"That woman's got it in for the Ministry of Magic," Percy announced hotly. "Last week she was saying we were wasting our time quibbling about cauldron thickness when we should be stamping out vampires! As if it weren't specifically stated in paragraph twelve of the Guidelines for the Treatment of Non-Wizard Part-Humans--"
Still looking at Bill, Ginny rolled her eyes. "Do us a favor, Perce," Bill mumbled around a yawn, "and shut up."
"I'm mentioned," Dad said.
"Where?" Mum spluttered, splashing tea over everyone and part of the table. "If I'd have seen that, I'd have known you were alive!"
"Not by name," Dad explained, sounding as if that didn't give him much sorrow or comfort. "Listen to this: 'If the terrified wizards and witches who waited breathlessly for news at the edge of the wood expected reassurance from the Ministry of Magic, they were sadly disappointed. A Ministry official emerged some time after the appearance of the Dark Mark alleging that nobody had been hurt, but refusing to give any more information. Whether this statement will be enough to quash rumors that several bodies were removed from the woods an hour later, remains to be seen.' Oh, really. Nobody was hurt. What was I supposed to say?" He thrust the paper impatiently at Percy, who had been dancing anxiously behind his shoulder. "Molly, I'm going to have to go into the office; this is going to take some smoothing over."
That, Ginny reflected, was certainly true, but watching his face, she wondered if that was really all there was to it. If there was any information to be had about what had happened, the Ministry had to be the place to find it, and Mum and Dad both seemed to think there was more to the events of the night than unfortunate high spirits. //For that matter, she admitted to herself with a sigh, so do I.//
"Mrs. Weasley," Harry interrupted, looking jumpy. "Hedwig hasn't arrived with a letter for me, has she?"
"Hedwig, dear? No...no...there hasn't been any post at all," Mum murmured, clearly not paying attention. If Harry thought a letter was important, that had to mean he knew something. Ron and Hermione both knew it...they were looking at Harry as if he'd grown a third head. Fred and George were exchanging looks, and even Bill looked minorly intrigued.
"All right if I go and dump my stuff in your room, Ron?" Harry asked pointedly.
"Yeah, I think I will, too," Ron answered stiffly. "Hermione?"
"Yes," she said quickly, and the three of them pulled hasty retreat, leaving Ginny behind them, mildly annoyed at their lack of subtlety. She thought of following, briefly, but it seemed an invasion of privacy. Anyway...Hermione would tell her later if there were anything that affected her...directly. Ginny sighed, feeling more than a little left out.
Suddenly, she could stand the thought of sitting in the little kitchen, trying to pretend everything was normal. If something had happened...she had to know what was going on. She couldn't go to the Ministry, and she wouldn't eavesdrop on Harry and Ron...so she would just have to find someone else who might know something...Luna's father ran the "Quibbler". If there was a rumor, he heard it...it was his job. Feeling better now that she had something to do, Ginny stood up immediately. "I'm going to go see Luna."
Her brothers were understandably unaffected by the announcement. Mum made a vague gesture of acknowledgement with her teacup. It felt strangely vulnerable to walk alone through the village of Ottery St. Catchpole, but Ginny kept telling herself she didn't notice. The cool air did help to clear her head.
She finally reached the Lovegoods, only to find they hadn't gotten home yet. Disheartened, but unready to admit defeat, she sat down on the broad sandstone step of their door and waited, hoping to catch them.
Eventually, she noticed the sun sinking lower in the sky so that the blue deepened, shading the landscape over. She was going to be late for dinner...and there was no telling how Mum would react then. Her legs were stiff with inaction and the coolness of the evening as she stood, brushing a hand absently across her jeans. "I'll be back tomorrow," she told the empty house, and left.
Author's Notes-- Progress has been a lot slower in this work. I hope you're still willing to stick with me anyway. As you all know, I may not own it, but I work hard, and I love it, so if you read it and enjoy it, please review it! Please don't print or post this elsewhere without my knowledge.
Bee11-It is hard on Ginny to have seen so much so young, but at least she's still involved in the world around her. :-)
JamieBell--Wow...what a nice compliment! Thanks. :-D I do try to give Ginny a wide emotional spectrum, I'm glad you noticed. I'm looking forward to your next review.
Raiining--I'm doing my best to do justice to Ginny's maturation, but something like that isn't always easy to put into words. I hope you enjoy my attempt! She may have known what the Dark Mark looked like...a sort of subconscious memory of something she knew when Tom had a lot of control over her, but I don't think she realized it if she did...Tom is still a close fear with her, and the Mark reminded her a lot of things she identified with him. But I like that she's refused to make him such a mythical figure in her life he isn't human. She knows he's just selfish, greedy, nasty Tom, no matter how scared she is. That's strong! Thanks...I love the rapid posts, but I'd hate to burn out, too! *hugs*
J.Rhaye--No problem...I'd been wanting to update for a while, but even I wasn't sure when it would happen. *makes wry face* I hope the chapters were worth the wait! (I'm glad to see you back.) I totally agree with you about Ginny seeing Harry's face...I think he's starting to see hers by book 5, but I might be wrong. (Good point about their similar relationships to Tom...I think that might be important.) I agree, Ginny knows and appreciates the dynamics of her relationships with each brother, and makes them work for her. Maybe Ron will learn that after he's had a bit more experience. Percy...I think he needs a knock on the head, but he might get it. I think Charlie is pretty great, too! ;-) *hugs*
EEDOE--I couldn't resist! I HAD to slip that in there...how could you not? After all, we've all had the urge. *hugs*
Bill--I am on a roll--temporarily at least--but I'll try to slow down for you to post. ;-) Ginny and Bill do indeed seem to have a special understanding...similar but not the same as the one shared by Fred and George. Have I mentioned that I really like Bill myself? *grins* Absolutely. Hermione's passion is admirable...it's the timing and expression that need work. I think she'll learn that with experience, just like Ron will learn to feel out relationships more comfortably. It is a funny mental picture to see her chosing a time like that to rant, though! *snickers* Yup...you're right...that paragraph is key. *grins* Maybe I should let YOU write for a while. *winks* And I totally agree with the idea of Ginny as a mirror for the whole wizarding community. *HUG*
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They caught an old rubber tire to Stoatshead Hill, and walked down the hill in the same darkness they had come up it. Only the anticipation was different, replaced with a kind of tense dread. In all her life, Ginny had never felt so happy to see the Burrow come into view.
She had barely caught the first slivered glimpse of it, when Mum's familiar shout echoed from it. "Oh thank goodness, thank goodness!" She flew at them, unencumbered by the shuffling weight of her houseshoes, her tired face at odds with the nimble youthfulness of her gait. "Arthur," she gasped, gesturing with the rolled up paper she still held, "I've been so worried-so worried--"
Mum flung her arms about Dad's neck, heedless of her elbows. It was an endearing picture, but there was a tone in her voice Ginny had never heard there, not even in the infirmary when she'd narrowly escaped death in the Chamber. Harry's eyes met hers as he glanced up from the headline of the paper, and she wondered if he heard it, if he remembered.
"You're all right," Mum was chanting like an absent-minded mantra. "You're alive...Oh, boys..."
She grabbed them even more energetically than Dad, knocking their heads together so they yelped and pulled back, swaying. "Ouch! Mum-you're strangling us--"
"
I shouted at you before you left!" Mum sobbed, taking no notice. "It's all I've been thinking about. What if You-Know-Who had got you, and the last thing I ever said to you was that you didn't get enough O.W.Ls? Oh Fred... George..."
The twins looked dumbfounded. Even Ginny, who'd known all along that sooner or later Mum would have to realize the twins' happiness meant more to her than their success, was a little dazed. They were used to seeing Mum mad...but not like this...
"Come on, now, Molly, we're all perfectly okay," Dad soothed, freeing the twins. "Bill," he murmured under his breath. "Pick up that paper, I want to see what it says."
Hermione, less affected by Mum's reaction than the Weasleys, bustled around the kitchen, rummaging around until she'd managed to brew Mum a much needed-and very strong-cup of tea. Ginny wondered if Ron had ever told her it was always Mum's cure in a crisis or if it was just a lucky guess. "Here, Mrs. Weasley," she said kindly, "drink this."
"Wait just a minute," Dad said, surprising everyone.
"Sorry," Hermione said, obviously perplexed, "I just thought--"
"And you were absolutely right," Dad assured her, patting her shoulder briefly. "I just want to add a shot of this." He brandished a large-and very dusty-glass bottle. Ginny frowned curiously, wondering what it was, but the twins recognized it immediately.
"Hey! That's Ogden's Firewhiskey!"
"We've had a bottle in the house all this time, and no one's ever told us!"
"I can't imagine why not, aren't we members of the family?"
"It's almost enough to make you think they don't consider us trustworthy!"
"I know! And just imagine what we could have done with it!"
"Alright, that's enough boys," Dad said firmly, but he was smiling. He added a very generous dose of it to Mum's tea, and waved his hand so the bottle vanished. The twins looked highly disappointed, but didn't say anything.
Bill handed Dad the "Daily Prophet" as he took a weary seat. "I knew it...'Ministry blunders...culprits not apprehended...lax security...Dark wizards running unchecked...national disgrace...' Who wrote this?" He snorted. "Ah, of course. Rita Skeeter."
Ginny glanced at Bill and made a face. He smiled faintly.
"That woman's got it in for the Ministry of Magic," Percy announced hotly. "Last week she was saying we were wasting our time quibbling about cauldron thickness when we should be stamping out vampires! As if it weren't specifically stated in paragraph twelve of the Guidelines for the Treatment of Non-Wizard Part-Humans--"
Still looking at Bill, Ginny rolled her eyes. "Do us a favor, Perce," Bill mumbled around a yawn, "and shut up."
"I'm mentioned," Dad said.
"Where?" Mum spluttered, splashing tea over everyone and part of the table. "If I'd have seen that, I'd have known you were alive!"
"Not by name," Dad explained, sounding as if that didn't give him much sorrow or comfort. "Listen to this: 'If the terrified wizards and witches who waited breathlessly for news at the edge of the wood expected reassurance from the Ministry of Magic, they were sadly disappointed. A Ministry official emerged some time after the appearance of the Dark Mark alleging that nobody had been hurt, but refusing to give any more information. Whether this statement will be enough to quash rumors that several bodies were removed from the woods an hour later, remains to be seen.' Oh, really. Nobody was hurt. What was I supposed to say?" He thrust the paper impatiently at Percy, who had been dancing anxiously behind his shoulder. "Molly, I'm going to have to go into the office; this is going to take some smoothing over."
That, Ginny reflected, was certainly true, but watching his face, she wondered if that was really all there was to it. If there was any information to be had about what had happened, the Ministry had to be the place to find it, and Mum and Dad both seemed to think there was more to the events of the night than unfortunate high spirits. //For that matter, she admitted to herself with a sigh, so do I.//
"Mrs. Weasley," Harry interrupted, looking jumpy. "Hedwig hasn't arrived with a letter for me, has she?"
"Hedwig, dear? No...no...there hasn't been any post at all," Mum murmured, clearly not paying attention. If Harry thought a letter was important, that had to mean he knew something. Ron and Hermione both knew it...they were looking at Harry as if he'd grown a third head. Fred and George were exchanging looks, and even Bill looked minorly intrigued.
"All right if I go and dump my stuff in your room, Ron?" Harry asked pointedly.
"Yeah, I think I will, too," Ron answered stiffly. "Hermione?"
"Yes," she said quickly, and the three of them pulled hasty retreat, leaving Ginny behind them, mildly annoyed at their lack of subtlety. She thought of following, briefly, but it seemed an invasion of privacy. Anyway...Hermione would tell her later if there were anything that affected her...directly. Ginny sighed, feeling more than a little left out.
Suddenly, she could stand the thought of sitting in the little kitchen, trying to pretend everything was normal. If something had happened...she had to know what was going on. She couldn't go to the Ministry, and she wouldn't eavesdrop on Harry and Ron...so she would just have to find someone else who might know something...Luna's father ran the "Quibbler". If there was a rumor, he heard it...it was his job. Feeling better now that she had something to do, Ginny stood up immediately. "I'm going to go see Luna."
Her brothers were understandably unaffected by the announcement. Mum made a vague gesture of acknowledgement with her teacup. It felt strangely vulnerable to walk alone through the village of Ottery St. Catchpole, but Ginny kept telling herself she didn't notice. The cool air did help to clear her head.
She finally reached the Lovegoods, only to find they hadn't gotten home yet. Disheartened, but unready to admit defeat, she sat down on the broad sandstone step of their door and waited, hoping to catch them.
Eventually, she noticed the sun sinking lower in the sky so that the blue deepened, shading the landscape over. She was going to be late for dinner...and there was no telling how Mum would react then. Her legs were stiff with inaction and the coolness of the evening as she stood, brushing a hand absently across her jeans. "I'll be back tomorrow," she told the empty house, and left.