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, although this chapter might have been posted sooner if tech problems hadn't gotten in the way. *grins and shrugs* 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.
Hairy-Hen--I agree, resenting the lack of return is often the beginning of the end with that sort of affection. I think you totally hit the nail on the head with the bond created between Harry and Ginny in the Chamber helping her understand him. I loved your insightful review! :-)
Raiining--I like the way Hermione can be intellectual and a little crazy and impulsive at the same time. :-) I'm curious to explore that change too...even if I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to do it! ;-)
J.Rhaye--Nope. The Weasleys are firm believers in the idea brothers are supposed to give you a hard time. *grins wryly* It will be interesting to see Hermione discover Ginny's hidden passion for Quidditch. Ginny's sixth sense is fun to play with *laughs*but maybe I overdo it sometimes? I'm glad you're having so much fun...it really makes the experience even more fun for me! *hugs*
EEDOE--I'll get out that voodoo doll for the cable company. *winks* I'm glad you liked that description. :-) I don't know, but if you ever figure out a cure, I want to know about it! I like the way Fred and George get around Mrs. Weasley, too, but I think she notices a lot of the time and just indulges them. *snickers* I agree...Hermione's passion is to her benefit, but maybe she'll learn how to moderate it so others aren't so offput by it in the future. *laughs* Yeah...so close and yet so far...*laughs* Feels like my life sometimes. *hugs*
Bill--Thanks for the heads up on the spelling. I'm not really on any heavy medication, but I have been pretty ditzy lately...bad spring allergies do that to me this time of year. *grins wryly* Anyhow, I'll try to keep a better eye on it. I'm glad to hear Ginny is keeping in touch with Remus, too. *winks* I couldn't agree more about Percy, either. One of the best things about writing is playing with words...and characters and perceptions...I couldn't resist that little touch with Hermione and Ginny suspecting Mr. Crouch. *looks sheepish* Knickers over a fence! I love that mental image!! I may have to try that sometime! *riots of giggles* *hugs*
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Dad didn't get to go with them to the Station.
Ginny didn't see what had happened, but the twins told her in the Muggle taxi that Mr. Diggory had called at breakfast and told Dad that old Mad Eye Moody had tried to jinx someone breaking into his house and the neighbors had called the 'please-men'. Moody-a retired auror was apparently supposed to start a new job that morning, and Dad had to straighten everything out for him. The twins clearly thought Moody, a retired auror with a reputation for paranoia, had gone round the bend completely, but Ginny wasn't so sure...Her strange feeling of foreboding, the Dark Mark, Dad working weekends, an attack on Moody...somehow they all seemed tied together. Or maybe she was just developing her own sense of paranoia. She wished she could talk to Bill without the twins. Or maybe she didn't...she had no idea what to say.
It was hot in the cab, and very crowded. She tumbled into the rain outside King's Cross with a sense of great relief. Harry, Hermione, and Ron looked most out of place by far in the Station with Crookshanks (cats, from what Hermione had told her were odd enough in a train station, and, somehow, Crookshanks didn't quite look like an ordinary cat), Pigwidgeon (who was at least small enough to be hidden), and Hedwig (no muggle would ever have an owl, let alone one quite so magnificent), so they went through the barrier to Platform 9 3/4 first. Ginny watched them with a vague feeling of déjà vu. She could almost see herself watching Harry the first time she'd ever seen him, she could see the pen tracing her description of the scene across the pages of Tom's diary.
She was grateful to shake off the past and push through the wall between platforms 9 and 10 to the distraction of the handsome train. She finally managed to find Luna in one of the compartments, and it was mostly empty. She said a hurried hello and stashed her bags in the compartment overhead before hurrying out to say a last goodbye to Mum, Bill, and Charlie. Percy had gone to work instead.
"Stay out of trouble, kid," Bill said, chucking her under the chin affectionately. Ginny grinned evilly and wiggled her eyebrows at him. "You wish," she said, making him laugh.
"I'll miss you, dear," Mum said, kissing the top of her head.
"I might be seeing you all sooner than you think," Charlie teased.
"Why?" Fred asked.
"You'll see," Charlie said with a grin. "Just don't tell Percy I mentioned it. It's 'classified information, until such time as the Ministry sees fit to release it', after all."
"Yeah, I sort of wish I were back at Hogwarts this year," Bill sighed, burying his hands in his pockets and gazing longingly at the train.
"Why?" George said impatiently.
"You're going to have an interesting year," Bill told them with sparkling eyes. "I might even get time off to come and watch a bit of it..."
"A bit of what?" Ron said as the whistle blew, but Mum herded them back through the train doors.
"Thanks for having us to stay, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said politely.
"Yeah," Harry said awkwardly but with sincerity. "Thanks for everything, Mrs. Weasley."
"Oh, it was my pleasure, dears," said Mum cheerfully. "I'd invite you for Christmas, but...well, I expect you're all going to want to stay at Hogwarts, what with...one thing and another."
"Mum! What d'you three know that we don't?" Ron wanted to know.
"You'll find out this evening, I expect," Mum assured him. "It's going to be very exciting-mind you I'm very glad they've changed the rules--"
"What rules?" Fred, George, Harry, and Ron asked at once. Ginny grinned and looked at Hermione, who rolled her eyes.
"I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will tell you...Now behave, won't you? Won't you, Fred? And you, George?"
The train creaked into motion.
"Tell us what's happening at Hogwarts!" Fred bellowed out the window. "What rules are they changing?"
Mum only waved. Ginny sighed, shrugged, and went back to Luna, ready for a talk long delayed.
Their mutual friend Bion Alderly, the son of an old friend of Ginny's Dad and Luna's fellow Ravenclaw, had already arrived. "Hey, Ginny!" He greeted enthusiastically. Ginny hugged him without hesitation, then pulled back to ask, "Tell me we aren't sharing our compartment with your Quidditch team?"
"Nope," Bion said, with a grin, "Not this year."
Ginny gave a sigh of relief and plopped down on the seat next to him, facing Luna. "So, what did you think of the World Cup?"
"It was fantastic!" Bion enthused immediately. "I especially loved that part where they tried the Reverse Twiggly Twist!"
Discussing Quidditch was anything but a hardship, especially with her partners in cheering, but Ginny was relieved when the conversation finally drifted to the appearance of the Dark Mark. "So..." she said, trying to be casual, "Do you think it was supposed to be a joke? Just people goofing off, or what?"
Bion eyed her shrewdly, as if asking himself why she wanted to know, and shrugged. "If it was supposed to be a joke, it wasn't very funny."
"No," Ginny said flatly, looking him straight in the eye, "it wasn't."
"My dad says it wasn't meant to be funny," Luna said, her eyes wide in her pale face. "It was a sign You-Know-Who is coming back."
"You-Know-Who is dead," Bion objected flatly.
"Not entirely," Ginny said, her voice just a bit faint. "He possessed some Professor the year before we started school and tried to steal--" She broke off as they both stared at her. "My brother told me?" After a few seconds consideration, they seemed willing to accept, if not entirely believe, the explanation. "He's weak, but he's not dead-what were you saying, Luna?"
"That the Ministry knew the Death Eaters were going to be there. My Dad says they conjured the Dark Mark with the full permission of the Ministry."
"Don't be ridiculous," Bion snorted at the same time Ginny sat straight up and demanded, "What? Why?"
Luna shrugged vaguely. "Because Fudge wanted an excuse to build up his private army, and no one's going to object if they think he might need it to fight You-Know-Who."
"Fudge has a secret army?" Bion said skeptically, crossing his arms and leaning back against the seat. "I don't think so."
"So what do you call hundreds of--" Luna broke off as the lunch trolley arrived, and they moved on to filling themselves full of sweets and playing various games like gobstones, chess, and exploding snap. Sometimes it was a relief just to be a kid.
Author's Notes-- Progress has been a lot slower in this work, although this chapter might have been posted sooner if tech problems hadn't gotten in the way. *grins and shrugs* 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.
Hairy-Hen--I agree, resenting the lack of return is often the beginning of the end with that sort of affection. I think you totally hit the nail on the head with the bond created between Harry and Ginny in the Chamber helping her understand him. I loved your insightful review! :-)
Raiining--I like the way Hermione can be intellectual and a little crazy and impulsive at the same time. :-) I'm curious to explore that change too...even if I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to do it! ;-)
J.Rhaye--Nope. The Weasleys are firm believers in the idea brothers are supposed to give you a hard time. *grins wryly* It will be interesting to see Hermione discover Ginny's hidden passion for Quidditch. Ginny's sixth sense is fun to play with *laughs*but maybe I overdo it sometimes? I'm glad you're having so much fun...it really makes the experience even more fun for me! *hugs*
EEDOE--I'll get out that voodoo doll for the cable company. *winks* I'm glad you liked that description. :-) I don't know, but if you ever figure out a cure, I want to know about it! I like the way Fred and George get around Mrs. Weasley, too, but I think she notices a lot of the time and just indulges them. *snickers* I agree...Hermione's passion is to her benefit, but maybe she'll learn how to moderate it so others aren't so offput by it in the future. *laughs* Yeah...so close and yet so far...*laughs* Feels like my life sometimes. *hugs*
Bill--Thanks for the heads up on the spelling. I'm not really on any heavy medication, but I have been pretty ditzy lately...bad spring allergies do that to me this time of year. *grins wryly* Anyhow, I'll try to keep a better eye on it. I'm glad to hear Ginny is keeping in touch with Remus, too. *winks* I couldn't agree more about Percy, either. One of the best things about writing is playing with words...and characters and perceptions...I couldn't resist that little touch with Hermione and Ginny suspecting Mr. Crouch. *looks sheepish* Knickers over a fence! I love that mental image!! I may have to try that sometime! *riots of giggles* *hugs*
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Dad didn't get to go with them to the Station.
Ginny didn't see what had happened, but the twins told her in the Muggle taxi that Mr. Diggory had called at breakfast and told Dad that old Mad Eye Moody had tried to jinx someone breaking into his house and the neighbors had called the 'please-men'. Moody-a retired auror was apparently supposed to start a new job that morning, and Dad had to straighten everything out for him. The twins clearly thought Moody, a retired auror with a reputation for paranoia, had gone round the bend completely, but Ginny wasn't so sure...Her strange feeling of foreboding, the Dark Mark, Dad working weekends, an attack on Moody...somehow they all seemed tied together. Or maybe she was just developing her own sense of paranoia. She wished she could talk to Bill without the twins. Or maybe she didn't...she had no idea what to say.
It was hot in the cab, and very crowded. She tumbled into the rain outside King's Cross with a sense of great relief. Harry, Hermione, and Ron looked most out of place by far in the Station with Crookshanks (cats, from what Hermione had told her were odd enough in a train station, and, somehow, Crookshanks didn't quite look like an ordinary cat), Pigwidgeon (who was at least small enough to be hidden), and Hedwig (no muggle would ever have an owl, let alone one quite so magnificent), so they went through the barrier to Platform 9 3/4 first. Ginny watched them with a vague feeling of déjà vu. She could almost see herself watching Harry the first time she'd ever seen him, she could see the pen tracing her description of the scene across the pages of Tom's diary.
She was grateful to shake off the past and push through the wall between platforms 9 and 10 to the distraction of the handsome train. She finally managed to find Luna in one of the compartments, and it was mostly empty. She said a hurried hello and stashed her bags in the compartment overhead before hurrying out to say a last goodbye to Mum, Bill, and Charlie. Percy had gone to work instead.
"Stay out of trouble, kid," Bill said, chucking her under the chin affectionately. Ginny grinned evilly and wiggled her eyebrows at him. "You wish," she said, making him laugh.
"I'll miss you, dear," Mum said, kissing the top of her head.
"I might be seeing you all sooner than you think," Charlie teased.
"Why?" Fred asked.
"You'll see," Charlie said with a grin. "Just don't tell Percy I mentioned it. It's 'classified information, until such time as the Ministry sees fit to release it', after all."
"Yeah, I sort of wish I were back at Hogwarts this year," Bill sighed, burying his hands in his pockets and gazing longingly at the train.
"Why?" George said impatiently.
"You're going to have an interesting year," Bill told them with sparkling eyes. "I might even get time off to come and watch a bit of it..."
"A bit of what?" Ron said as the whistle blew, but Mum herded them back through the train doors.
"Thanks for having us to stay, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said politely.
"Yeah," Harry said awkwardly but with sincerity. "Thanks for everything, Mrs. Weasley."
"Oh, it was my pleasure, dears," said Mum cheerfully. "I'd invite you for Christmas, but...well, I expect you're all going to want to stay at Hogwarts, what with...one thing and another."
"Mum! What d'you three know that we don't?" Ron wanted to know.
"You'll find out this evening, I expect," Mum assured him. "It's going to be very exciting-mind you I'm very glad they've changed the rules--"
"What rules?" Fred, George, Harry, and Ron asked at once. Ginny grinned and looked at Hermione, who rolled her eyes.
"I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will tell you...Now behave, won't you? Won't you, Fred? And you, George?"
The train creaked into motion.
"Tell us what's happening at Hogwarts!" Fred bellowed out the window. "What rules are they changing?"
Mum only waved. Ginny sighed, shrugged, and went back to Luna, ready for a talk long delayed.
Their mutual friend Bion Alderly, the son of an old friend of Ginny's Dad and Luna's fellow Ravenclaw, had already arrived. "Hey, Ginny!" He greeted enthusiastically. Ginny hugged him without hesitation, then pulled back to ask, "Tell me we aren't sharing our compartment with your Quidditch team?"
"Nope," Bion said, with a grin, "Not this year."
Ginny gave a sigh of relief and plopped down on the seat next to him, facing Luna. "So, what did you think of the World Cup?"
"It was fantastic!" Bion enthused immediately. "I especially loved that part where they tried the Reverse Twiggly Twist!"
Discussing Quidditch was anything but a hardship, especially with her partners in cheering, but Ginny was relieved when the conversation finally drifted to the appearance of the Dark Mark. "So..." she said, trying to be casual, "Do you think it was supposed to be a joke? Just people goofing off, or what?"
Bion eyed her shrewdly, as if asking himself why she wanted to know, and shrugged. "If it was supposed to be a joke, it wasn't very funny."
"No," Ginny said flatly, looking him straight in the eye, "it wasn't."
"My dad says it wasn't meant to be funny," Luna said, her eyes wide in her pale face. "It was a sign You-Know-Who is coming back."
"You-Know-Who is dead," Bion objected flatly.
"Not entirely," Ginny said, her voice just a bit faint. "He possessed some Professor the year before we started school and tried to steal--" She broke off as they both stared at her. "My brother told me?" After a few seconds consideration, they seemed willing to accept, if not entirely believe, the explanation. "He's weak, but he's not dead-what were you saying, Luna?"
"That the Ministry knew the Death Eaters were going to be there. My Dad says they conjured the Dark Mark with the full permission of the Ministry."
"Don't be ridiculous," Bion snorted at the same time Ginny sat straight up and demanded, "What? Why?"
Luna shrugged vaguely. "Because Fudge wanted an excuse to build up his private army, and no one's going to object if they think he might need it to fight You-Know-Who."
"Fudge has a secret army?" Bion said skeptically, crossing his arms and leaning back against the seat. "I don't think so."
"So what do you call hundreds of--" Luna broke off as the lunch trolley arrived, and they moved on to filling themselves full of sweets and playing various games like gobstones, chess, and exploding snap. Sometimes it was a relief just to be a kid.