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. Most of this scene is from GoF by
JK Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended, and no money is
being made.
Author's Notes-- As you may know, a couple of details concerning Ginny have recently been revealed by JKR. The first is Ginny's full name, the second her birthdate. For those of you who are wondering, I hope to EVENTUALLY alter my stories to correct Ginny's name. However, after due consideration, I have decided to allow myself the slight diversion of keeping Ginny's birthdate as it is, on November 1st. I just like it that way, and writer's must have their quirks.;-)
Progress has been a lot slower in this work, but I hope you'll all 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.
Alicia Davis--Thanks for the enthusiastic encouragement! It means a lot to me that you've enjoyed my little series so much. :-) You're quite right about the regular reviewers being very important to this story. Fanfiction is a very interactive medium and it sort of grows up between the writer and the readers. I hope you read far enough to find this response, and please feel free to become a regular reviewer yourself!
Rayny--I agree a complete disregard of such girly stuff might be the most predictable response, but one of the great things about writing characters is the ability to shade nuances of their characters instead of relying on extremes. I love variety! :-)
JamieBell--Excellent point about the sweater! I'm not sure either, but since (in this story) Ginny's b-day is in November, it seemed reasonable she'd get sweaters for both her b-day and Christmas--I know I do. :-) I'm not sure I could have held off on reading the comic book either...that really is a gesture!
I'm Not the Weakest Link--Thanks. Me too. :-)
Raiining--I'm glad you liked the chapter--I feel better knowing it didn't feel as hurried.:-) I will certainly try not to burn out...thanks for the concern!You can reread book 4 if you want (I know I do a lot), but I'm not sure it would really clue you in too much about Hermione...I just had a generalized idea she was keeping Harry company. As for how Ron's relationship with Ginny will be affected when he makes up with Harry...grins
J. Rhaye--My feelings on Ginny's gift from her roomates exactly. :-) I am a true Jane Austen addict, and Mansfield Park is only slightly (if at all, I can never decide) below Pride and Prejudice on my list of favorites. As you point out, the story is about a girl who is madly in love with a man who thinks of her as a sister...and Fanny and Ginny do seem to have some similarities, so I thought Mansfield Park was the perfect way to introduce Ginny to the muggle novel...I might bring this up again later (if not, perhaps you and I could discuss in email?)...we'll have to see how the story develops. sighs One simple act--EXACTLY! grins Thanks for such a great review! hugs
EEDOE--I'm beginning to think last-minute entries by Hermione are like potato chips (hopefully this will make sense when you read the next chapter...if not, I'll TRY to explain. grins wryly) Yeah, I like that Ron didn't mind displaying affection in a crowd, too. For a boy his age, that's HUGE. I'm so glad you thought the family gifts were in character--that was a big concern of mine! Looking forward to your next review...and your next chapter! hugs
Bill--I agree...but as Austen points out in P&P, the best sure guard against disappointment is some small grievance at the outset. grins and shrugs I must admit, I hadn't really intended for Harry to give Ginny a gift (the whole preoccupation with the Tournament combined with his tendency to forget she exists), but now that your review has gotten me thinking about it, I might be able to include something of the sort...of course, my stories tend to do things I never expected, so I can't really promise! I hope the chapter is worth the wait...looking forward to your review! hugs
Everywhere Ginny went the next day there were groups of people whispering. Most of the conversations seemed to include the words "nerve," "disgusting." And even "comeuppance," which didn't bode very well for Harry.
Even Bion had something to say. "So Potter's playing hero again—I guess he just couldn't stand the idea there might be something happening around here he wasn't involved in, huh, Ginny?"
Ginny nearly dropped the book she was in the process of slamming onto the table. She caught it and shoved it into place, nearly upsetting Luna's cauldron in the process, and stared at Bion, her heartbeat suddenly violent and trembling.
"Harry didn't enter himself—it's a plot," Luna said matter-of-factly, and Ginny jumped at this spoken summary of her own silent convictions.
"A plot," Bion repeated skeptically. "By who exactly?"
Luna shrugged, nearly dislodging the wand she'd used to secure her hair. "Whoever has an interest in seeing Harry compete," she said calmly.
Bion snorted. "Oh, sure. You-Know-Who took the time out of his busy schedule to sabotage some school competition—that's far-fetched even for you, Luna."
Luna shrugged again as Ginny eyed Snape uneasily. He was occupied in berating a tall Ravenclaw boy for the way he was stirring his cauldron, but he'd undoubtedly be nasty if he caught them talking, especially about Harry—and Ginny wasn't at all sure their own potion was up to a close observation. "I didn't say it was someone who wanted him to lose," Luna pointed out.
Bion rolled his eyes, but didn't comment. "Hey, Ginny," he said—so loudly Snape paused and looked at their table, prompting forced smiles and held breath from all three of them—"what I want to know is," he continued so softly Ginny could scarcely hear him, "how did he get his name in with Dumbledore trying to stop him?"
Suddenly her day made more sense. Bion's greeting had given her the impression he was outraged—like everyone else—at Harry's participation in the Tournament in a way she hadn't expected of him, but with the realization he was more interested in how Harry had entered than in his entry itself, she belated understood the comment had been nothing more than satirical observation. It was a joke. She sighed as some of the furious affront subsided from her blood stream.
"I haven't the least idea," she said as flippantly as she could manage. "You know he doesn't talk to me."
"He looks at you," Luna said solemnly. Her silver-blue eyes were wide as they met Ginny's as if trying to convey some deeper meaning. She started what have been intended as elaboration, only to have the wand in her hair shift at an unfortunate angle, starting a fire.
Ginny gave a small shriek—less of fear than surprise—and hastily doused it with Tinyberry Extract.
"Miss Weasley," Snape said silkily, "need I remind you this is a classroom, not some sort of free-for-all? I will not tolerate unnecessary waste of ingredients, particularly when that waste disrupts my classes."
"But, Professor Snape," Bion said hesitantly, "Ginny was only trying to--"
"Profeesor, Luna's hair--"
"Ginny was only helping me, Professor--"
Snape coldly looked down his nose at them, cutting off all three explanations at once. "10 points each from your respective houses, and another 5 from Ravenclaw for Miss Lovegood's carelessness. Must I tell you again, Miss Lovegood, your wand is not a toy, and should be treated with respect."
"I forgot," Luna said, sounding mildly chastened, but not really sorry. She did reach up and take her wand out of her hair, though.
"Furthermore," Snape continued mercilessly, "fascinating a subject as Potter inevitably seems to be, even if I was inclined to discuss him after my fourth-year class today, you ought to be paying attention to the lesson. This Shrinking Solution is entirely the wrong shade of green--"
"What!" Ginny protested without thinking. Their Shrinking Solution was a bit off, but she was sure it was the right shade. "No it's not—I mean--" She stopped belatedly as Snape's dark eyes seared into her face.
"Another 10 points from Gryffindor. Until you can teach the class yourself, potions will meet my standards and not yours—is that clear, Miss Weasley?"
Ginny, who'd spent enough time reviewing the solution the year before with Hermione and Neville, thought she probably could teach her classmates to brew, but saying so was hardly prudent. "Yes, Professor Snape," she said as deferentially as she could…which wasn't very.
Professor Snape made them stay behind to "correct" their perfectly acceptable solution to his specifications. By the time they had finished, the back of Ginny's neck ached from being bent so she could look down into the cauldron. Still, that was the only thing that had gone wrong, which was almost too quiet and easy for a Monday. From the laughter and dozens of flashing buttons filling the halls with POTTER STINKS, she could easily conjecture Harry couldn't say the same. Mulling over the idea what she could say to encourage him and how he would react when she did—and trying not to consider whether or not Luna was right about him looking at her, and exactly what kind of look it might be—Ginny made her way to the library for her usual study session with Hermione and Neville.
Neville arrived a few minutes later, struggling through the knots of girls congregated to ogle Krum. Ginny had to admit she was impressed he'd started researching the first task already…especially since he didn't know what it was. "Hey, Ginny," Neville panted as he collapsed next to her. "Can you believe how crazy everyone's acting over this Tournament thing?"
"No," Ginny sighed. "But Neville, where's--" Catching sight of Hermione, who had just bumped one of Krum's admirers with her elbow, not entirely by accident, she broke off. Stepping on the foot of another admirer, and unbalancing a third in a close encounter with her overladden backpack, Hermione finally reached the table a few seconds later.
Ginny stared at her closely, nagged by the sudden, unsettling feeling there was something she ought to be noticing…
"Hermione!" Neville said as if the sight of her were a revelation, making Ginny feel slightly less self-conscious about her own strange reaction and slightly more uncomfortable. "You're okay!"
"Of course she's okay," Ginny said, looking between them. "Why wouldn't she be okay? Why wouldn't you be okay?"
"You mean you didn't hear--"
"It's nothing," Hermione said, throwing Neville a warning look. "I…had a little accident." The look on her face as she thought of it didn't seem like nothing, though.
"It wasn't an accident," Neville contradicted hotly. "But Malfoy didn't actually mean to curse her," he added hastily as Hermione scowled at him. "He was aiming for Harry."
"If he was aiming for Harry," Ginny demanded, "how in Merlin's name did he hit Hermione?"
"Because of Harry," Neville said as if not only made sense, but was, in fact, completely obvious.
"Harry got Malfoy to curse you?" Madam Pince stared in their direction, lowering the temperature by several degrees, but aside from pulling her robes around her a little more tightly, Ginny paid no attention.
"Don't be ridiculous," Hermione hissed back, eyeing Madam Pince warily. "Harry wouldn't do such a thing. He was defending me--"
"Malfoy called her a Mudblood," Neville elaborated at the same time Ginny said, "By getting you cursed?"
Madam Pince cleared her throat threateningly.
"Right," sighed Hermione. "Anyway, they cursed each other at the same time, and the curses bounced--"
"So you got hit with Malfoy's?" Ginny finished, nodding comprehension.
"Her teeth were huge," Neville confided. Hermione cuffed him on the arm, drawing a look of confusion, and glanced at the students behind them. "Neville!"
"Oh. Right." Neville coughed. "Sorry."
"That's what's different," Ginny shouted, drawing a much louder and more threatening cough from Madam Pince. "Your teeth. They're smaller," she concluded much more quietly.
"Well…don't tell anyone…but…I know Mum and Dad didn't want me to use magic until they'd tried muggle denistry, but as Madam Pince had to use magic on them to reverse the curse anyway, there was no reason not to just let her carry on a bit."
"Logic worthy of Gred and Forge," Ginny remonstrated, ruining the effect by snickering.
Hermione beamed happily. "So, where were we?"
They studied diligently enough until just before they went down to dinner when Neville finally couldn't contain one last comment any longer. "Oh, Ginny," he whispered as she helped Hermione pull him out of the trick step on the stairs, "if only you could have seen Crabbe's face…all covered in fungus."
Ginny rather wished she had seen it, too, but she was somewhat consoled for the loss as she finished the last of her dinner.
Dear Ginny,
Professor Lupin's letter began in handwriting that looked much too hurried to be his.
I think you're right—both about Harry and You-Know-Who, and so does Dumbledore. He's keeping an eye on things, as I sure you knew. If you have the any thoughts or questions—no matter how far-fetched—you are to go to him. I will never be able to forget just how right you were about my dear friend, and neither will he. In the meantime, keep your eyes open, and keep at least one of them on your friend Harry (even if he doesn't appreciate it) and try not to worry too much. Whatever You-Know-Who is planning will reveal itself in time. I hope you have time to practice your Occlumency. I myself have been very busy, though I'm afraid with what will have to wait until I am able to see you again.
Yours Affectionately, R
Comforted, if not entirely reassured, Ginny tucked the letter under her pillow and drifted off to sleep, accompanied by thoughts of being looked at by Harry Potter.
Author's Notes-- As you may know, a couple of details concerning Ginny have recently been revealed by JKR. The first is Ginny's full name, the second her birthdate. For those of you who are wondering, I hope to EVENTUALLY alter my stories to correct Ginny's name. However, after due consideration, I have decided to allow myself the slight diversion of keeping Ginny's birthdate as it is, on November 1st. I just like it that way, and writer's must have their quirks.;-)
Progress has been a lot slower in this work, but I hope you'll all 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.
Alicia Davis--Thanks for the enthusiastic encouragement! It means a lot to me that you've enjoyed my little series so much. :-) You're quite right about the regular reviewers being very important to this story. Fanfiction is a very interactive medium and it sort of grows up between the writer and the readers. I hope you read far enough to find this response, and please feel free to become a regular reviewer yourself!
Rayny--I agree a complete disregard of such girly stuff might be the most predictable response, but one of the great things about writing characters is the ability to shade nuances of their characters instead of relying on extremes. I love variety! :-)
JamieBell--Excellent point about the sweater! I'm not sure either, but since (in this story) Ginny's b-day is in November, it seemed reasonable she'd get sweaters for both her b-day and Christmas--I know I do. :-) I'm not sure I could have held off on reading the comic book either...that really is a gesture!
I'm Not the Weakest Link--Thanks. Me too. :-)
Raiining--I'm glad you liked the chapter--I feel better knowing it didn't feel as hurried.:-) I will certainly try not to burn out...thanks for the concern!You can reread book 4 if you want (I know I do a lot), but I'm not sure it would really clue you in too much about Hermione...I just had a generalized idea she was keeping Harry company. As for how Ron's relationship with Ginny will be affected when he makes up with Harry...grins
J. Rhaye--My feelings on Ginny's gift from her roomates exactly. :-) I am a true Jane Austen addict, and Mansfield Park is only slightly (if at all, I can never decide) below Pride and Prejudice on my list of favorites. As you point out, the story is about a girl who is madly in love with a man who thinks of her as a sister...and Fanny and Ginny do seem to have some similarities, so I thought Mansfield Park was the perfect way to introduce Ginny to the muggle novel...I might bring this up again later (if not, perhaps you and I could discuss in email?)...we'll have to see how the story develops. sighs One simple act--EXACTLY! grins Thanks for such a great review! hugs
EEDOE--I'm beginning to think last-minute entries by Hermione are like potato chips (hopefully this will make sense when you read the next chapter...if not, I'll TRY to explain. grins wryly) Yeah, I like that Ron didn't mind displaying affection in a crowd, too. For a boy his age, that's HUGE. I'm so glad you thought the family gifts were in character--that was a big concern of mine! Looking forward to your next review...and your next chapter! hugs
Bill--I agree...but as Austen points out in P&P, the best sure guard against disappointment is some small grievance at the outset. grins and shrugs I must admit, I hadn't really intended for Harry to give Ginny a gift (the whole preoccupation with the Tournament combined with his tendency to forget she exists), but now that your review has gotten me thinking about it, I might be able to include something of the sort...of course, my stories tend to do things I never expected, so I can't really promise! I hope the chapter is worth the wait...looking forward to your review! hugs
Everywhere Ginny went the next day there were groups of people whispering. Most of the conversations seemed to include the words "nerve," "disgusting." And even "comeuppance," which didn't bode very well for Harry.
Even Bion had something to say. "So Potter's playing hero again—I guess he just couldn't stand the idea there might be something happening around here he wasn't involved in, huh, Ginny?"
Ginny nearly dropped the book she was in the process of slamming onto the table. She caught it and shoved it into place, nearly upsetting Luna's cauldron in the process, and stared at Bion, her heartbeat suddenly violent and trembling.
"Harry didn't enter himself—it's a plot," Luna said matter-of-factly, and Ginny jumped at this spoken summary of her own silent convictions.
"A plot," Bion repeated skeptically. "By who exactly?"
Luna shrugged, nearly dislodging the wand she'd used to secure her hair. "Whoever has an interest in seeing Harry compete," she said calmly.
Bion snorted. "Oh, sure. You-Know-Who took the time out of his busy schedule to sabotage some school competition—that's far-fetched even for you, Luna."
Luna shrugged again as Ginny eyed Snape uneasily. He was occupied in berating a tall Ravenclaw boy for the way he was stirring his cauldron, but he'd undoubtedly be nasty if he caught them talking, especially about Harry—and Ginny wasn't at all sure their own potion was up to a close observation. "I didn't say it was someone who wanted him to lose," Luna pointed out.
Bion rolled his eyes, but didn't comment. "Hey, Ginny," he said—so loudly Snape paused and looked at their table, prompting forced smiles and held breath from all three of them—"what I want to know is," he continued so softly Ginny could scarcely hear him, "how did he get his name in with Dumbledore trying to stop him?"
Suddenly her day made more sense. Bion's greeting had given her the impression he was outraged—like everyone else—at Harry's participation in the Tournament in a way she hadn't expected of him, but with the realization he was more interested in how Harry had entered than in his entry itself, she belated understood the comment had been nothing more than satirical observation. It was a joke. She sighed as some of the furious affront subsided from her blood stream.
"I haven't the least idea," she said as flippantly as she could manage. "You know he doesn't talk to me."
"He looks at you," Luna said solemnly. Her silver-blue eyes were wide as they met Ginny's as if trying to convey some deeper meaning. She started what have been intended as elaboration, only to have the wand in her hair shift at an unfortunate angle, starting a fire.
Ginny gave a small shriek—less of fear than surprise—and hastily doused it with Tinyberry Extract.
"Miss Weasley," Snape said silkily, "need I remind you this is a classroom, not some sort of free-for-all? I will not tolerate unnecessary waste of ingredients, particularly when that waste disrupts my classes."
"But, Professor Snape," Bion said hesitantly, "Ginny was only trying to--"
"Profeesor, Luna's hair--"
"Ginny was only helping me, Professor--"
Snape coldly looked down his nose at them, cutting off all three explanations at once. "10 points each from your respective houses, and another 5 from Ravenclaw for Miss Lovegood's carelessness. Must I tell you again, Miss Lovegood, your wand is not a toy, and should be treated with respect."
"I forgot," Luna said, sounding mildly chastened, but not really sorry. She did reach up and take her wand out of her hair, though.
"Furthermore," Snape continued mercilessly, "fascinating a subject as Potter inevitably seems to be, even if I was inclined to discuss him after my fourth-year class today, you ought to be paying attention to the lesson. This Shrinking Solution is entirely the wrong shade of green--"
"What!" Ginny protested without thinking. Their Shrinking Solution was a bit off, but she was sure it was the right shade. "No it's not—I mean--" She stopped belatedly as Snape's dark eyes seared into her face.
"Another 10 points from Gryffindor. Until you can teach the class yourself, potions will meet my standards and not yours—is that clear, Miss Weasley?"
Ginny, who'd spent enough time reviewing the solution the year before with Hermione and Neville, thought she probably could teach her classmates to brew, but saying so was hardly prudent. "Yes, Professor Snape," she said as deferentially as she could…which wasn't very.
Professor Snape made them stay behind to "correct" their perfectly acceptable solution to his specifications. By the time they had finished, the back of Ginny's neck ached from being bent so she could look down into the cauldron. Still, that was the only thing that had gone wrong, which was almost too quiet and easy for a Monday. From the laughter and dozens of flashing buttons filling the halls with POTTER STINKS, she could easily conjecture Harry couldn't say the same. Mulling over the idea what she could say to encourage him and how he would react when she did—and trying not to consider whether or not Luna was right about him looking at her, and exactly what kind of look it might be—Ginny made her way to the library for her usual study session with Hermione and Neville.
Neville arrived a few minutes later, struggling through the knots of girls congregated to ogle Krum. Ginny had to admit she was impressed he'd started researching the first task already…especially since he didn't know what it was. "Hey, Ginny," Neville panted as he collapsed next to her. "Can you believe how crazy everyone's acting over this Tournament thing?"
"No," Ginny sighed. "But Neville, where's--" Catching sight of Hermione, who had just bumped one of Krum's admirers with her elbow, not entirely by accident, she broke off. Stepping on the foot of another admirer, and unbalancing a third in a close encounter with her overladden backpack, Hermione finally reached the table a few seconds later.
Ginny stared at her closely, nagged by the sudden, unsettling feeling there was something she ought to be noticing…
"Hermione!" Neville said as if the sight of her were a revelation, making Ginny feel slightly less self-conscious about her own strange reaction and slightly more uncomfortable. "You're okay!"
"Of course she's okay," Ginny said, looking between them. "Why wouldn't she be okay? Why wouldn't you be okay?"
"You mean you didn't hear--"
"It's nothing," Hermione said, throwing Neville a warning look. "I…had a little accident." The look on her face as she thought of it didn't seem like nothing, though.
"It wasn't an accident," Neville contradicted hotly. "But Malfoy didn't actually mean to curse her," he added hastily as Hermione scowled at him. "He was aiming for Harry."
"If he was aiming for Harry," Ginny demanded, "how in Merlin's name did he hit Hermione?"
"Because of Harry," Neville said as if not only made sense, but was, in fact, completely obvious.
"Harry got Malfoy to curse you?" Madam Pince stared in their direction, lowering the temperature by several degrees, but aside from pulling her robes around her a little more tightly, Ginny paid no attention.
"Don't be ridiculous," Hermione hissed back, eyeing Madam Pince warily. "Harry wouldn't do such a thing. He was defending me--"
"Malfoy called her a Mudblood," Neville elaborated at the same time Ginny said, "By getting you cursed?"
Madam Pince cleared her throat threateningly.
"Right," sighed Hermione. "Anyway, they cursed each other at the same time, and the curses bounced--"
"So you got hit with Malfoy's?" Ginny finished, nodding comprehension.
"Her teeth were huge," Neville confided. Hermione cuffed him on the arm, drawing a look of confusion, and glanced at the students behind them. "Neville!"
"Oh. Right." Neville coughed. "Sorry."
"That's what's different," Ginny shouted, drawing a much louder and more threatening cough from Madam Pince. "Your teeth. They're smaller," she concluded much more quietly.
"Well…don't tell anyone…but…I know Mum and Dad didn't want me to use magic until they'd tried muggle denistry, but as Madam Pince had to use magic on them to reverse the curse anyway, there was no reason not to just let her carry on a bit."
"Logic worthy of Gred and Forge," Ginny remonstrated, ruining the effect by snickering.
Hermione beamed happily. "So, where were we?"
They studied diligently enough until just before they went down to dinner when Neville finally couldn't contain one last comment any longer. "Oh, Ginny," he whispered as she helped Hermione pull him out of the trick step on the stairs, "if only you could have seen Crabbe's face…all covered in fungus."
Ginny rather wished she had seen it, too, but she was somewhat consoled for the loss as she finished the last of her dinner.
Dear Ginny,
Professor Lupin's letter began in handwriting that looked much too hurried to be his.
I think you're right—both about Harry and You-Know-Who, and so does Dumbledore. He's keeping an eye on things, as I sure you knew. If you have the any thoughts or questions—no matter how far-fetched—you are to go to him. I will never be able to forget just how right you were about my dear friend, and neither will he. In the meantime, keep your eyes open, and keep at least one of them on your friend Harry (even if he doesn't appreciate it) and try not to worry too much. Whatever You-Know-Who is planning will reveal itself in time. I hope you have time to practice your Occlumency. I myself have been very busy, though I'm afraid with what will have to wait until I am able to see you again.
Yours Affectionately, R
Comforted, if not entirely reassured, Ginny tucked the letter under her pillow and drifted off to sleep, accompanied by thoughts of being looked at by Harry Potter.