The Carrows' Calling
Disclaimer: None of this belongs to me, my name is not J.K. Rowling. It is Zigostia.
Chapter Seventeen
The ringing of the train bell, added with the sudden brake, jolted Ginny forwards, and thus awakening her from her sleep. They were back.
Ginny glanced out of the window, both eager and somehow still feeling dread, forming a strange emotion boiling up inside her. Hogwarts looked the same as before, the tall, towering turrets with bright windows, lit up with candles, and the lake shining a dark, navy blue, almost a black. It looked like home. From the outside, at least.
For Ginny knew that inside the castle, and the reason for her dread, were the Carrows. Her mind flashed back to what they looked like, their flat, doughy, pale faces, the vile grins plastered over them.
Ginny shivered, and turned her head away, her eye catching Neville, not wanting to see Hogwarts.
But seeing Neville's joy of being back to the place that Ginny knew that he called home, him too scanning the premises, Ginny gritted her teeth.
How dare the Carrows take away my source of happiness? Now, with Luna gone, and her family scatter all over the place… Hogwarts was the only thing Ginny had left. Even with her friends—these days, the only time she ever had an actual chat, that was not about torture, the Carrows, or Dumbledore's Army…
Was around Christmas, the time when she didn't think, didn't let herself think, about any of that.
She missed the times where they could talk freely, freely about things that other people wouldn't care about, freely about family, freely about loved ones. She missed the times were they could laugh without fear, love without fear, hope without fear.
So Ginny promised herself; I will not, will not, let the Carrows succeed. See how they react to me ignoring, forgetting, their threats, their torture.
It would be awful to force herself to be happy, Ginny knew. She tried before. But it wouldn't hurt to just not worry, right?
Ginny closed her eyes, took a deep breath. Luna is safe. She's strong, she'll make it on her own, like you should, too.
And almost miraculously, it felt as if a weight on her shoulders had lessened a little; like she could breath easier. As though just thinking positively about something, lifted some of the worry.
"Hey, Ginny." Neville's soft voice interrupted her thoughts. "Come on, let's go."
Ginny looked at Neville. He was smiling, but in a way, Ginny noticed now, that wasn't out of pure happiness. It was a smile to stay strong, keep moving. Moving towards the hope of this all ending, the war, the fear.
Ginny realised with a start that Neville had been, and was right now, doing the exact same thing Ginny was just trying to do. This time, she truly saw Neville, tired and mourning, but still smiling through the ashes, a hopeful, strong, bitter smile. Not bothering to mask the sorrow, but, on the other hand, not forcing himself to be extensively cheerful—Ginny suddenly found an immense respect for him.
She smiled back. And together, they walked out of the train, and to Hogwarts.
Ginny, stretching out her legs, walked dreadfully and slowly in the direction of a large, spruce carriage with decorative designs engraved into the side, the ride to Hogwarts. She could feel the chill of the cold winter wind on her exposed skin, and pulled her jacket tighter around her body.
Multiple times she had turned around, wondering why Luna was being so quiet. Every time, Neville would lift his head and see Ginny staring, a mask of shock plastered over her freckled face. He would then give that weary smile, which Ginny tried her best to give back. The pair stopped at the carriage.
Their ride was surprisingly bumpy; Ginny found herself constantly jolting. Hmm. I don't remember this. But then again, it's been six months.
As the wooden, leather seated carriage hitched yet again, Ginny resigned to gazing at Hogwarts, far away but the glowing windows still visible. She found herself staring at a window that was lit, and was the only light-filled one out of many. And as she looked, nothing really in her mind, Ginny was surprised at a sight; she thought that she saw a figure move around.
Ginny would've been more suspicious, but the past events had dazed her, caused her to just zone out and relax for a while. She was not really looking at where the carriage was going anymore.
She should have payed more attention. In a split second, the carriage violently careened to the left, and it, along with it Ginny and Neville, all pitched to the side.
Ginny blinked, unmoving, in utter confusion. One second, she was glaring at where she thought Professor Carrow's office was, the lit window. Now, the carriage was completely off-course, and heading for—
"GINNY!" Neville shouted. He tackled Ginny off the malfunctioning vehicle, jumping away from the rampaging carriage right after her, tumbling into the cold, wet, snow.
Just a moment after, the carriage smashed head-first into the Whomping Willow.
Ginny watched, staring, horrified, as the branches of the snow-covered tree immediately torn the strong, dark spruce carriage into smithereens. Clouds of powdery snow billowed over them, and occasionally the broken wood of the carriage would fly out, pelting Ginny, who honestly didn't care anymore.
That could have been me!
She turned her head, looking at Neville, who, to be fair, looked equally as dazed. His hair was rumpled, messed up, and a mixture of ice and snow was tangled between the strands of hair. It reminded Ginny of Harry. Neville… he saved my life.
Ginny didn't know what to do. It was like Luna's capture all over again; she was too caught up in her own troubles to help anyone. Not even herself.
Oh, no, not this time! Ginny thought, suddenly angry.
"Thank you, Neville. Now let's get walking, we don't want to be late," Ginny spoke, rather sharply, and turned around, walking towards the dark castle. She promptly dusted off the snow on her clothes, once again wrapping her coat tighter around her shivering body.
Why did you do that? asked the rational part of Ginny's brain. He saved your life, and you just say a quick thanks? it shouted, annoyed at Ginny, who was more stomping than walking now.
Well, what else could I do? Ginny argued with herself, I can't really apologise now, can I?
"Um… Ginny, you okay?" A quiet voice interrupted her mental argument.
Ginny whirled around, unintentionally glaring. "What?" she said, a bit too loudly.
Neville stood, wide-eyed and startled. "I, uh, nevermind." Neville muttered. He looked… almost afraid of Ginny.
Do it! Do it now! urged the voice, gradually becoming louder. And looking at Neville and his snow covered face… Ginny softened, and made herself let go of her pride.
"Neville… I'm sorry. This is just really stressful. I would be dead now if it weren't for you." Ginny spoke softly, as if trying not to scare him away.
Neville looked at Ginny. "Yeah, it's OK. You're stressed, I get it." That's what I'm feeling right now, his patient expression seemed to say. "I forgive you."
Ginny tentatively raised a hand, and formed a thumbs-up.
For a second, Neville lowered his eyes, and Ginny's heart sank. But then, he grinned, and raised a thumb.
They walked.
Ginny could feel the pleasant crunch of snow underneath her boots, and the numb feeling of her hands slowly freezing, even though they were in her pockets. She dug them deeper, pressing her hands against her torso, gratefully taking in the sudden feeling of warmth.
The rest of the walk was spent in silence. Not the thick, palpable, awkward silence that Ginny was so used to. But a softer, more natural one. She didn't feel the urge to talk, or worry, or even think, if something was wrong. She felt better, calmer, or maybe even happier.
Ginny mindlessly walked down the twisting, turning path, not realising how far Hogwarts really was. At least, it wasn't until Ginny watched the glowing windows of the school slowly creep closer to her, much slower than Ginny imagined. However, she did not get any discouragement of this, and her footsteps did not become heavy. Quite the opposite, actually—she felt light as a cloud, as though the anger she kept inside for so long, had rained away upon the ground behind her.
Turning around, looking at Neville who was steadily following her, Ginny thought he looked the same, too.
Finally reaching the tall, light-ridden castle, Ginny noticed for the first time that she could see no other students. In fact, the setting was silent, save the crunch of Neville's boots and the occasional bird chirp.
Just remembering, she pulled up the sleeve of her coat as quickly as her shivering hands would allow her, and checked the time, gasping.
7:00 blinked back at her, the hands of the clock ticking away, adding to Ginny's oncoming panic.
She jammed her hand back into her pocket, wanting the feeling of warmth once again. They were incredibly late, despite her feeling of walking faster than usual. One look at Neville, and she could see that he had figured it out too; whether by Ginny's watch, or from the lack of students on the snow-covered grounds.
In the long, panicked, silence that followed, Ginny thought of something, a lightbulb through the fog.
She looked up, over to the window where she had been glaring at a while ago, the sight that almost took her life if not for Neville.
Just as she thought, the Carrow siblings were looking down at her, smirking. One of them seemed to give her a look, like 'what're you gonna do about it?'
Hot hatred boiled in Ginny's stomach. Strangely pleasant, it seemed to have warmed her body, if only for a second or so. Although added to Ginny's panic, within it, another idea came to her from the anger. It wasn't the greatest thing to do, but looking at the Carrows' smug faces, her mind was set.
She glared up, crossed her arms, and once she was sure those idiots were looking at her, very clearly stuck up both middle fingers.
Ginny smiled, satisfied and smug, as the Carrows did a comical double-take. The cold hands were worth it. She heard as Neville snorted, surprised (but not in a bad way), and joined Ginny in her rude gestures.
In the middle of the most obnoxious moves they could come up with (the Carrows were still watching, and glaring furiously; (why they wouldn't leave was beyond Ginny) a sound made them jump.
"What—" a firm voice sternly questioned, "are you two doing?"
Professor McGonagall stood right behind them, tapping her foot, clearly having seen everything. She was dressed in her usual emerald green robes, but a black cloak was draped over her shoulders for additional warmth. It was sprinkled with small sparkles of snow; signaling that she had been there for quite a while. But to be fair, Ginny thought she looked like she was trying to hide a smile.
"Ahhh!" Neville shouted, panicking. "We, uh." He looked at Ginny with pleading eyes, clearly wanting her to talk instead. I do owe him, Ginny thought, amused, and stepped forward.
"Professor McGonagall." Ginny spoke hesitantly, though she was trying to hide it. "We were simply late. The carriage had some, ah, mishaps."
Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow questionally. "What kind of mishaps?" She pressed.
Ginny looked at Neville, seeing the clear inquiry in the professor's eyes. Neville stared back at her, evidently not sure about what to say.
"The carriage took a small detour and we were late," Ginny said, her eyes pointed at the snow-covered ground, not wanting to meet Professor McGonagall's anger-filled, bright green eyes.
"Is that why it is not with you, and why you walked to the castle in these freezing cold temperatures?" Professor McGonagall's voice rose with each word, until her voice echoed through the premises.
Ginny sneaked a quick glance at the glaring woman in front of her, certain she looked like a scolded puppy by then. She was sure Neville looked the same.
"Come with me," Professor McGonagall said sharply. She turned on her heel, robes flying out behind her, reminding Ginny very much of Headmaster Snape, and opened the large metal doors to the castle.
Ginny snuck a glance at Neville. He shrugged, and followed Professor McGonagall into the warm, welcoming castle.
"Have a seat," Professor McGonagall said once they were in her office, as she settled into the hard-backed wooden chair behind her desk. The fireplace was already burning brightly in the small corner of the office, its sparks flying all over the place. Ginny could feel the heat on her skin, warming her welcomely from the cold walk to the castle. She rubbed her numb hands together and placed them closer to the fire.
Professor McGonagall seemed to have noticed this because she then said, "Sit closer to the fire. Allow me to place a Warming Charm upon you freezing children." Her voice became softer, more motherly. Ginny obediently pulled her chair a little closer to the warm fireplace, and sat down. Neville did the same. Next, Professor McGonagall, with her cloak still on, pulled her wand out of it and wordlessly waved it twice towards the two children.
A warm rush of air streaked through Ginny's body, her bones beginning to heat up once more. Ginny let a sigh of relief and comfort. She looked up at Professor McGonagall gratefully, who gave a small smile in return.
"Thank you." Ginny spoke quietly. But her Professor had already turned around, and began to hang her long, black cloak back in her closet, revealing a thin emerald green robe underneath.
Professor McGonagall shivered, despite the fire, and wordlessly waved her wand once more. She walked back over to their armchairs, settling back into the wooden chair.
"Well, warm enough to tell me the truth?" she asked, her anger seeming to have died away, a light smile appearing on her face. Ginny looked at Neville nervously. He nudged his chin in the direction of Professor McGonagall. Ginny decided to speak for them.
"Well, a cup of tea would be nice," Ginny mumbled, avoiding the professor's question. Professor McGonagall sighed, but didn't say anything, and pushed herself out of her seat wearily. She walked into one of the two rooms attached to the office. Ginny heard her footsteps slowly fade out, and it was then that Ginny spoke the first word to Neville.
"Do you think we should tell her the truth?" Ginny whispered, still paranoid that Professor McGonagall could hear them.
Neville shook his head. "No. She's going to freak, and we really can't have her get in any more trouble with the Carrows. Professor McGonagall doesn't need that worry," Neville replied, in the same hushed tone.
And before Ginny could agree, Professor McGonagall strode back in through the same door she exited, with a steaming teapot on a tray, with teacups. Ginny and Neville stopped their conversation immediately.
The tray was set carefully onto the coffee table in front of them. "Help yourselves," Professor McGonagall said lightly, picking up two cups and filling them with hot tea.
"Thank you, Professor." Ginny picked up a cup of tea, of which that she noticed was painted with intricate golden designs flying across it; designs that screamed Gryffindor.
Ginny held the cup tightly between her hands, letting the warmth of it soak into her still-cold fingers. She slowly took a sip, lips puckering at both the scalding temperature and the bitter taste.
"Yeah. Thanks, Professor," Neville said, picking up a cup too. It was only then, Ginny noticed, that Professor McGonagall had filled a cup for herself.
"Now, may I ask, what were you two doing out in the freezing cold weather, with barely any warm clothes on?" Professor McGonagall asked, the anger seeping into her voice once again.
Ginny stared at her cup, watching the steam curl onto her face, as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. Neville didn't say anything, either.
After a moment of silence that seemed to stretch on forever, Ginny decided that the truth was the best option, ignoring Neville's advice earlier. "Well," she said hesitantly. "Well, the thing is, our carriage had a slight, erm, malfunction."
Neville looked at Ginny, his eyes wide. They seemed to say, I thought we weren't telling her!
"Malfunction?" echoed Professor McGonagall, not noticing, or ignoring, Neville's panicked expression.
"The carriage ran into the Whomping Willow," Ginny said, chewing on her lip, her eyes once more dropping to the floor.
Professor McGonagall looked at her in shock and surprise. "The Whomping Willow?" Ginny nodded, her eyes still aimed at the floor.
"It didn't hurt us, we got of the way," Neville piped up beside her hurriedly. Professor McGonagall slumped into her seat, cup of tea still in her hand. Ginny could see the steam rising from the hot liquid.
"Are you quite sure you and Mr. Longbottom were not hurt, in any way?" Professor McGonagall questioned, concern leaking into her voice.
When none of them answered, she sat up and scanned the duo herself. Ginny could see her fingering her wand, as if she wanted to use a spell to check for injuries.
"It really didn't hurt us, Professor." Ginny spoke, telling the truth.
"Neville pushed me out of the carriage," she said, her eyes pointed at Professor McGonagall this time. The professor nodded absentmindedly, seemingly believing. She fell back once more in the armchair, her eyes staring at the fireplace in a daze. The red-hot flames looked as if they were shining in Professor McGonagall's green eyes.
"Professor?" A soft, nervous voice to her right spoke.
Ginny looked at Neville. He had concern painted into his eyes, much like Professor McGonagall's a while ago. The Professor looked up at Neville, her back beginning to straighten up.
"Oh, you two may leave now," she said, like she had just noticed they were still there. "I assume the feast has started already. And don't worry, I'll pardon you two for being late."
Ginny and Neville slowly got up and placed their cups on the gold tray on which they were served. Professor McGonagall continued on staring into the burning fire, her back slouched once more. After one final thanks, Neville exited the room, and Ginny quietly closed the tall door, not wanting to disturb her professor any further.
The pair walked in silence to the Great Hall, both lost in their own swirling thoughts.
Author's Note:
Sorry about the rather uneventful chapter today, more interesting things are going to happen! *wink, wink* And sorry about the short chapter too. I'm sure longer ones will be coming soon. Please review, we would like the know if people are enjoying/not enjoying my story, because reviews is somewhat what gets me to write. I do not plan to abandon this story any time soon though. Please review!
-Zigostia