Disclaimer: I only own the plot and my OCs. Anything you recognize as not mine belongs to their otherwise respective owners.

Author's Notes: I'm posting this chapter early (you'll get another one on Saturday), partially because of scheduling for my other stories, but mostly because it's a bit of an interlude chapter. It goes over some things you already know (though more stuff is introduced), but this time from Ginny's perspective, because I think it's very important that all of Hyleth's mates get at least one chapter in their POV. Theo's will come later; I already have it planned out and I'm excited to write it when I get there! And I have plans for some of the others, too. :)

As always, I hope you enjoy. Until the next chapter,

~TGWSI/Selene Borealis

~daughter of briganti~

~meet me in the woods~

~chapter 6~

15 July 1995
Black Cottage, Cornwall, England, Great Britain

Ginny stared at the space where Pritchard and Hyleth had just been, her knees going weak. She felt like she might fall to the ground, too.

Seeing the arcs of Hyleth's magic that were so long that they looked like small bolts of lightning come out of her, seeing how they had been attacking her...

She almost couldn't bear it.

"It's alright, Ginny," she heard Sirius say as he grabbed her arm gently. He sounded like he was saying it for his own sake as much as he was hers. "It's – she's going to be alright."

Ginny wouldn't lie: she wasn't so sure.

She never in her wildest dreams could have imagined that this was how today was going to turn out. From the start with Hyleth complaining of that first shock, she'd been worried, because wizards did indeed not get static electricity, but...it wasn't only a jump between that and the revelation that the reason why Hyleth had survived the Killing Curse was because of an ancient ritual which was going to force her to get married thirteen times.

It was a leap across the Atlantic Ocean, if not the entire world.

It was no secret in her family that Ginny had always loved Hyleth. She'd thought ever since she could remember that the Girl-Who-Lived was going to be an alpha one day; she couldn't tell you why, except it stemmed from the same feeling she'd had about herself being an omega. Her father had tried convincing her differently before, reminding her that while female alphas were not exactly uncommon, they were slightly rarer than their male counterparts. Ginny had refused to listen.

She'd grown up with the stories of Hyleth Potter, the same as every other magical-raised child in the British Isles. She'd dreamed about the day that they would finally meet, then the day that they would become friends, and the days when Hyleth would confess her love for her following them both presenting and they would get married. She'd even come up with several names that they could name their children, as chagrined as she was to admit it.

It was only thanks to Ron that she hadn't made a complete and utter fool of herself in front of Hyleth that day on the train. The other girl was both so much like and unlike what everyone thought she would be: she was brave and kind, but with a fundamental lack of understanding of the wizarding world that bordered on criminal...

Over their first year, Ginny had gone from loving Hyleth, the Girl-Who-Lived, to loving simply Hyleth. Hyleth saving her in the Chamber of Secrets during their second year had only cemented that. If it wasn't for the fact that Hyleth had been unpresented during the Yule Ball, and thus the norm dictated that she had had to go with an alpha or beta male student, Ginny would've asked her herself, traditions be damned.

(Though that wasn't to say she hadn't had a fun time with Neville; it was charming, how much he'd practiced dancing just for her.)

Ginny had never been bothered by the fact that Hyleth would have to marry twice since they'd found out she'd have to, either. She loved Hyleth, and she'd be willing to share her if that was what it took to have her. If Hyleth didn't want her...well.

She would eventually have to pick up the pieces of her heart, but as long as the other girl was happy, she was fine with it.

That was all she wanted for her: to be happy, when she hadn't been for most of her life before Hogwarts.

So knowing now that she would have to apparently get married to thirteen different people, and seeing her initial reaction before she'd collapsed, too?

Ginny felt like her heart was tearing into two – and not because she was worried about her chances or anything like that.

But because she loved her, truly and deeply. With all of her soul.

"We need to follow after them," Sirius said, drawing her out of her brief train of thought. His grip on her arm became firmer. "The wards may feel strange to you when we go through them due to James changing who could access the estate before he and Lily died, but you'll be able to get through with me. Are you ready?"

She gave her assent.

In a turn, he apparated them. She did feel like she was being...judged, for lack of a better word, right before they appeared on the other side. Like the wards were staring directly into her being. It made her wince, though there didn't seem to be as much of a wait as she'd been expecting.

When they landed, she took in their surroundings. They were, surprisingly, relatively close to the water: she could see the Irish Sea in the farther distance, over the trees that covered the slope and the farmlands that led to the cliffs. Opposite of it was a manor, one of the biggest she had ever seen (that wasn't saying much, of course). It was Tudor-style, and had obviously seen better days. Many of the windows facing them were broken, and the wooden walls of the second floor was falling apart.

"It wasn't always that way," Sirius said, grimacing. The wind blew past them and through their hair, carrying the slightest hint of the scent of the sea. "After James' parents died during the Dragon Pox pandemic, he couldn't bear to stay here. But he made sure the house was in good shape. After he and Lily died, though, the wards gave out because no one could come onto the property to sustain them, Dumbledore included. They never could have imagined he would become the Regent for the House instead of me..."

Ginny wanted to ask why the Lovegoods hadn't taken in Hyleth instead, since Luna's mother had been Hyleth's godmother by his admission.

She did not want to detract from what was at hand, however.

Behind the manor were more trees, a whole forest of them. There was a path leading into it, surprisingly not overgrown. Judging by the scorch marks on it, that was where Pritchard had gone with Hyleth.

"Follow me," Hyleth's father told her. "I believe I know the way."

They walked more than briskly, practically running. As they entered the forest, Ginny felt a tingle down the back of her neck. "What's that?"

"This forest has been here for thousands of years, probably as long as the stones Pritchard spoke of themselves," Sirius explained darkly. "Almost all of the trees here can give wood for wands because of it. It's part of how the Potter family made all of their wealth: they've had a deal with Ollivander's and a few other wandmakers on the continent for centuries. Gregorovitch was one of them."

The maker of Viktor Krum's wand, she recalled. She remembered reading about it in The Daily Prophet – barely mentioned by Rita Skeeter in that salacious article, but there.

When they got close enough, it was not Sirius' knowledge and the path leading the way anymore, but the sound of Hyleth's terrible, terrible wails of agony. Ginny's heart pounded harder than it ever had before.

Oh, Hyleth, she thought. Hyleth, I'm so sorry...

The stones were in a clearing. Thirteen stones, for thirteen families. Ginny's eyes widened at the sight; besides Stonehenge, she didn't think she'd seen another relic of ancient magic so complete.

Hyleth was laying in the middle of the stones, all on her own. Pritchard was standing off to the side, watching her, his face like stone.

Rage and despair filled her in equal parts.

How dare he leave her like that? She knew that she and Sirius could not touch Hyleth directly, but he'd been able to do it just fine!

Besides, there was more to comfort than physical touch alone.

She raced forwards.

"Ginny, wait – !" Sirius said.

"Ginevra, I would not do that if I were – "

At the last second, as Ginny reached the stones nearest to her, she met an invisible barrier. It threw her back. With a shout of alarm, she went flying through the air, until she landed not more than six feet away from a tree on her back.

Hyleth's father came over to her. He helped her sit up as Pritchard approached them as well.

"Bloody hell," she said, taking a page out of her twin brother's book. "What was that?"

"Now that she is in the circle, no one will be able to enter, nor will she be able to leave, until the reclamation is complete," informed her Pritchard.

She glared, her rage becoming that much worse. "And you just put her in there?"

"It is for her safety and ours," Pritchard replied. He turned his head to look at Hyleth. "Her magic will be able to kill anyone it strikes soon enough. We are of no benefit to her if we are dead, and that is not speaking of the emotional turmoil it would cause her when the reclamation is over and she comes to."

Ginny's face paled. "And how long – ?"

"Sunset occurs today at approximately a quarter past nine. After that, I do not know." He bowed his head. "It may take the entire night."

A horrible silence sunk over them, as the impact of his words registered.

Ginny brought a hand to her mouth.

"One thing I don't get," Sirius snarled. "Why the fuck did you not come sooner than today? You dropped all of this on us without hardly any preparation! You've had almost fourteen years!"

Pritchard raised an eyebrow. "Remember, Lord Black, it was Pandora who was originally supposed to tell your daughter the truth, not I. When she died in the September of 1990, I felt the Unbreakable Vow make itself known. But I was not in Britain; I was elsewhere, doing research. I returned only this past spring, and when Hyleth had still not presented, I had a hunch that the magic of the ritual would force a presentation out of season, particularly after the return of Voldemort. I thought that Briganti might not want to wait as long as next year for this next sequence of events.

"Thus, I had to adjust my plans accordingly. That did involve overriding the wards of your home so you would not be able to leave by Floo or Portkey when I arrived today. I do apologize for that."

Hyleth's father's mouth was set into a hard line. He, too, stared out at Hyleth; simply seeing her on top of hearing her cries made him seem to age several years in a matter of seconds. His shoulders sagged. "She's my daughter," he spoke. "My only child."

"Hence why I suggested that you might not want to see this."

Sirius growled. "Like hell I'm leaving her!"

The other man was not fazed. "Then might I suggest that we set up camp and some muffling charms? I know the idea sounds unappealing to you," he said over Sirius, who looked primed and ready for a verbal lashing like no other, "but we have things that we must discuss."

"Such as?"

"What you will likely agree must happen over the remainder of the summer, for one," Pritchard answered. It did not escape Ginny's notice how his grey eyes glanced over at her.

Tears were streaming down her face. She didn't want to leave Hyleth, even if it was only a few more feet away than where she was currently. At the same time –

– It wasn't like there was much that they could do, was there?

"Fine," Sirius snapped. "Have it your way."

Pritchard set up the muffling charms first, which made Hyleth's cries softer; they could still be heard if one focused on them. Then he opened up the pouch attached to his belt, which apparently had an extension charm on it, as he pulled out a wizarding tent. He set it up with a flick of his wand, compared to when Ginny's father had made them put the one he'd gotten from his coworker by hand at the Quidditch World Cup last summer.

This wizarding tent was nicer than that one. It had three bedrooms, as Pritchard told them, three and a half bathrooms, a comfortable kitchen/living room combo. He went on to make them a meal; it was dinner time now at half past five.

Ginny wasn't hungry, and she knew Sirius couldn't be, either. Still, they didn't complain.

Nor did Pritchard when she and Sirius only picked at their food once it was served. Sirius kept on looking out through the opening of the tent towards Hyleth. His jaw locked more than once.

They didn't talk until after they were as finished with their food as they could be – introducing the business talk just would've spelled more trouble than it was worth.

Pritchard cast the dishes into the sink. They began washing and drying themselves before returning to the cupboards.

"I do not think that I need to tell you," said he, "that it would be best if Hyleth had at least her first wedding before the summer is over."

"To who?" Sirius scoffed.

"There are candidates," Pritchard said. He did not explain further.

Ginny shifted in her seat.

Sirius sneered. He wasn't about to let that settle. "Do you mean ones that you've picked out? Or ones that are older than her, since the age of consent for marriage without parental permission – "

"Does not apply," Pritchard interjected. "You forget, Lord Black, that the Ritual of Briganti is far older than the current laws of the Wizengamot. While throughout magical and muggle history, the permission of the parents was preferred for marriage, it was not required in the same binding way it is now. The only barriers to Hyleth's marriages will be the willingness of her spouses."

"And herself," Ginny corrected him. She flushed as the two men focused on her; not much, or so she hoped, but enough that she could feel her cheeks heat up. "Hyleth just isn't going to marry anyone that comes her way. She's a good person."

Pritchard gave her a smile. "That is a fair point. Regardless, I can tell you one candidate who is almost assured."

She didn't need him to. "You mean Luna?" she guessed.

"Pandora, of course, knew what the requirements of the ritual would be as well as Lily did," he said. "While I cannot say for certain, as I did not keep in contact with her, I suspect that she would have raised her own daughter with the knowledge of the ritual and the expectation that she would become one of Hyleth's spouses, if she did not present as an alpha herself."

"She is the only real heir for the House of Lovegood, isn't she? So she'd have to have a polygamous marriage or find a spouse who would be willing to take on her name anyways," Sirius mused. "Her aunt, the fourth Selene Lovegood in recent history, died during the war. The Lovegoods usually go through the female line; Xenophilius is the exception, not the rule. Corinthia was an omega and married; it passed over her."

Corinthia Lovegood was Theodore Nott's mother, Ginny remembered. She married Tiberius Nott; Luna had mentioned that before.

In truth, she didn't know what to feel about the prospect of Luna being one of Hyleth's spouses, that her childhood friend had been raised with that expectation. She'd never – Ginny didn't think she'd ever given any inclination of it. Ginny had always been the one to talk about marrying Hyleth Potter one day, not her.

Maybe that was because Luna didn't need to daydream about what she thought would be her inevitability.

"Before she can marry Luna Lovegood, however, as you know, Lord Black, she will have to marry in the names of the Potter and Black Houses first. Thus, I think it is likely they will have their wedding after the summer is over, if Hyleth is agreeable to marry her, due to the other matter we must discuss," Pritchard said.

"Which is?"

Pritchard leaned forwards in his seat. "I have a hunch, based off of how the ritual was described, that Hyleth's magic will undergo a...change after tonight. She will receive a drastic power boost. I do not have definitive proof; I could be wrong. But if I am right..."

"She'll have to be retrained. In everything," Sirius realized, finishing for him. He grimaced. "In a setting conducive for it."

Ginny frowned. "What does that mean?"

"Basically, as far away from other people as possible, with protections around the property to prevent any spillage," he translated for her.

She blinked. "Oh."

"There aren't too many places like that we have access to," said Sirius. "There is here, but the house is not habitable. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to keep her confined to a wizarding tent."

"Definitely not," Pritchard concurred.

"My other ancestral home, Black Manor, is in an even worse state than Grimmauld Place is. It'll probably take years to clean it out, even if I were to hire a bunch of ward-breakers from Gringotts," Sirius continued. Then, his eyes sparked with recognition. "There may be one place. James' paternal grandmother, Euphemia Potter, was Greek. She married Aldric when she was forty. She was well-established by then, with a property in Crete. I believe she set up wards to ensure it maintained itself when she came over here."

Ginny gawked at him. "You're talking about going to Greece?"

He shrugged. "I was thinking about taking you lot – " her, Hyleth, Ron, and Hermione, undoubtedly, but maybe Fred and George, too " – there this summer, if your parents would be alright with it, before...the Tournament. I never asked, though. Then Voldemort came back; all the more reason to leave the country, maybe, but now the Order has been reactivated. I thought we'd be better off here."

"But – but – " Ginny flailed for words, feeling like a hand was wrapped around her heart, squeezing it " – but what about the Order? You just said it: they need you!"

"Remus will be able to take care of Grimmauld Place just fine for the next month and a half, as he has been," he reminded her. "Everyone else...they'll understand when we come back, if not before then." His eyes softened. "I'm sorry, Ginny. I know this is a lot. I'm sure Pritchard could take you back to the cottage right now so you could pack up your things and return to the Burrow, or Grimmauld Place." Her family had made plans to stay there for a while, to help with the clean-up of dark magic artifacts and for the safety of the Order, now that the house was being used as its headquarters. They were set to go there in a few days. Hermione would be joining them on the first of August. "You could explain to them what all is going on."

Ginny shook her head. "I'm not leaving without talking to Hyleth first. I want to make sure – "

Her throat closed up.

I want to make sure that she's going to get through this. That she knows she's not alone.

Sirius' visage shifted as they all heard one of Hyleth's screams. It was particularly loud through the muffling charms. He checked the time on the clock in the room and cursed. "We've been talking for far too long," he said, standing up. "I'm not going to leave her alone any longer. I might not be able to do anything else, but I can be out there."

He walked out of the tent without another word.

Ginny moved to do the same.

The sound of Pritchard's voice stopped her. "I suggest that you get some rest, Ginevra. I know that you want to help your friend in whatever way you can, but you cannot help her before helping yourself. I stocked the room on the left with clothes for Hyleth; they will be big on you, but they will do."

She scowled. She didn't want to listen to him.

Yet, having the feeling that he was not going to let her go outside tonight as Sirius had, no matter what, she decided not to pick this battle.

She went into the room that Pritchard had directed her to, and sure enough, there were clothes Hyleth's size in the wardrobe. Although it was still not quite sunset yet, she took out one of the three sets of pajamas and changed into them. The clothes were comfy, at least, if nothing else.

After using the loo and brushing her teeth, Ginny sat down on the queen-sized bed. She closed her eyes, yet that was not enough alone to prevent her from crying. Her shoulders shook as she wept quietly.

It wasn't fair.

None of this was fair.

But even as she wept for Hyleth, for how once again her friend was going through something that nobody their age should've been, if anyone at all, determination slowly began to form in her mind. Pritchard's earlier words at the cottage when he'd first arrived and in the tent and how he'd looked at her reverberated in her head; she didn't know how, but he must've known from the start that she was going to reach this conclusion:

She loved Hyleth Potter, she loved her more than almost anyone else in the world, save the members of her own family. Maybe them, too. There wasn't anything that she wouldn't do for the other girl.

So if that meant marrying her, if that meant getting married to her now at the age of fourteen, borderline fifteen, instead of the years more that her younger self had thought she would've had, then Ginny was willing to do it, if Hyleth wanted it.

That wasn't to say that she would. She could say no.

But Ginny had a feeling, deep in her bones:

She wasn't going to be seeing her family again for some time.

And she had an idea for who else might not be, too.

Word Count: 3,694