Chambers, chapter 2
CHAMBERS (chapter 2)
Summary:
In the winter after the war, Ginny navigates not only her own recurring nightmares, but also the demands of Quidditch captaincy, the weirdness of double-dating with one's brother and the surprisingly difficult path back to Harry, along with Hermione's obsession with inter-house unity, Neville's retreat into his books, Luna's lonely family life and a gaping hole in Ginny's family where her middle brother used to be.
In the winter after the war, Ginny starts putting the pieces back together, with a little help from her friends.
Characters: Ginny, with Harry, Hermione, Neville, Luna, Ron and all the Weasleys!
Chapters: 5
Story:
CHAPTER TWO
The week flew by, with the Gryffindor Quidditch team training hard every evening. Whenever the pitch was booked out to another team, Ginny simply had hers run laps around the castle instead. And once she'd let the team go, she stayed on and ran a few more, just for herself. She slept well all week and only had one bad dream, which faded almost as soon as she woke.
On Saturday, Ginny woke up to nerves like she hadn't felt since the day she first stepped on the Hogwarts Express.
It's just Quidditch, she tried to remind herself.
Right, "just" Quidditch, which was possibly the only thing keeping her sane, and now she was in charge of whether they won or lost and the whole school would be watching and Harry would be watching - what had she been thinking?
At least it was good Quidditch weather, cool and clear with not too much wind, Ginny saw when she took stock from the dormitory window before heading down to breakfast.
Ginny didn't feel much like eating but did so anyway, to set a good example for the team. Poor Matthias looked practically green, so Ginny sat next to him and made sure he had some toast at least.
She'd made a point of never comparing Matthias to past Seekers on the team - Hey, kid, big shoes for you to fill, coming right after the youngest Seeker in a century, who also just saved the world from Voldemort, oh, and happens to sort of be my boyfriend. And did I mention that before him, the Seeker was my big brother, who could have played for England if he hadn't decided to do something even more impressive and go study dragons… - but she knew Matthias probably did something of the sort inside his head anyway.
As the other members of the team started to rise from the table, Ginny put a hand on Matthias' arm.
"Hey, you know there's no one out there you have to impress, right?" she said. "You haven't got to impress anyone but yourself. Well, and maybe me. Feel free to go ahead and impress me."
Matthias managed a weak smile.
"Go on," Ginny said. "I'll see you on the pitch."
She dashed up to the dormitory to grab the rest of her gear, and was just hurrying back out of the common room when she glimpsed a familiar head bent over a stack of books in one corner.
"Hey, Neville," Ginny said, and he looked up.
"Hi, Ginny," he said. "I'm really sorry I can't come watch the match. It's just that I have to revise -"
"You're not coming?" Ginny demanded.
Neville winced. "I know I should come support you -"
"Oh, bollocks supporting me," Ginny said, striding over to him. "When was the last time you saw actual sunlight? Your homework will wait for you, I promise." Neville was still shaking his head, but Ginny had one more charm in her spellbook. "Harry's going to be there."
"Harry's coming here?"
"Yeah, he's coming up to watch the match. And he doesn't know so many seventh-years, you know, so he'd probably be glad if you'd sit with him."
Neville wavered, then closed his book. "Okay, I'll come. But Ginny, aren't you going to be late?"
"Oh! Yes, I am. See you at the match!" she called and fairly flew out the portrait hole and down the stairs.
Ginny had just enough time to pick out Harry, sitting in the stands next to Hermione, before she pulled her team into a huddle for last minute instructions.
"Matthias," Ginny said. "This is just like those drills we run, where the rest of us do everything we can to distract you, and you ignore us. And I remember you being rather good at those drills. Do you trust Jimmy and Ritchie?"
"Yes…?" Matthias answered.
"Good, then leave the Bludgers to them. You two? I know you know the drill. Every Bludger is yours, 110%."
"Yes they are!" Jimmy said.
"You got it, Captain!" Ritchie added.
"And Alexandra, everybody out there thinks you're some brand-new, untested Keeper. We know you've been trouncing your brothers for years. So show them what you've got, all right?"
"You got it," Alexandra said, clutching her broom with determination.
"Demelza, Graham," Ginny continued. "Just like we've run it a hundred times before. I give you the signal, Demelza starts the play, Graham and I take position. We've got some good stuff to work with, plays Slytherin haven't seen before. I'm willing to bet we get in at least five goals before they even know what's going on."
Her fellow Chasers nodded.
"Are you ready?" she asked the whole team.
"Ready!" they shouted back.
"How hard are you going to play?"
"Our hardest!"
"Who's going to win this match?"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Positions for kick-off!" Ginny shouted, running to join Madam Hooch and the Slytherin team captain, Vaisey. He was a whole head taller than her, but Ginny found she could glare straight at him and not even blink.
"Sure you're ready, Vaisey?" she asked, as they gripped hands.
"More than your ragtag bunch, Weasley," he sneered.
Ginny looked at the hulking boys behind Vaisey and allowed herself an inner smile. It was no secret that Slytherin always fielded brawn over brains, but luckily for Ginny, she wasn't planning on winning with brawn.
"We'll see about that," she said. Then the whistle sounded and they both shot into the air.
Ginny had to admit, it was gratifying being right. She'd bet her fellow Chasers they would get in five goals before Slytherin got a handle on their plays, and in fact they scored six times in a row before the opposing team finally got one in.
It was so good to be in the air. So good to be flying.
"Watch your left, Demelza!" Ginny yelled, and the other girl nodded gratefully after ducking the Bludger that had been on course for her. Then, almost as an afterthought, Demelza tossed the Quaffle to Ginny, who scored.
Soon they were up by 110 to 40, and Ginny was starting to think they could win the match even without the Snitch if they had to. Slytherin simply couldn't keep up with the complicated plays they were flying, and Ginny found herself chanting a silent mantra of thanks to Angelina's tips and Harry's encouragement and her own obsessive reading on Quidditch theory.
By the time the score reached 160 to 70, Ginny was starting to feel cocky - never a good idea, because in her distraction, a Bludger very nearly unseated her.
"Where were you, Coote!" she yelled, as the Beater zoomed up a couple seconds too late to be any help, and he actually blushed. Ginny made a mental note to apologise after the match. Well, maybe not apologise, since in fact he should have been there. But she could at least say something encouraging.
The score was 190 to 90 when Ginny - constantly scanning the pitch to keep an eye on all of her team - caught a blur of motion out of the corner of her eye. She turned and saw Matthias and the Slytherin Seeker both streaking toward the same point at the far end of the pitch.
Matthias had that intense focus she'd seen in him a few times, a kind of zone he entered during his very best practices. Nothing would distract him from his goal - at least, as long as nothing else got in his way. He was doing just what she'd told him to do, and ignoring everything else.
Which made him an easy target for a Bludger from Brick, one of the Slytherin Beaters.
It was a long shot, but then, Brick had a strong arm. Ginny was just about to yell out a warning to Matthias - Snitch be damned, he was no good to anybody if a Bludger took his head off - when Ritchie Coote swooped out of nowhere and knocked the Bludger halfway back across the pitch, just seconds before Matthias shouldered his way in front of the other Seeker and plucked the Snitch out of the air.
The Gryffindor stands erupted in cheers, and Ginny whooped along with them as she rocketed down to meet her team on the ground.
Matthias was already standing next to his broom, ruddy-cheeked and windblown and gazing dazedly at the golden sphere in his hand.
"You did it!" Ginny hollered at him, then pounced on him and gave the poor, confused boy a hug.
"Did I redeem myself, captain?" Ritchie asked, landing beside her with a big grin, so she hugged him too, then Demelza and Graham when they dropped down beside her, then Jimmy and Alexandra too.
"Come here," she said, pulling them into a tight circle. "You are brilliant players. You've won with hard work and teamwork and clever plays and I'm so proud of you. 340 to 90! Who says you're rookies now, huh?"
They were all grinning at her, and Ginny knew she was giving them the same delighted grin back. "Come on, you lot, I think this calls for a party of epic proportions. Go get changed and meet your adoring fans."
Ginny slapped Matthias on the back once more and turned, meaning to make her way to the locker rooms too, but then she saw Harry coming toward her, with Neville and Hermione behind him, and Luna too, and Ginny forgot everything else and ran to Harry, and he threw his arms around her and spun her around and she kissed him and there was nothing else in the world -
Until she pulled away and realised she was still surrounded by all of her team and most of her friends, and all of them were looking at her.
Ginny felt herself blush crimson - what was it about Harry that always made her forget everything else around her? - and fought the urge to go hide under a rock somewhere far away. Instead, she turned to the team, who were standing behind her and not doing a very good job of hiding their smiles.
"Team, for those of you who haven't met him, this is Harry. Harry, I'd like to present the champion Gryffindor team of 1998-1999."
"That was some incredible flying," said Harry, who was looking a little pink around the ears too, and failing to suppress a goofy, happy grin. "I've never even seen some of those plays, and I thought I knew pretty much everything."
"It's all Ginny," put in Demelza, who had flown in Harry's team two years before. "She comes up with the most unbelievable stuff."
"That only a very intelligent team could put into practice," Ginny concluded. "All right, come on you all, go get that party started!"
The rest of the team trotted off toward the locker rooms, and Hermione rather unsubtly urged Neville and Luna back toward the castle. Ginny turned back to Harry.
"You were amazing," he said. "I mean, I knew you were good, but - wow. Did you really just score 340 points against Slytherin in your very first match of the year?"
"Yeah, we did," Ginny said, her giddy grin returning. "And I think I just might keep doing it, since it does always seem to get me that reaction from you."
"What -" Then Harry let out a surprised laugh, and she saw he remembered their first kiss too. "Okay, yeah, you should definitely keep winning Quidditch matches." A little shyly, he slipped his hand into hers. "I guess you need to get up to Gryffindor Tower for the party, huh?"
"You're coming, aren't you?" Ginny asked.
"I - what? No, I don't think I'm allowed."
Ginny rolled her eyes at him. "Harry, what did I tell you about McGonagall letting you do whatever you want?"
But Harry looked uncomfortable. "I just don't think - I'm not sure -"
That was when she realised he probably hadn't been back inside the school building since the morning of the battle.
"Oh," she said. "You don't have to."
In her mind, Ginny flashed back to that morning, leaving her family in the Great Hall and climbing the stairs to the tower to find Harry, passed out asleep on his old bed. She'd just sat there next to him, too tired and cried out and numb to do much more than think, I finally have him back.
Then, in the months that followed, she'd found it wasn't quite that easy. Yes, she had Harry back, but it was taking them a long time to get back to where they'd once been effortlessly.
"I mean -" Harry said. "If it's important to you, obviously -"
"No," Ginny said at the same time. "That was silly of me, of course you don't have to -"
They both stopped and looked at each other.
"It's fine," Ginny said. "Really. It would be kind of weird of me anyway, right, to bring you along when this is supposed to be about the current team? And I'll see you - when will I see you?"
"Next Hogsmeade weekend?"
"There's one a couple weeks before the Christmas holidays," Ginny said. It seemed impossibly far away.
"I'll come then," Harry promised. "It was - I'm really glad I got to see you play. You're going to have an amazing season."
"Thanks," Ginny said. There were so many things she probably ought to say while she had the chance, but now she couldn't think what they were. "You're still coming for Christmas Day, right?"
"Of course. And you'll still come to mine during the holidays?"
Ginny thought of dreary, half-abandoned Grimmauld Place, but she said, "Of course."
"Oh!" said Harry. "I was supposed to tell you - Ron said he was sorry he couldn't come today, but they put him on the weekend shift."
"I wasn't expecting him to come with you," Ginny said. "I thought you'd want a chance just to talk to Hermione, and maybe Neville."
Now it was Harry's turn to roll his eyes. "Ginny, I wasn't talking to Hermione or Neville. I was watching you."
He looked around a little self-consciously at the dispersing crowd - probably catching sight of a professor or two as he did - but he stepped forward resolutely and gave Ginny a long kiss. "I'll see you in December, okay?" he whispered.
"Mm-hm," Ginny murmured back. "And in the meantime, just keep thinking of me winning at Quidditch."
She was gratified to see him blush again as she stepped back. She squeezed his hand. "See you in December."
He nodded, and she let go of his hand.
"Well," he said.
"Yeah," she said. "Okay."
He shrugged in a helpless sort of way, and grinned at her.
"I'm going to get changed," Ginny said.
"I guess I'll go find McGonagall and thank her for letting me come," Harry said.
It was starting to seem like neither of them would manage to walk away, so Ginny said, "Bye!" and then, "Thanks for coming."
And Harry said, "Of course!" and "Bye."
The party in the Gryffindor common room went well into the evening, and Ginny herself might have had a couple shots of the Firewhisky Seth Hathcoat had snuck in from the last Hogsmeade weekend, but she didn't feel drunk, just tired after a long day.
She slipped away toward the dormitory stairs, glad to see everyone having such a good time. Even Neville was away from his books for once and chatting earnestly with a dark-haired sixth-year girl. It was hard watching Neville retreat into himself again, after he'd been so strong last year…
Ginny told herself firmly to worry about Neville another time. Not tonight, when the world actually felt halfway right.
She pushed open the door to the seventh-year girls' dormitory and was surprised to see Hermione, once again on her bed with her knees drawn pensively to her chest.
"Hey," Ginny said. "Everything all right?"
Hermione looked up. "Oh, yes. Sorry, I didn't mean to ignore the party or anything. Just thinking a bit. You okay?"
"Yeah, just tired." Ginny crossed to the mirror and reached up to take her hair down from the messy ponytail she'd left it in after the match.
"I worry about this lack of inter-house unity," Hermione said suddenly.
"You what?"
"I just…I think it can't be good, is all. The way we keep pitting ourselves against each other. Using Quidditch and house points and things to fuel these old rivalries."
Ginny turned to look at Hermione incredulously.
"I know Gryffindor and Slytherin were on opposite sides of the war, more or less," Hermione continued. "But wasn't the whole point of the war not to have to be on opposite sides anymore?"
All of a sudden, Ginny felt white-hot rage boiling up inside her, all out of proportion to Hermione's comment. "No," she said flatly. "The point of the war was to kill the people who were trying to kill us."
"But all that came out of these prejudices," Hermione pressed on, oblivious. "The prejudices against Muggle-borns, and against other Creatures - but are we really any better, hating all Slytherins just on principle?"
Ginny turned to face Hermione, and she could almost feel the anger sparking off her skin. "I don't hate them on principle," she said. "I hate them because they and their families and people like them killed my brother."
Hermione looked stricken. "Ginny - I didn't mean -"
"No, you didn't, did you? It's all academic to you, isn't it? A nice logic puzzle."
"No, it's not!" Hermione stood up. "I want to make our world better! I don't want this whole thing to repeat in a generation or two, just because we messed up the reconciliation part!"
"Forgive me if I don't feel very conciliatory."
"But we have to try. Somebody has to take the first step. And maybe if we reach out, they will too."
"You're wrong," Ginny said. "You're an idiot if you think they'll ever change."
Hermione stared as Ginny turned and stalked back out of the room. Her anger carried her straight through the common room, out the portrait hole and all the way to the ground floor of the castle, though by the time she got there, she did recognise she'd been unfair.
She still thought Hermione was naïve, and had a lot of nerve telling her to make friends with little Death Eaters. But Hermione wasn't an idiot and Ginny shouldn't have called her one.
The thing was, Hermione and Ron and Harry had spent last year dealing more with the theory of the thing, the Horcruxes, the pieces of the puzzle. They hadn't been here and seen what it was like to live with the Carrows, to live with Death Eaters' children in charge.
Ginny pushed open a door that led out to the courtyard, stepping through and letting it swing shut behind her. She looked around blankly - and it took her a moment to realise she was looking at Neville. He was sitting on a low ledge to one side of the courtyard, wearing nothing warmer than a thick jumper, his chin rested thoughtfully on one fist.
"Hey," Ginny said, too surprised even to be properly surprised.
"Hey," Neville said.
"Can I join you?" she asked, going over to him.
He nodded and made space on the ledge.
"I thought you were still at the party," Ginny said.
Neville shrugged. "Guess I just didn't feel like it after a while." Then he hastened to add, "I mean, I'm happy you won! You played really well. And I did watch the match."
"I know, I saw you there," Ginny assured him. "And it's okay, I don't feel much like partying anymore either."
Neville nodded again, and they sat in silence for a bit. It was cold, but Ginny tried not to shiver. She didn't want to go back inside.
"I had a row with Hermione," she said suddenly. Neville turned to look at her, but didn't say anything. It was something she appreciated about Neville, the way he never seemed to judge. "Not even a row, really. Just…she said some things I thought were stupid, and I wasn't nice about it. I should apologise to her. Tomorrow."
Neville nodded, but didn't press her for details.
Ginny looked up at the dark sky. "You're not worried about getting caught outside so late?"
"Nah," Neville said. "It seems… I guess a lot of things don't worry me as much as they used to."
"Losing a few house points doesn't seem like quite such a big deal once you've faced the Carrows, you mean."
"Something like that," Neville agreed.
They sat a while longer, and now Ginny really was cold, but she just couldn't face going back to the tower until she was sure everyone else would be in bed. "You don't have to stay out here with me if you want to go back in," she said after a while.
"No, it's okay," Neville answered, and they sat a while longer still.
When Ginny finally went upstairs and crept into the dormitory where the others were already asleep, she thought surely she would be exhausted enough to sleep peacefully.
Instead, she found herself back in the Chamber of Secrets.
Tom Riddle smiled, and pointed to Hermione's lifeless body on the stone floor.
"No," Ginny whispered. She refused to cry.
Next to Hermione were Neville and Luna. Then Harry. Every member of Ginny's family, even Fleur, whom she still didn't particularly like. Everyone was there but Fred, who couldn't die a second time. Then there were other Gryffindors from Ginny's year. Colin Creevey's little brother Dennis. Even Draco Malfoy and the Slytherin team captain, Vaisey.
Ginny rounded on Riddle, forgetting even to be afraid. "What are they doing here?" she demanded.
"In death, you're all the same," he said carelessly, and for the rest of the night, he showed her dead bodies of people she knew.
When Ginny woke, the sky was barely beginning to grow grey. She could only have been in bed a few hours at most, but already sleep was retreating. Resigned, Ginny swung her legs out of bed.
She made her way down to the Great Hall, though it was still too early for breakfast. The Hall was nearly empty, but Ginny caught a glimpse of Luna's pale hair, bent over a book at the Ravenclaw table, and made her way over there.
"You're up early," Ginny said.
"Mm-hm," Luna agreed. She marked her place in her book with a nearby serviette and peered up. "You can sit here if you like, but there's no breakfast yet."
"That's okay," Ginny said, and slid onto the bench next to Luna. "What are you reading?"
"The biography of Phyllida Spore. She was a famous herbologist, but she was also Headmistress of Hogwarts, and she revolutionised a number things about the teaching of Herbology," Luna said. "Are you sad?"
It took Ginny several seconds to catch up to the last thing Luna had said.
"I…sort of," Ginny said. "Why…I mean, what makes you ask?"
"Why do you always ask me that?" Luna asked, almost impatiently. "It's not like it's hard to tell when a person is sad. What are you sad about?"
Ginny dropped her chin onto her hands. "Do you ever have nightmares?" she asked.
"I used to."
"Yeah?"
"After Mum died. I would go to sleep and see all kinds of awful things, you know, like the spell backfiring again and hitting her."
"I'm sorry, Luna," Ginny said. "How long did it last?"
"The nightmares? Oh, for years."
Ginny groaned and allowed her head to droop further toward the table.
"Are you having dreams about your brother?" Luna asked.
"No!" Ginny said, sitting back up. "If it were that, at least I'd get to see him again. I could have those few minutes of thinking he's still here."
Luna trailed a finger along the spine of her book. "It would be nice to see Mum again," she agreed, sounding a little wistful.
"Instead I've been having these dreams - oh, it sounds stupid to even say it -"
"Dreams aren't stupid," Luna countered. "There's always some sort of message."
"Then I sure wish I weren't dreaming all the time about Voldemort," Ginny spat out. She hated even having to say his name.
"Voldemort, really?"
"All the time," Ginny said. "Except not him, you know, like we saw him, when he was here. It's always that young memory of him that came out of his diary when he made me open the Chamber of Secrets, first year. I hate it, I hate that he could control me then, and I hate that he's still in my head now, and I just want him to go away, which he should, because he's DEAD, isn't he?"
Ginny realised she was nearly shouting, and that the few other students scattered around the Great Hall had turned to look at her. She sank back down again next to Luna, who had continued to simply look at her, without the least bit of alarm.
"Uh, sorry," Ginny said, trying to look very interested in the wooden surface of the table in front of her.
"That sounds awful," Luna said sympathetically. "Who have you told about it?"
"No one, really. Just you, right now."
"But I don't know how to help you."
"It's enough just that you're willing to listen to me," Ginny said. "I feel like a real git lately, flying off the handle at people."
"I don't think you're a git."
"Thanks, Luna," Ginny said, and to her surprise, that actually made her feel a little better.
Students were starting to trickle into the Hall, and the first covered breakfast dishes were popping into sight along the tables. Ginny spotted Hermione coming in through the main doors.
"Luna, I'd better go," Ginny said. "I just saw Hermione come in and I kind of owe her an apology."
"Say hi to her from me!" Luna said cheerily, as if Hermione were in another country and not two tables over.
Ginny threaded her way through the growing throng of students arriving for breakfast, and dropped onto the bench next to Hermione.
"Hey," she said.
"Hello," Hermione said, frostily. Ginny had to admit, Hermione did a really good cold shoulder.
"I'm sorry," Ginny said. "I shouldn't have called you an idiot last night, because you aren't one."
Hermione looked like she very much wanted to make a snappy retort, but managed to tamp it down. "No," she agreed.
"So, anyway, I'm sorry."
Hermione nodded, and Ginny figured that was all she was going to get for now. Also, she needed to think fast, because she hadn't had breakfast yet, but there was no way she was going to survive an entire meal in Arctic silence next to Hermione.
"Oh, there's Neville!" Ginny said, glad to have a convenient excuse, as she saw him taking a seat at the other end of the table. "I've got to talk to him. I'll see you later, okay?" She pushed herself up from the bench without waiting to see if Hermione would actually deign to answer.
( continue to CHAPTER 3)
Summary:
In the winter after the war, Ginny navigates not only her own recurring nightmares, but also the demands of Quidditch captaincy, the weirdness of double-dating with one's brother and the surprisingly difficult path back to Harry, along with Hermione's obsession with inter-house unity, Neville's retreat into his books, Luna's lonely family life and a gaping hole in Ginny's family where her middle brother used to be.
In the winter after the war, Ginny starts putting the pieces back together, with a little help from her friends.
Characters: Ginny, with Harry, Hermione, Neville, Luna, Ron and all the Weasleys!
Chapters: 5
Story:
CHAPTER TWO
The week flew by, with the Gryffindor Quidditch team training hard every evening. Whenever the pitch was booked out to another team, Ginny simply had hers run laps around the castle instead. And once she'd let the team go, she stayed on and ran a few more, just for herself. She slept well all week and only had one bad dream, which faded almost as soon as she woke.
On Saturday, Ginny woke up to nerves like she hadn't felt since the day she first stepped on the Hogwarts Express.
It's just Quidditch, she tried to remind herself.
Right, "just" Quidditch, which was possibly the only thing keeping her sane, and now she was in charge of whether they won or lost and the whole school would be watching and Harry would be watching - what had she been thinking?
At least it was good Quidditch weather, cool and clear with not too much wind, Ginny saw when she took stock from the dormitory window before heading down to breakfast.
Ginny didn't feel much like eating but did so anyway, to set a good example for the team. Poor Matthias looked practically green, so Ginny sat next to him and made sure he had some toast at least.
She'd made a point of never comparing Matthias to past Seekers on the team - Hey, kid, big shoes for you to fill, coming right after the youngest Seeker in a century, who also just saved the world from Voldemort, oh, and happens to sort of be my boyfriend. And did I mention that before him, the Seeker was my big brother, who could have played for England if he hadn't decided to do something even more impressive and go study dragons… - but she knew Matthias probably did something of the sort inside his head anyway.
As the other members of the team started to rise from the table, Ginny put a hand on Matthias' arm.
"Hey, you know there's no one out there you have to impress, right?" she said. "You haven't got to impress anyone but yourself. Well, and maybe me. Feel free to go ahead and impress me."
Matthias managed a weak smile.
"Go on," Ginny said. "I'll see you on the pitch."
She dashed up to the dormitory to grab the rest of her gear, and was just hurrying back out of the common room when she glimpsed a familiar head bent over a stack of books in one corner.
"Hey, Neville," Ginny said, and he looked up.
"Hi, Ginny," he said. "I'm really sorry I can't come watch the match. It's just that I have to revise -"
"You're not coming?" Ginny demanded.
Neville winced. "I know I should come support you -"
"Oh, bollocks supporting me," Ginny said, striding over to him. "When was the last time you saw actual sunlight? Your homework will wait for you, I promise." Neville was still shaking his head, but Ginny had one more charm in her spellbook. "Harry's going to be there."
"Harry's coming here?"
"Yeah, he's coming up to watch the match. And he doesn't know so many seventh-years, you know, so he'd probably be glad if you'd sit with him."
Neville wavered, then closed his book. "Okay, I'll come. But Ginny, aren't you going to be late?"
"Oh! Yes, I am. See you at the match!" she called and fairly flew out the portrait hole and down the stairs.
Ginny had just enough time to pick out Harry, sitting in the stands next to Hermione, before she pulled her team into a huddle for last minute instructions.
"Matthias," Ginny said. "This is just like those drills we run, where the rest of us do everything we can to distract you, and you ignore us. And I remember you being rather good at those drills. Do you trust Jimmy and Ritchie?"
"Yes…?" Matthias answered.
"Good, then leave the Bludgers to them. You two? I know you know the drill. Every Bludger is yours, 110%."
"Yes they are!" Jimmy said.
"You got it, Captain!" Ritchie added.
"And Alexandra, everybody out there thinks you're some brand-new, untested Keeper. We know you've been trouncing your brothers for years. So show them what you've got, all right?"
"You got it," Alexandra said, clutching her broom with determination.
"Demelza, Graham," Ginny continued. "Just like we've run it a hundred times before. I give you the signal, Demelza starts the play, Graham and I take position. We've got some good stuff to work with, plays Slytherin haven't seen before. I'm willing to bet we get in at least five goals before they even know what's going on."
Her fellow Chasers nodded.
"Are you ready?" she asked the whole team.
"Ready!" they shouted back.
"How hard are you going to play?"
"Our hardest!"
"Who's going to win this match?"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Positions for kick-off!" Ginny shouted, running to join Madam Hooch and the Slytherin team captain, Vaisey. He was a whole head taller than her, but Ginny found she could glare straight at him and not even blink.
"Sure you're ready, Vaisey?" she asked, as they gripped hands.
"More than your ragtag bunch, Weasley," he sneered.
Ginny looked at the hulking boys behind Vaisey and allowed herself an inner smile. It was no secret that Slytherin always fielded brawn over brains, but luckily for Ginny, she wasn't planning on winning with brawn.
"We'll see about that," she said. Then the whistle sounded and they both shot into the air.
Ginny had to admit, it was gratifying being right. She'd bet her fellow Chasers they would get in five goals before Slytherin got a handle on their plays, and in fact they scored six times in a row before the opposing team finally got one in.
It was so good to be in the air. So good to be flying.
"Watch your left, Demelza!" Ginny yelled, and the other girl nodded gratefully after ducking the Bludger that had been on course for her. Then, almost as an afterthought, Demelza tossed the Quaffle to Ginny, who scored.
Soon they were up by 110 to 40, and Ginny was starting to think they could win the match even without the Snitch if they had to. Slytherin simply couldn't keep up with the complicated plays they were flying, and Ginny found herself chanting a silent mantra of thanks to Angelina's tips and Harry's encouragement and her own obsessive reading on Quidditch theory.
By the time the score reached 160 to 70, Ginny was starting to feel cocky - never a good idea, because in her distraction, a Bludger very nearly unseated her.
"Where were you, Coote!" she yelled, as the Beater zoomed up a couple seconds too late to be any help, and he actually blushed. Ginny made a mental note to apologise after the match. Well, maybe not apologise, since in fact he should have been there. But she could at least say something encouraging.
The score was 190 to 90 when Ginny - constantly scanning the pitch to keep an eye on all of her team - caught a blur of motion out of the corner of her eye. She turned and saw Matthias and the Slytherin Seeker both streaking toward the same point at the far end of the pitch.
Matthias had that intense focus she'd seen in him a few times, a kind of zone he entered during his very best practices. Nothing would distract him from his goal - at least, as long as nothing else got in his way. He was doing just what she'd told him to do, and ignoring everything else.
Which made him an easy target for a Bludger from Brick, one of the Slytherin Beaters.
It was a long shot, but then, Brick had a strong arm. Ginny was just about to yell out a warning to Matthias - Snitch be damned, he was no good to anybody if a Bludger took his head off - when Ritchie Coote swooped out of nowhere and knocked the Bludger halfway back across the pitch, just seconds before Matthias shouldered his way in front of the other Seeker and plucked the Snitch out of the air.
The Gryffindor stands erupted in cheers, and Ginny whooped along with them as she rocketed down to meet her team on the ground.
Matthias was already standing next to his broom, ruddy-cheeked and windblown and gazing dazedly at the golden sphere in his hand.
"You did it!" Ginny hollered at him, then pounced on him and gave the poor, confused boy a hug.
"Did I redeem myself, captain?" Ritchie asked, landing beside her with a big grin, so she hugged him too, then Demelza and Graham when they dropped down beside her, then Jimmy and Alexandra too.
"Come here," she said, pulling them into a tight circle. "You are brilliant players. You've won with hard work and teamwork and clever plays and I'm so proud of you. 340 to 90! Who says you're rookies now, huh?"
They were all grinning at her, and Ginny knew she was giving them the same delighted grin back. "Come on, you lot, I think this calls for a party of epic proportions. Go get changed and meet your adoring fans."
Ginny slapped Matthias on the back once more and turned, meaning to make her way to the locker rooms too, but then she saw Harry coming toward her, with Neville and Hermione behind him, and Luna too, and Ginny forgot everything else and ran to Harry, and he threw his arms around her and spun her around and she kissed him and there was nothing else in the world -
Until she pulled away and realised she was still surrounded by all of her team and most of her friends, and all of them were looking at her.
Ginny felt herself blush crimson - what was it about Harry that always made her forget everything else around her? - and fought the urge to go hide under a rock somewhere far away. Instead, she turned to the team, who were standing behind her and not doing a very good job of hiding their smiles.
"Team, for those of you who haven't met him, this is Harry. Harry, I'd like to present the champion Gryffindor team of 1998-1999."
"That was some incredible flying," said Harry, who was looking a little pink around the ears too, and failing to suppress a goofy, happy grin. "I've never even seen some of those plays, and I thought I knew pretty much everything."
"It's all Ginny," put in Demelza, who had flown in Harry's team two years before. "She comes up with the most unbelievable stuff."
"That only a very intelligent team could put into practice," Ginny concluded. "All right, come on you all, go get that party started!"
The rest of the team trotted off toward the locker rooms, and Hermione rather unsubtly urged Neville and Luna back toward the castle. Ginny turned back to Harry.
"You were amazing," he said. "I mean, I knew you were good, but - wow. Did you really just score 340 points against Slytherin in your very first match of the year?"
"Yeah, we did," Ginny said, her giddy grin returning. "And I think I just might keep doing it, since it does always seem to get me that reaction from you."
"What -" Then Harry let out a surprised laugh, and she saw he remembered their first kiss too. "Okay, yeah, you should definitely keep winning Quidditch matches." A little shyly, he slipped his hand into hers. "I guess you need to get up to Gryffindor Tower for the party, huh?"
"You're coming, aren't you?" Ginny asked.
"I - what? No, I don't think I'm allowed."
Ginny rolled her eyes at him. "Harry, what did I tell you about McGonagall letting you do whatever you want?"
But Harry looked uncomfortable. "I just don't think - I'm not sure -"
That was when she realised he probably hadn't been back inside the school building since the morning of the battle.
"Oh," she said. "You don't have to."
In her mind, Ginny flashed back to that morning, leaving her family in the Great Hall and climbing the stairs to the tower to find Harry, passed out asleep on his old bed. She'd just sat there next to him, too tired and cried out and numb to do much more than think, I finally have him back.
Then, in the months that followed, she'd found it wasn't quite that easy. Yes, she had Harry back, but it was taking them a long time to get back to where they'd once been effortlessly.
"I mean -" Harry said. "If it's important to you, obviously -"
"No," Ginny said at the same time. "That was silly of me, of course you don't have to -"
They both stopped and looked at each other.
"It's fine," Ginny said. "Really. It would be kind of weird of me anyway, right, to bring you along when this is supposed to be about the current team? And I'll see you - when will I see you?"
"Next Hogsmeade weekend?"
"There's one a couple weeks before the Christmas holidays," Ginny said. It seemed impossibly far away.
"I'll come then," Harry promised. "It was - I'm really glad I got to see you play. You're going to have an amazing season."
"Thanks," Ginny said. There were so many things she probably ought to say while she had the chance, but now she couldn't think what they were. "You're still coming for Christmas Day, right?"
"Of course. And you'll still come to mine during the holidays?"
Ginny thought of dreary, half-abandoned Grimmauld Place, but she said, "Of course."
"Oh!" said Harry. "I was supposed to tell you - Ron said he was sorry he couldn't come today, but they put him on the weekend shift."
"I wasn't expecting him to come with you," Ginny said. "I thought you'd want a chance just to talk to Hermione, and maybe Neville."
Now it was Harry's turn to roll his eyes. "Ginny, I wasn't talking to Hermione or Neville. I was watching you."
He looked around a little self-consciously at the dispersing crowd - probably catching sight of a professor or two as he did - but he stepped forward resolutely and gave Ginny a long kiss. "I'll see you in December, okay?" he whispered.
"Mm-hm," Ginny murmured back. "And in the meantime, just keep thinking of me winning at Quidditch."
She was gratified to see him blush again as she stepped back. She squeezed his hand. "See you in December."
He nodded, and she let go of his hand.
"Well," he said.
"Yeah," she said. "Okay."
He shrugged in a helpless sort of way, and grinned at her.
"I'm going to get changed," Ginny said.
"I guess I'll go find McGonagall and thank her for letting me come," Harry said.
It was starting to seem like neither of them would manage to walk away, so Ginny said, "Bye!" and then, "Thanks for coming."
And Harry said, "Of course!" and "Bye."
The party in the Gryffindor common room went well into the evening, and Ginny herself might have had a couple shots of the Firewhisky Seth Hathcoat had snuck in from the last Hogsmeade weekend, but she didn't feel drunk, just tired after a long day.
She slipped away toward the dormitory stairs, glad to see everyone having such a good time. Even Neville was away from his books for once and chatting earnestly with a dark-haired sixth-year girl. It was hard watching Neville retreat into himself again, after he'd been so strong last year…
Ginny told herself firmly to worry about Neville another time. Not tonight, when the world actually felt halfway right.
She pushed open the door to the seventh-year girls' dormitory and was surprised to see Hermione, once again on her bed with her knees drawn pensively to her chest.
"Hey," Ginny said. "Everything all right?"
Hermione looked up. "Oh, yes. Sorry, I didn't mean to ignore the party or anything. Just thinking a bit. You okay?"
"Yeah, just tired." Ginny crossed to the mirror and reached up to take her hair down from the messy ponytail she'd left it in after the match.
"I worry about this lack of inter-house unity," Hermione said suddenly.
"You what?"
"I just…I think it can't be good, is all. The way we keep pitting ourselves against each other. Using Quidditch and house points and things to fuel these old rivalries."
Ginny turned to look at Hermione incredulously.
"I know Gryffindor and Slytherin were on opposite sides of the war, more or less," Hermione continued. "But wasn't the whole point of the war not to have to be on opposite sides anymore?"
All of a sudden, Ginny felt white-hot rage boiling up inside her, all out of proportion to Hermione's comment. "No," she said flatly. "The point of the war was to kill the people who were trying to kill us."
"But all that came out of these prejudices," Hermione pressed on, oblivious. "The prejudices against Muggle-borns, and against other Creatures - but are we really any better, hating all Slytherins just on principle?"
Ginny turned to face Hermione, and she could almost feel the anger sparking off her skin. "I don't hate them on principle," she said. "I hate them because they and their families and people like them killed my brother."
Hermione looked stricken. "Ginny - I didn't mean -"
"No, you didn't, did you? It's all academic to you, isn't it? A nice logic puzzle."
"No, it's not!" Hermione stood up. "I want to make our world better! I don't want this whole thing to repeat in a generation or two, just because we messed up the reconciliation part!"
"Forgive me if I don't feel very conciliatory."
"But we have to try. Somebody has to take the first step. And maybe if we reach out, they will too."
"You're wrong," Ginny said. "You're an idiot if you think they'll ever change."
Hermione stared as Ginny turned and stalked back out of the room. Her anger carried her straight through the common room, out the portrait hole and all the way to the ground floor of the castle, though by the time she got there, she did recognise she'd been unfair.
She still thought Hermione was naïve, and had a lot of nerve telling her to make friends with little Death Eaters. But Hermione wasn't an idiot and Ginny shouldn't have called her one.
The thing was, Hermione and Ron and Harry had spent last year dealing more with the theory of the thing, the Horcruxes, the pieces of the puzzle. They hadn't been here and seen what it was like to live with the Carrows, to live with Death Eaters' children in charge.
Ginny pushed open a door that led out to the courtyard, stepping through and letting it swing shut behind her. She looked around blankly - and it took her a moment to realise she was looking at Neville. He was sitting on a low ledge to one side of the courtyard, wearing nothing warmer than a thick jumper, his chin rested thoughtfully on one fist.
"Hey," Ginny said, too surprised even to be properly surprised.
"Hey," Neville said.
"Can I join you?" she asked, going over to him.
He nodded and made space on the ledge.
"I thought you were still at the party," Ginny said.
Neville shrugged. "Guess I just didn't feel like it after a while." Then he hastened to add, "I mean, I'm happy you won! You played really well. And I did watch the match."
"I know, I saw you there," Ginny assured him. "And it's okay, I don't feel much like partying anymore either."
Neville nodded again, and they sat in silence for a bit. It was cold, but Ginny tried not to shiver. She didn't want to go back inside.
"I had a row with Hermione," she said suddenly. Neville turned to look at her, but didn't say anything. It was something she appreciated about Neville, the way he never seemed to judge. "Not even a row, really. Just…she said some things I thought were stupid, and I wasn't nice about it. I should apologise to her. Tomorrow."
Neville nodded, but didn't press her for details.
Ginny looked up at the dark sky. "You're not worried about getting caught outside so late?"
"Nah," Neville said. "It seems… I guess a lot of things don't worry me as much as they used to."
"Losing a few house points doesn't seem like quite such a big deal once you've faced the Carrows, you mean."
"Something like that," Neville agreed.
They sat a while longer, and now Ginny really was cold, but she just couldn't face going back to the tower until she was sure everyone else would be in bed. "You don't have to stay out here with me if you want to go back in," she said after a while.
"No, it's okay," Neville answered, and they sat a while longer still.
When Ginny finally went upstairs and crept into the dormitory where the others were already asleep, she thought surely she would be exhausted enough to sleep peacefully.
Instead, she found herself back in the Chamber of Secrets.
Tom Riddle smiled, and pointed to Hermione's lifeless body on the stone floor.
"No," Ginny whispered. She refused to cry.
Next to Hermione were Neville and Luna. Then Harry. Every member of Ginny's family, even Fleur, whom she still didn't particularly like. Everyone was there but Fred, who couldn't die a second time. Then there were other Gryffindors from Ginny's year. Colin Creevey's little brother Dennis. Even Draco Malfoy and the Slytherin team captain, Vaisey.
Ginny rounded on Riddle, forgetting even to be afraid. "What are they doing here?" she demanded.
"In death, you're all the same," he said carelessly, and for the rest of the night, he showed her dead bodies of people she knew.
When Ginny woke, the sky was barely beginning to grow grey. She could only have been in bed a few hours at most, but already sleep was retreating. Resigned, Ginny swung her legs out of bed.
She made her way down to the Great Hall, though it was still too early for breakfast. The Hall was nearly empty, but Ginny caught a glimpse of Luna's pale hair, bent over a book at the Ravenclaw table, and made her way over there.
"You're up early," Ginny said.
"Mm-hm," Luna agreed. She marked her place in her book with a nearby serviette and peered up. "You can sit here if you like, but there's no breakfast yet."
"That's okay," Ginny said, and slid onto the bench next to Luna. "What are you reading?"
"The biography of Phyllida Spore. She was a famous herbologist, but she was also Headmistress of Hogwarts, and she revolutionised a number things about the teaching of Herbology," Luna said. "Are you sad?"
It took Ginny several seconds to catch up to the last thing Luna had said.
"I…sort of," Ginny said. "Why…I mean, what makes you ask?"
"Why do you always ask me that?" Luna asked, almost impatiently. "It's not like it's hard to tell when a person is sad. What are you sad about?"
Ginny dropped her chin onto her hands. "Do you ever have nightmares?" she asked.
"I used to."
"Yeah?"
"After Mum died. I would go to sleep and see all kinds of awful things, you know, like the spell backfiring again and hitting her."
"I'm sorry, Luna," Ginny said. "How long did it last?"
"The nightmares? Oh, for years."
Ginny groaned and allowed her head to droop further toward the table.
"Are you having dreams about your brother?" Luna asked.
"No!" Ginny said, sitting back up. "If it were that, at least I'd get to see him again. I could have those few minutes of thinking he's still here."
Luna trailed a finger along the spine of her book. "It would be nice to see Mum again," she agreed, sounding a little wistful.
"Instead I've been having these dreams - oh, it sounds stupid to even say it -"
"Dreams aren't stupid," Luna countered. "There's always some sort of message."
"Then I sure wish I weren't dreaming all the time about Voldemort," Ginny spat out. She hated even having to say his name.
"Voldemort, really?"
"All the time," Ginny said. "Except not him, you know, like we saw him, when he was here. It's always that young memory of him that came out of his diary when he made me open the Chamber of Secrets, first year. I hate it, I hate that he could control me then, and I hate that he's still in my head now, and I just want him to go away, which he should, because he's DEAD, isn't he?"
Ginny realised she was nearly shouting, and that the few other students scattered around the Great Hall had turned to look at her. She sank back down again next to Luna, who had continued to simply look at her, without the least bit of alarm.
"Uh, sorry," Ginny said, trying to look very interested in the wooden surface of the table in front of her.
"That sounds awful," Luna said sympathetically. "Who have you told about it?"
"No one, really. Just you, right now."
"But I don't know how to help you."
"It's enough just that you're willing to listen to me," Ginny said. "I feel like a real git lately, flying off the handle at people."
"I don't think you're a git."
"Thanks, Luna," Ginny said, and to her surprise, that actually made her feel a little better.
Students were starting to trickle into the Hall, and the first covered breakfast dishes were popping into sight along the tables. Ginny spotted Hermione coming in through the main doors.
"Luna, I'd better go," Ginny said. "I just saw Hermione come in and I kind of owe her an apology."
"Say hi to her from me!" Luna said cheerily, as if Hermione were in another country and not two tables over.
Ginny threaded her way through the growing throng of students arriving for breakfast, and dropped onto the bench next to Hermione.
"Hey," she said.
"Hello," Hermione said, frostily. Ginny had to admit, Hermione did a really good cold shoulder.
"I'm sorry," Ginny said. "I shouldn't have called you an idiot last night, because you aren't one."
Hermione looked like she very much wanted to make a snappy retort, but managed to tamp it down. "No," she agreed.
"So, anyway, I'm sorry."
Hermione nodded, and Ginny figured that was all she was going to get for now. Also, she needed to think fast, because she hadn't had breakfast yet, but there was no way she was going to survive an entire meal in Arctic silence next to Hermione.
"Oh, there's Neville!" Ginny said, glad to have a convenient excuse, as she saw him taking a seat at the other end of the table. "I've got to talk to him. I'll see you later, okay?" She pushed herself up from the bench without waiting to see if Hermione would actually deign to answer.
( continue to CHAPTER 3)