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Author: KEDme Story: Ginny Weasley and the Goblet of Fire Rating: Young Teens Setting: Pre-DH Status: WIP Reviews: 16 Words: 59,242
Disclaimer: Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J.K.R. Note the opinions in this story are my own and in no way represent the owners of this site. This story subject to copyright law under transformative use. No compensation is made for this work. *** "I can't believe the two of you are going to be gone all year," Hermione sniffed. It was the morning of October twenty-ninth and the delegation was preparing to leave Hogwarts. All fifteen members of the delegation plus Harry had gathered in the Entrance Hall outside the Great Hall to say goodbye to their friends before the troop left for Beauxbaton. Ron, Hermione, Charlie, Amanda, Remus, and Tonks had all come to wish them well and send them off. "I can't believe I'm going to be stuck here all year without you, mate," Ron added, slapping Harry soundly on the back in a manly fashion. "Really, Ron," Hermione said, exasperated, "it's not as if you'll be in prison. They way you've been going on the last month, it's like you think being here at Hogwarts with me is going to be the end of the world." "Face it, Hermione," Ginny put in as only a little sister can. "Ron is worried he'll actually come to like the thrill of the academic's life. He may even give up his dream of being an Auror to join the Department of Research and New Spell Development. It may even become his lifelong obsession to find a spell to combat the laziness that has plagued him his whole, pitiful life. And to think… it was all because we left him here alone with you at Hogwarts for an entire year." She pulled a mockingly sad face and tweaked his cheek just like Grandma Prewett used to do – an action guaranteed to drive him mad. "Geroff me, Ginny," Ron growled, ducking away. "It won't be so bad, Ron," Charlie said, trying to console him. "I was thinking that maybe we might owl Bill and Fleur. The Weasleys may need a nice vacation in the South of France. How about it, Harry… Ginny? Would you mind a horde of redheads – along with Amanda and Hermione, of course – descending on your Mediterranean getaway?" Ginny's face lit up. "I'd love to have a visit for the holidays." "But bring your dress robes," Harry reminded them. "There will be the Yule Ball, remember?" Ron's face paled, but Hermione's face lit up. "Ooo, that sounds like fun! I haven't dressed up in such a long time." "Yeah," Ron frowned, "loads of fun… Thanks, Harry, for that lovely suggestion. I'll get right on it." Remus stepped up and shook Harry's hand firmly. "Take care of yourself," he said in a fatherly way. "Try to stay out of trouble." "Now, Remus," Tonks laughed, playfully slapping him on the chest. "Leave the kiddies some room for fun." She leaned in and kissed Harry on the cheek. "Get in trouble all you want, Harry. Soak up the sun and frolic in the ocean. Find loads of new places to snog your girlfriend silly, and howl at the moon once in awhile. But do us a favour and stay safe. Our baby needs his godfather whole and healthy, and I'd hate to have to come to Beauxbatons to kick your arse if you get yourself into trouble." Harry grinned, noticing Remus discreetly reach up and start digging at a spot behind his ear. "I'll try, Tonks." Turning to Remus he said, "Take care of them, and try not to scratch all your hair off at once, Moony, alright? Save some for after the baby is born." Remus turned beet red and stopped his digging, but seemed to have to forcibly restrain himself from making a move back to the spot behind his ear. "Funny, Harry," he mumbled. "Cheeky brut, aren't you?" He grinned good-naturedly. "More and more like your father every day, you are." "Time ter go!" Hagrid's voice rang out through the Entrance Hall cutting off Remus's reminiscing. "The 'ogwart's Express is leavin' in thirty minutes! All delegates ter the carriages, and mind the Thestrals… they don' like the mornin' sun none, so they might be a bit skittish." "It looks like we're off," Ginny said sadly, giving one last round of hugs to everyone. Harry shook the men's hands firmly and accepted kisses on the cheek from the women. Together they levitated their trunks and other belongings and made their way to the waiting carriages. Ginny couldn't help looking back as they boarded, nostalgia suddenly taking a firm hold. "Will this be the last time we see it, Harry?" she asked, feeling very sad all of a sudden. He looked back at the looming castle, apparently feeling the seriousness of the moment, too. "No," he said thoughtfully. "I don't think it will be. No matter where we go from here, Ginny, Hogwarts will always be a part of our lives. It's just time to turn the page and start a new chapter." Ginny nodded tearfully and scooted in to make room for him and two other students, a boy and a girl, both from Hufflepuff. The Thestrals stamped their feet impatiently and snorted when it was time to move. Ginny watched the two nearest her toss their heads and adjust their wings regally. "They really are beautiful," she commented softly, watching them in fascination. Harry followed her gaze but didn't comment, his face pensive. She had the feeling he was thinking of more than just the ghostly horses as they stamped their feet impatiently and then moved forward as a unit, pulling them away from their friends and family. The occupants of the carriage rode in silence for awhile, watching the disappearing landscape fall away behind them. "It's exciting, isn't it?" the girl across from them said in a congenial tone. She was petite with pretty, shoulder-length black hair that appeared naturally curly. She extended a graceful hand to Ginny with a smile. "I'm Lindsay and this is Grant." Her companion waved amiably. He was tall and lanky, handsome, with dark brown hair that curled up at the ends. Ginny wondered if they were a couple. If so, their children were likely to be stuck with naturally curly, unruly hair. Ginny shook their hands and smiled warmly. "I'm Ginny and this is Harry." Harry looked up startled. "Er... nice to meet you," he mumbled. "I know who you are," Lindsay said, her face turning slightly pink when Harry touched her hand. Ginny didn't know whether to be amused or annoyed. "Everyone knows who you are," she told them. "My family is grateful for everything you did to save us from… well, you know." Harry nodded uncomfortably but his eyes narrowed in slight annoyance. "Yeah, I do know. You mean Voldemort, I assume?" Ginny dug her elbow in his ribs and whispered, "Be nice." Lindsay had turned a deep red and averted her eyes in pure mortification. "Sorry," he apologized, sounding sincere and looking justifiably ashamed. "I suppose I'm a bit tetchy today. I just believe that people shouldn't be afraid to say his name, you know? I mean, he is dead." Lindsay nodded. "I'll try to remember that in future. I grew up fearing him and it's hard to believe..." She swallowed. "But I'll try." Ginny smiled encouragingly and Harry nodded his acceptance, changing the subject by asking Grant, "So, er... do you follow Quidditch?" The other boy looked slightly startled, but pleased at being addressed directly by Harry. The two of them picked up a conversation about England's prospects of making it to the next World Cup. "I'm sorry," Ginny said quietly to the Hufflepuff girl. "He doesn't like to be made over, you know. The whole idea of being a hero makes him uncomfortable." The other girl's eyes widened in horror, probably fearful she had offended him. "I didn't know," she told Ginny in a sincere voice. Ginny waved it off, checking to make sure Harry was still occupied with his favourite subject. "It's okay, really," she told Lindsay, whom she was beginning to warm up to. "He just doesn't feel like he deserves it. Everyone suffered at the hands of that monster, especially Harry. We all just did what we had to do in order to survive." "I understand," Lindsay said seriously. "My parents took my brother and me to my Muggle grandparents' house in the country. We stopped using magic for a whole year, and the only contact we had from the Magical World was through letters that the Muggle postman delivered. My Great-Aunt worked for the Department of Muggle Relations and she refused to leave her job, even after a co-worker was murdered by Death Eaters. She kept us informed of everything going on – at least until they got her too. She was attacked outside the Ministry on her way home from work one evening." Her voice took on a pained expression and Ginny was aware that the boys had grown silent and were listening to Lindsay's story. Grant reached up and squeezed the girl's fingers gently in a show of support. "After that, we just tried to watch the Muggle news for clues about what was going on. My father eventually got tired of hiding. I… I think sitting around and doing nothing was driving him mad. He left to join the resistance about six months before the war ended." "The Order of the Phoenix?" Harry asked quietly. Lindsay nodded. "I think so. He said he'd rather die fighting than hiding like a coward. He said he was going to reconnect with an old friend who he suspected was a resistance fighter. We never saw him again." "What was your father's name?" Harry asked. "George Sparks," Lindsay answered proudly. "I remember him!" Ginny exclaimed. "He came into headquarters once or twice with Bill. I don't remember what happened to him, though." "We were told he died while on a secret mission to gather information," Lindsay explained. "Whatever he was doing, he was helping to save lives. A few weeks after that, the war ended." "He died," Harry said with difficulty, "while serving as lookout for an operation to get the plans for one of Voldemort's secret hiding places. He was ambushed by two Death Eaters named Macnair and Mockridge, but not before we managed to get our agent out of there with the blueprints. The distraction saved a lot of lives and put the pieces in motion to end the war. He was a hero and a good man." "You… you were there, then," Lindsay said, the tears threatening to fall. Harry nodded but didn't elaborate any further. Ginny knew that both Harry and Ron had been on that mission, along with most of her brothers and her father. It had been a big mission – the goal to break into the Department of Housing and Building Regulations to steal the plans archived there for the Strong House. They had all come back to headquarters, tired and sad, but elated that the mission had been successful, although now that she thought about it she did recall talk of losing someone that night. "My brother joined the resistance, too," Grant said proudly, joining in the conversation. "If I hadn't been underage at the time, I would have gone with him." "What's your brother's name?" Ginny asked, wondering if she knew him. There had been many people in and out of Headquarters over the years she had lived there. "Gavin," he answered. "Gavin Tull. He ended up working in a shop on Knockturn Alley as a spy and passing on information to another guy… Mundungus something or other." "Mundungus Fletcher," Harry clarified, his voice even and void of emotion. "He died during the raid on the Strong House." Ginny knew it had been a bit more than that. Dung had been brutally murdered by Rodolphus Lestrange, who had then taunted Harry with the locket – Voldemort's last Horcrux. No one even knew Dung had it in his possession. Destroying the locket had paved the way for Harry to finally finish off Voldemort by making him mortal and as vulnerable as any other creature to death. Harry had killed Lestrange after struggling with him over the locket, an act that Ginny knew still bothered him. The carriages pulled up to the train station and stopped. Ginny climbed out first, followed by Harry, happy to leave the difficult conversation behind. She hoped that there wouldn't be many more of them, but one glance around told her that it wasn't likely. Almost everyone these days had a story to tell. Everyone, it seemed, had known someone who had died during Voldemort's war, or had a relative who had fought against him. Since it was common knowledge that she and Harry were in the thick of it, Ginny knew they were likely to hear more of these testimonials. Her attention was drawn to the train sitting majestically on the tracks. The Hogwarts Express had never looked shinier; the red engine seemed to have been freshly painted and the cars were all bright and gleaming. "Is this what we're taking all the way to Beauxbatons?" Harry asked curiously, setting their trunks down lightly on the platform. "Didn't anyone tell you?" she asked in surprise. "Tell me what?" Her eyes twinkled as she nodded towards the train. "The Hogwarts Express will be our home away from home for the next eight months, Harry. This is where we'll be living."
[A/N: Thanks to Arnel for her excellent beta services, even when I ask her to replace chapters on a moment's notice to correct a few things we missed first time around or beta first drafts that I end up changing completely, only to have to turn around and do it again. I do appreciate you!]
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