MetaFic

“I can’t believe you actually gave them that idea,” Hermione huffed.

Ginny gave an annoyed groan. This girl never gave up! “They made some stupid remark about me sending a Valentine to Lockhart. I thought the answer was appropriate.”

“Well… ” Hermione blushed. She shook her head and started over. “But still, Fred and George are obsessed with seeing how a Quick-Quotes Quill reacts to various animals. They spent over an hour yesterday trying to make Trevor croak while sitting next to the Quill and a piece of parchment!”

Ginny stifled a snort. “You’re having me on!” Sitting across the library table from Ginny, Hermione merely raised her eyebrows. “You’re not, are you?” Ginny finished seriously.

Her curiosity piqued, Ginny asked, “Are they having any success?”

“No!” Hermione replied indignantly. “Honestly, Ginny!” she huffed again. “So far they’ve tried two owls, three cats, Trevor and a Bowtruckle. All the creatures just sat there silent.”

Ginny giggled quietly. “That’s just too funny.”

“No, it’s not. I need them to help me search for some books in the Restricted Section.”

“Okaay…” Ginny drawled. “Now you’ve got my attention.”

“Oh, well, uh…” Hermione suddenly became flustered. “It’s an extra project I’m researching for our ah… our Defence class.”

“Extra project?” Ginny asked sharply. “I know you’ve got this sort of creepy crush on Lockhart, but why would you do any extra work for his class? He won’t count it.”

“Yes, well, this isn’t really for Professor Lockhart’s class. At least not directly,” the older girl stammered in reply. Hermione abruptly stood and hurried off through the gate to the Restricted Section.

This confused Ginny. What's up with Hermione? She went from chatty to aloof at the drop of a hat. Was it me? Ginny wondered. Could Hermione see the Darkness about me, too? Ginny shook off the cold feeling. I’m not Dark, I’m not Dark, I’m not Dark, she repeated to herself desperately. Taking a deep breath she remembered the sincerity in those brilliant green eyes. I’m not Dark, she thought again.

She looked at the roll of parchment before her. She only needed to write the summary paragraph for Lockhart’s latest ego-stroke, also known as a class essay, and she would be finished with her Defence assignment. Since breakfast that morning, Ginny had pondered asking Hermione about translation books that might be in the library. After telling Helga about her day the previous evening, the diary had suggested she protect any further entries with a special phrase only she knew. Ginny had wanted to write longer, but Helga had told her that a growing young lady needed a proper night’s rest, and at 9:30 pm she had firmly told Ginny goodnight and stopped writing back. Although highly annoyed at the time, in the light of day Ginny smiled slightly remembering Helga’s motherly, but firm, tone.

While at breakfast this morning Ginny’s password phrase came to her. It was Harry, actually, who had inspired it. Her ‘magical signature’ was gold, so she decided to use “Ginevra the Gold.” But that was really boring so she wanted to write it in a way that sounded mysterious, romantic, and maybe even a bit sexy. She blushed slightly at the last thought but did not back away from her goal. “Ginevra” was Italian for “Guinevere,” so why not use an Italian phrase?

Unfortunately, Ginny did not speak Italian and did not know of anyone who could. How would she translate it? Hermione probably knew where to find a translation book in the Library. In the end, however, Ginny decided Hermione would ask too many questions. At breakfast Ginny had successfully deflected Hermione’s curiosity over the Saturday detention by asking her about space. Although Hermione did not have any books on space flight with her, she talked non-stop about space capsules, moon races and orbital shuttles. Ginny finally had to scribble notes to help her remember it all. She knew her dad would be thrilled to learn about this.

With Hermione busy in the Restricted Section, Ginny urgently looked for a translation book. There were none in the “T” or “I” sections of the book shelves. She could ask the librarian, but that bitter crone Pince was her source of last resort. Just as she resigned herself to a long search through the card catalogue, Ginny saw Luna Lovegood. Her friend was sitting alone, apparently ignored by the other students in the library. Ginny felt a flash of annoyance. Sure, Luna was sort of different but she was also very nice and quite smart. Okay, her long uncombed hair - in pig-tails tied with huge blue and silver bows - and the large Gurdyroot on a stand in front of her were probably off-putting to some people. But still…

The idea hit Ginny like a Bludger. Luna would know where translation books were kept!

Luna was completely absorbed in writing on the parchment before her so Ginny sat next to her and waited for an acknowledgment. Finishing her writing with a firm nod of the head, the girl raised her head and turned to look at Ginny. Her vague stare focused on Ginny and she gave her a happy smile.

Luna looked Ginny over, leaned in, and whispered, “There’s something different about you today. I can see the fireflies are back and dancing again.”

Ginny giggled and whispered back, “I guess that’s a good thing?”

Luna’s expression became unnervingly serious. “Since Mum died, they only danced when you were around but they stopped when you came here. I asked Professor Flitwick about that and he told me the castle’s wards were probably keeping them out. He said he’d work on the wards but couldn’t promise any success. It did take a while, obviously, but he did it. I’ll have to thank him later today!”

“Give him my thanks, too. All right?”

“Oh, yes,” Luna nodded fervently. “I’ve been so worried for you. The fireflies only hear the music from the pure of heart and I was afraid something had happened to you. Either that or a Cumbrian Filphiant had exhaled on you. I heard one off the path to the boats we took to cross the lake.”

Ginny looked at her with wide eyes. “Was there something wrong with me? Something Dark?”

“I don’t know,” Luna answered, shaking her head. “But if the fireflies are so happy I can’t see how there is anything Dark with you. The fireflies don’t like Darkness, you know,” she added seriously.

“We see them after the sun goes down. That’s when they light up.”

“But they aren’t strong enough to hold back the Dark, no matter how hard they try. Mum was strong enough to hold back the Dark. That’s why they danced for her,” she said wistfully. Then her expression brightened to one of earnest enthusiasm. “That’s why they dance for you.”

“Well, that’s good to know. Are you sure?” Ginny asked for reassurance. I’m not Dark, she began to repeat in her mind again.

Luna cocked her head to one side. “You’re not Dark,” she told Ginny, as if she had read her mind. “The fireflies aren’t strong enough to dance with Darkness. It frightens them.”

“Oh,” Ginny said, nonplussed. “Well, I’m glad they’re here now, to dance. You deserve them dancing. I’ll try to stay closer to you, if that’s all right?”

Luna nodded emphatically and whispered, “I would like that.”

“Luna, do you, perhaps, know where I can find a translation book?” Ginny asked tentatively.

Luna cocked her head to the other side. “Why don’t you just walk? You already know how to do that.”

Ginny blinked in confusion. “Er… I need to find out how to write something in Italian. I don’t know where there are books for that. Do you?”

“Oh,” Luna replied brightly. “I thought you wanted to Apparate to a different spot. That’s a translation you know.”

“I didn’t know that,” Ginny replied honestly.

“That’s how the Crumple-horned Snorkack migrate, since they can’t Apparate.”

Ginny giggled and smiled at Luna. Part of the fun of being her friend was not knowing when Luna was serious or joking. Feeling that things were right with the world again, Ginny gave a satisfied sigh.

Luna looked about the library with another vague, wide-eyed stare. Focusing again on Ginny, she smiled and whispered, “Of course! If you’ll just follow me, I know where there’s a language translation book.”

On a podium at the far corner of the library’s checkout counter was an odd looking book. It seemed quite thick, with a page folded out from the back end plate. The centre of the leather cover looked smooth and shiny, as if rubbed for a long time by a leather smith.

Luna approach Madam Pince and asked for “the Translation Quill”. The old crone gave Luna a thorough once-over and then scowled at Ginny for several seconds.

The Librarian finally produced a raven’s feather quill and, with another scowl, handed it to Luna. Apparently they had both passed whatever Pince was looking for. Ginny frowned, thinking, With her it probably wasn’t so much that we passed as she couldn’t find a reason to fail us.

“This is the Babel Codex,” Luna told her. “But that name is so formal,” she added with a sigh. “The book told me it preferred a different name, something less stuffy. So I call it ‘The Babbling Book’.”

Ginny paled at this and stammered, “The book, this book… it talks to you?”

“Not really,” replied Luna airily. “I just get a feeling from the magic about it; that it doesn’t like stuffy propriety. This belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw, and she left it for use by the students. Place your hand on the cover and tell the book what language you wish to use.”

Ginny looked at her friend. Luna was not one to play pranks, but you could never tell. Tentatively Ginny put her right hand on the smooth centre and said, “Italian.” The book seemed to vibrate slightly. “Now what am I supposed to do?” Ginny asked Luna.

“Take this quill and write the word or phrase you want to translate. Last autumn I asked for a translation of ‘Giant Squid’ into Mermish. I have no idea how to pronounce the answer, but it did give me one!”

She held the quill and looked at her friend. Only Luna would try to call out to the squid in Mermish. And now her friend was staring absently about the library, humming a tune that made no sense to Ginny. She looked down at the extended page and wrote “Ginevra the Gold.” The inkless quill left a trail of ink across the page, matching Ginny’s careful flowing script. She was relieved to see that the ink did not disappear. Her chosen phrase probably did not use good grammar. She grimaced, remembering Nicolas Flamel’s admonition from the other day. Would the book even translate something that wasn’t proper grammar? Ginny wondered.

After a moment words appeared in the same script as her own. “Ginevra l’Oro,” they read. Ginny stared at the words for a moment. She wondered what Helga would say about her password. She quietly spoke the phrase, trying out the words and listening to their sound. Ginny wrote the phrase on a scrap of parchment and thanked Luna for her help. As she looked for a Gryffindor prefect to escort her back to the tower, Ginny marvelled that what sounded so stupid in English was now quite romantic. She smiled softly: it was funny what another language could do to even the most boring of phrases.

Gingerly sitting in one of Dumbledore’s cushier chairs, Sirius wryly noted that he had not been summoned to the Headmaster’s office twice within in one week since spring of his seventh year. That last Quidditch match against Slytherin, he smirked. Although all the Marauders had been involved in the “Rubber Utensils” prank at the Slytherin table, the “Vanished Slytherin Quidditch Uniforms” prank was his alone. That had brought the match to a halt in a riotous explosion of whistling, cheers and catcalls for almost an hour while Slughorn and Tarmigin, the flying instructor, found replacement uniforms. Oddly, Sirius had managed something that was not one of the seven hundred official fouls. Neither old Slughorn nor Minerva had been particularly impressed with that feat of magic. James had not talked to him for the rest of the day, livid that Sirius could have caused a Gryffindor forfeit. Lily, on the other hand, had thought it was a grand gesture.

This meeting with Dumbledore was ostensibly to discuss how to get Miss Weasley - Sirius winced as a sharp pain once again sparked against his bum - Ginny a new wand. However, Sirius also wanted to report that his sources in Central Europe were alert for signs that Voldemort had departed the area. It was still too early to hear anything back, but he wanted the Headmaster to know what was occurring on the ground there.

Remus stepped through the Floo and sat next to him. Both men waited in silence for Dumbledore to arrive. Sirius sighed impatiently and began to fidget, bouncing his feet carefully on the carpet so as not to disturb his back-side. After what seemed like hours Albus walked through the door with Minerva following him.

Sirius spoke without preamble. “Albus, I’ve placed feelers for news of dark creature behaviour changes with all my contacts in Europe. They may not be as official as your contacts, but they won’t have the, um, political filtering, either.”

“Thank you, Sirius,” the old wizard replied. “Official or not, we need information as soon as possible.” He paused, removing his glasses to wearily rub his eyes. “If this truly is Voldemort projecting himself through this diary, we have no alternative but to destroy it immediately.”

Minerva leaned forward in her seat. “Albus, what about the girl? I thought we agreed: to destroy the diary without understanding the possession mechanism places her in grave danger. A student death, after these petrifactions, and the Board and Ministry will surely shut down this school! Is that what you want?”

The Headmaster looked at Minerva for several seconds and then said, “Would you prefer Voldemort to return? How many deaths would that cause? I understand your concern, Minerva. However, a Muggle tyrant once said, ‘A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths but a mere statistic.’ If forced to choose between a tragedy and a statistic, what would your decision be?” Albus finished gravely.

Minerva sat back in her seat, silent and pale.

“Okay, this is a cheerful topic,” said Sirius. “Before we start planning Ginny Weasley’s funeral, let’s make damn sure the other options are exhausted. Now, I believe the reason for our gathering is to decide how Ginny can get a new wand. I can’t just up and buy her one. First off, the Weasleys won’t accept charity. Second, why should I, out of nowhere, buy this first-year a wand? Remus, Harry, and I talked about this last night.” Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at this. “Harry’s idea, which I think has merit, is why not make it a reward? Remus and I batted that idea about and decided it’s time for you to take inputs for the new Black Advancement in Scholastics Fund.”

“I beg your pardon?” asked a puzzled Dumbledore.

Sirius laughed. “BASF; we don’t make the students, we just make the students better!”

“I’m sorry, but you have lost me completely,” Dumbledore said, frowning slightly.

Sirius heaved a disappointed sigh. “BASF? It’s a Muggle technology company I own stock in. That line is from one of their adverts.”

“And your point?” asked Dumbledore, now sounding annoyed.

“My BASF is a twenty-five Galleon award to a first-year from each House who shows the most academic improvement since the return to classes after the winter hols. Minerva, you will select Ginny. Has she improved her course work since we got her away from that damn book?”

McGonagall narrowed her eyes at his word choice. “She has, although I don’t see how that gets her a new wand.”

Sirius began to smile. “The purpose for the scholarship award is for the selected students to purchase items they think they need to continue their improvement. I’ll pay to have a plaque erected in the Trophy Room that lists, by house, the names of each year’s winners. I’ll also throw in a medallion as a personal award for each student. Do you think the Weasleys will turn down an academic award?”

Minerva raised an eyebrow. “No, but that still doesn’t -”

“Minerva,” interrupted Remus, “we’ll tell Ginny to purchase a new wand first. Any money left over can go to other things she and her family think she needs. Books, supplies, whatever.”

“Make the announcement this afternoon at your faculty meeting, Albus. Give the Heads of House until Tuesday evening to present you with a name. We can have the selected students use their scholarship award this Saturday. To sweeten the pot, I will even accompany each selected student and their family to Diagon Alley.” Sirius gave a dazzling smile that rivalled Lockhart’s best.

Dumbledore gave another puzzled frown. “Why would you do that? There is a high likelihood of your appearance becoming a media madhouse.”

“I can have my public relations office guarantee it! What this will do is allow me to meet Ginny officially. Molly’s a cousin, more or less, anyway. So, what the heck.” Sirius looked to Remus and rubbed his backside again.

“What would be the purpose behind that?” Minerva asked.

“What Sirius means to say is Ginny suffered a number of shocks in the past two weeks and she has dealt with them alone,” said Remus. “If Sirius had an excuse to know her, we could check on her between detention periods without too many questions asked.”

Dumbledore paused, apparently weighing this information. “You will have to continue this award, you know. It would be quite suspicious to have it for one year and then stop.”

“Of course I’ll continue it, Albus,” replied Sirius. “Not only is it a way to get Ginny a wand, it’s a brilliant idea full stop! I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner!”

“Perhaps it’s because you’re a conceited arse, Padfoot,” said Remus drolly.

Sirius barked a laugh and responded, “Moony, my arse is many things, but after last night conceited isn’t one of them.”

“You really must watch your language, the both of you!” McGonagall muttered in exasperation.

Sitting at lunch on Monday, Ginny was amazed at the excitement created by the Headmaster’s announcement the previous evening. Even the prefects with whom she sat were interested. Ginny idly wondered if this had anything to do with Harry’s idea of getting her a new wand. Professor Dumbledore had said a first-year from each House would be selected. She did not see how that might include her. Granted, her passion for learning had returned, but surely she would not be selected for an award while on restriction, would she?

The Kates had talked of nothing else since the announcement the previous night.

“Why is a twenty-five Galleon award was so important?” Vivien curiously asked the Kates. “The way you talk that doesn’t seem like a lot of money to you.”

“It’s not the money!” Raven-haired Kate exclaimed.

It’s the chance to meet -” Brunette Kate said.

“Sirius Black!” they squealed in unison. When Vivien did not react they sneered at her.

“Obviously a Muggle-born like you wouldn’t appreciate the honour,” Brunette Kate drawled. “He’s only the richest and most handsome bachelor wizard in the whole world!”

That caught Vivien’s interest. “Do you have a picture of him?” she asked.

“Here’s this week’s Witch Weekly. That’s him on the cover. Again!” Raven-haired Kate sighed. She negligently tossed the magazine at Vivien.

Vivien stared at the cover and then flipped through the pages to the ICW feast article. She finally looked up. “Wow!” she said, in an awed tone, “He’s gorgeous.”

“Can I look?” Ginny timidly asked. Despite seeing Sirius before he had Flooed to the feast, she was curious to see his photographs. The thought of his presence next to her the other night caused her face to grow warm.

Raven-haired Kate looked at Ginny and scoffed, “Oh please. As if he’d give a measly hellcat like you the time of day.”

“That was uncalled for,” cautioned Vivien.

“You have no idea, do you?” Brunette Kate laughed. “The Blacks are among the most respected of the pure-blood families. Let’s just say the Weasleys are as far removed from that as possible.” Both Kates looked at Ginny’s growing blush and laughed.

“That was very unkind. You two are too much, you know that?” Vivien said primly. “Come on, Ginny; I think its better that we revise in the common room.”

“That’s exactly where someone like Weasley belongs; the common room!” Brunette Kate snorted.

Vivien stared at the Kates, shook her head, and left with her study materials. Ginny felt grateful for Vivien’s defence of her. She gathered up her books and followed Vivien out the door. As she closed the door she heard the two girls huff, “Mudblood,” and, “Blood-traitor.”

Ginny wrote to Helga about the whole episode later that night.

It truly pains me to see Salazar’s ignorance alive in Gryffindor’s House. However, you cannot expect everyone to be completely good or completely bad.

What about Tom? Ginny wrote back.

From what you described he is a special case and tonight is not the time to talk of him. You must learn to rise above the petty ignorance of others about you. Become a beacon of light wherever you go.

Ginny sighed to herself. After a moment’s reflection she replied: I don’t know if I can do that, Helga. It’s very hard to ignore the Kates’ comment about Vivien.

It takes a brave person to do that, Helga wrote in response. Perhaps that is a reason you were chosen to be one of Godric’s children. We will talk more on this topic later; you cannot stop this injustice tonight. Off to sleep with you then. You don’t want a certain boy to see you looking tired.

Ginny placed her diary under her pillow and lay back against it, mentally repeating I’m not Dark, until she fell asleep.

Ginny sprinted to the Gryffindor tower and rushed through a shower. She had laid out her best robes, with a clean change of clothing, ahead of time. To save more time, she quickly combed out her hair and wore it in a pony tail rather than brushing it all out smoothly. This Tuesday she was determined to neither smell like dragon dung nor be late to Professor Dumbledore’s office. She still enunciated her Floo destination clearly, just to make sure, and stepped into the Marauder tower’s lounge to see a rather pensive Harry and a faintly smirking Remus.

Ginny glanced between the two of them with a frown. “Did I miss something?” she asked, “I’m not here too early, am I?”

“Not at all, Ginny,” Remus chuckled. “If anything I’d say your timing is impeccable; another few minutes and Harry might have paced a hole in the rug.” Harry shot the older man a betrayed look.

“Oh,” Ginny replied, nonplussed. After another moment she said, “I guess that’s good, then. What did you want me to do here tonight, Remus?”

“We thought you should be introduced to training under my Theory of Magic. Your grasp -”

“We?” Ginny interrupted and looked expectantly at Harry. He blushed and shook his head.

“We, as in Professor Dumbledore, Sirius and myself,” Remus explained. “I want to begin with a simple exercise for magical control.” He pointed to a crystal sphere sitting on the low table in front of the sofa. Ginny wondered if it was some sort of decoration. She bent over and peered at it closely.

“What am I supposed to do with that?” she asked.

“I want you to do the Levitation Charm again. You seemed comfortable with it Saturday.”

Ginny stood and reached for her wand, but Remus told her, “You are not going to need your wand for this. I want you to hold the sphere in both hands and say the incantation.”

Ginny again looked at Harry. He wore an expectant expression and smiled at her. “Give it a go, Ginny. This is how I first learned to control magic.”

She was not sure what to expect when she grabbed the sphere. She hesitantly reached down with both hands and lifted it off the table. It filled her cupped hands and felt lighter than she had expected. Standing in front of Remus she asked, “Do I invoke the Charm now?”

“Whenever you’re ready, Ginny. Take your time if you want,” he replied.

“Is it supposed to feel warm? I mean it didn’t when I picked it up, but now it does.” Ginny said.

Remus looked pleased. “It will feel warm after a while, yes.”

Ginny closed her eyes and concentrated on the warm sphere in her hands. She thought about floating a feather and called out, “Wingardium Leviosa.” She was not sure what to expect by saying this. Perhaps this thing was going to float before her, or something. Perhaps not. She could feel the warmth of the sphere in her hands. Opening her eyes she saw a light blue glow from within the sphere.

“What is this?” she asked warily. “What have I done to do this?”

“You have done magic,” Remus told her. “This is a magical training orb. Holding it in your hands connects it to the conduits in your palms. The blue glow represents Control type magic. You control the object being levitated. Congratulations, Ginny. You’ve done magic,” Remus repeated, smiling. Harry, too, was looking quite pleased with her.

“What… what do I do now?” Ginny asked warily. “How do I stop this thing from glowing? Will it get hot enough to burn me?”

“Does it feel hot?” Harry asked with concern.

“No, but it’s warmer than when I picked it up.”

“Oh,” Harry responded, sounding relieved. “Yeah, the orb does that when you use it. It never got close to uncomfortable for me.”

“Um… Right. So how do I stop this, or turn it off, or whatever?”

“Are you ready for this?” grinned Harry. “You say… Finite.”

“Finite,” Ginny promptly repeated and giggled a bit as the blue glow quickly faded and the sphere was clear again.

“Would you like to try some other spells?” Harry asked her.

Ginny could not help but smile. “I’d love to! What else can I do with this?”

For the next hour she followed Remus’ and Harry’s instructions on how to display other types of magic within the sphere. Ginny learned that getting the orb to glow took considerable concentration for spells she did not know well. Invoking the spell to transfigure a match brought a red glow, which Remus told her indicated Change type magic. She thought it odd that her stinging hex was also a type of Change magic until Remus explained that the magic in the hex actually changed how the nerve endings in the person hit by the hex responded. Ginny also learned that a sticking spell created a dark blue glow, which she also thought odd. Remus told her indigo signified Bond type magic.

“Did you notice that all the spells you produced had a shiny glow to them?” Harry asked.

Ginny nodded. “Does that mean anything?”

“Yeah, it does. Dark magic is not shiny. The colour is still there but it appears drab and flat. Nothing you did here signified Dark magic. Not only that but the threads -” Remus shook his head and Harry stopped talking.

Ginny gasped as she realised what Harry was telling her. I’m not Dark! she repeated in her mind, relieved to have her own proof that it was true.

“Harry? Is this what magic looks like to you?” Ginny asked in wonder.

Harry shrugged. “Yeah. Remus and Sirius thought I was mental when I first told them about colours I could see. It wasn’t until I began to learn magic with the orb that we realised what I was seeing.”

“How long have you been using this orb?”

“Since I was four.”

Ginny stood still, unable to process what he had told her. “You’ve been learning magic since you were four?” she stumbled. Harry nodded reluctantly. Ginny let out a low whistle. “No wonder you’re so good. Why doesn’t everybody do that?”

Remus coughed and interjected, “That would be a topic for another night, perhaps. Not now.”

“Oh. All right. May I ask another question, Remus? Harry said my… signature?” - She glanced at Harry, who nodded back at her - “my signature is gold. Have you figured out what that means?”

Remus rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “No, I’m sorry to say I haven’t looked into that yet. I can’t promise you an answer any time soon, either. I’d never given much thought to why signatures are the colours they are. Look, Sirius should be back in a moment and he has something to tell you at dinner. Is that all right for now?”

Ginny was quite disappointed; she really wanted to know what the gold colour signified. However, Remus did say he would research the question. That would have to do for now, she supposed.

Remus checked his watch and brought her and Harry into the dining room. “Sirius should have returned by now. Let’s not delay dinner, I’m sure you’re both hungry.”

Blinken was removing the soup bowls when Sirius slipped into his seat at the table. “Sorry about that.” He gave Remus an odd look and said, “Dear old Mum demanded my presence. I don’t understand what she wants; she’s never been the type for reminiscing; especially when it concerns me. But I suppose it wasn’t the worst hour I’ve ever spent in my life,” he sighed.

He looked at Ginny and smiled, “I know you’d have liked to dine with your schoolmates tonight. You can hear who received the BASF awards from the other Houses tomorrow. I did want you to know who received it for Gryffindor.”

Ginny grimaced. “If it was either one of the Kates, don’t bother telling me. So far as I’m concerned, anyone else certainly deserves to get the award.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that, Ginny. How would you like to go to Ollivander’s with me this Saturday?”

“While I’m in detention? I hardly…” Ginny stopped, dropped her fork on her plate, and stared at Sirius open mouthed. She blinked and then blinked again. Her face, ears and neck grew warm as she sputtered, “Me? How… Why… What?”

Harry and Remus joined Sirius in chuckling at her.

“I told you we would find a way to get you a new wand,” crowed Harry.

“All of this to get me a wand? But what about the others?”

“Education is important, Ginny. I like knowing I am providing a modicum of help to students. Who knows how that might pay off in the future,” Sirius told her.

“But twenty-five Galleons? I didn’t know wands cost that much.”

“They don’t, but surely you have other needs for the rest of the year; don’t you?” responded Sirius glibly.

“I’m not sure Mum and Dad will agree to this,” Ginny fretted. “Not that I’m not grateful, of course,” she quickly added.

“Well, I intend to join each Head of House as they inform the parents of the selected students. This isn’t just a monetary award. There is a medallion for each selectee and your name will go on a plaque in the Trophy Room. I have faith that your parents will not refuse an academic honour.”

The words “academic honour” stunned Ginny. Academic honours were things that Bill and Percy won. There was a Welsh dresser in the corner of the lounge at home that held her brothers’ school awards. She was going to join the smart brothers, the ones Mum enjoyed talking about. She shook her head. Oh no, Mum and Dad were not going to turn this down. Perhaps now the Howlers would stop. And she could have a wand that was hers alone.

“A new wand. My own wand,” Ginny mused quietly. Great-Aunt Hortense’s wand was fine, really. But if Harry said she could do better with a wand that chose her… Ginny shook her head with wonder. I bet I could equal Percy and even give Bill’s grades a run for their money.

“What sort of wand should I get?” she asked. “Everyone seems to get Ollivander wands, but is that all there is? I didn’t think Aunt Hortense’s wand was made by Mr. Ollivander.”

Sirius gave her a broad smile. “Excellent question! No, Ollivander wands are not the only ones you can buy. Numerous shops make wands, but there are only a few artisans who are gifted at the craft. If you want my recommendation, I strongly advise you limit your purchase to those few.”

“Are they all here in Britain?” Ginny asked.

“No. The best of the wand makers are Gregorovitch in Central Europe, Charboneaux in France, James and Smithson from America, Jacobs of Australia, and Ollivander here in England. You will find most British Wizards use an Ollivander wand, but only because they don’t travel on the Continent much and aren’t aware of the other artisans. But there is another reason discerning Wizards go to Ollivander. His wands are known as ‘hot wands’.”

Ginny sat back in confusion. “What do you mean by hot wands? Do they feel warmer in your hand than other wands?”

“A close guess, young lady. As you are well aware, wands make it easy for a Wizard to control a spell. But, as Harry hinted the other day, there is a cost,” Sirius added. “There is a natural resistance to the flow of magic through our bodies. Remus came up with the term ‘impedance’ to describe that resistance.”

Sirius leaned forward in his chair and his voice changed from a professor’s lecture to an animated tone the Twins used as they described a new potion they had developed. Ginny tried not to giggle at this, but she did smile encouragingly for Sirius.

“Each artisan has their own idea of how much control the wand should wield. Depending upon the wand maker, there is some level of impedance built into all their wands. Even that will vary a bit from wand to wand,” Sirius continued.

Ginny shook her head in confusion. “I don’t understand. If the magic comes from us, what does a wand’s… er… impedance?” She looked at Remus who smiled and nodded, “- impedance have to do with casting a spell?”

Sirius looked to Remus, “You’re right Moony, she does get it!” He smiled at Ginny and returned to the wand topic. “The higher a wand’s impedance, the more the wand controls the flow of magic through it. While a high impedance wand makes controlling a spell easy, there is a penalty. The impedance absorbs some of the magic, so there is less magic available to power the spell. Ollivander wands effectively have no impedance. All control for the spell must come from here,” Sirius touched his head and then his heart. “For the average Wizard who goes to Hogwarts and never explores their magic afterwards, an Ollivander wand is actually a bother.”

“Then why…” Ginny trailed off, puzzled.

“Why do they buy Ollivander wands?” Sirius finished for her. “Because magic makes us lazy,” he continued with a shrug. “Ollivander’s shop is right there in Diagon Alley. Just go in, try out a few wands until one works for you and leave. Easy as pie. Their spells will always be a bit unfocused. This is excused as not having a lot of magical power, which is a load of bunk. But for the Wizard who learns how to control their magic from within, and continues to study magic after Hogwarts, an Ollivander wand will make more of their magic available to them. They will appear more powerful because so little of the magic is absorbed by the wand. There is more magic available and with it you can do great things,” Sirius finished reverently.

“Ginny,” Remus said grabbing her attention, “from what I saw Saturday, and from Professor McGonagall’s and Professor Flitwick’s notes on your early magical performance, we think you have the potential to control an Ollivander wand properly. Use the scholastic award money how you see fit, but this upcoming Saturday I want you to go to Ollivander’s first.”

Ginny nodded vigorously. Her own wand. Ollivander wands are hard to control and they think I can control one! She caught her breath with a sudden thought. “Harry? Would a wand that chooses me make the ache in my palm go away?”

“Except for really advanced magic, and stuff you try for the first time, I’m certain of it,” he told her.

A feeling of warmth filled her. She hoped the flush did not show too much, but the thought of learning advanced magic thrilled her. For over five years Bill told her that was why had become a curse breaker; the challenge and excitement of pushing boundaries. Tom had never understood that. He thought her a silly girl for even thinking of learning difficult magic.

An odd idea flitted through her mind. Did Tom, You-Know-Who, fear me becoming better at magic? Ginny gave her head a slight shake at this. Maybe she would talk to Harry about it when they knew each other better. He would surely laugh at her for thinking she could frighten You-Know-Who. Professor Dumbledore was the only one he had ever feared. Ginny felt positively sacrilegious, daring to imagine having a tenth the Headmaster’s knowledge of magic.

As Blinken cleared away the dinner plates, Remus asked Ginny to accompany him and Harry back into the lounge. Remus let her get comfortable in a chair before speaking.

“Eventually, Ginny, I want you to write to Tom again,” he told Ginny quietly.

“Write to Tom?” Ginny shivered. “Why? I don’t want to do that. Not ever again. Do I have to write him?” she asked plaintively.

“Eventually, Ginny. Not any time soon,” Remus said with a soothing tone. “I am going to teach you the beginnings of Occlumency to help you fight Tom’s attempts to control you.”

“What’s that?” Ginny asked warily. “How can I fight him? He’s You-Know-Who! I’m nothing compared to him.”

“Bollocks!” interjected Harry. “He’s had you all to himself for over five months and hasn’t taken you over. We’re going to help you toss him out completely. You are not nothing,” Harry added firmly. “You are shiny and gold!” Harry’s eyes widened with his words and he looked down into his lap as his face reddened.

After a short silence Remus cleared his throat. “Yes. Well. Anyway, Occlumency is a way to magically shield your mind from intrusions. It’s not fool proof. Given time an accomplished Legilimens can break through the lower level protections. But any protection is better than none at all.”

“A Legilimens? What’s that?” asked Ginny, feeling entirely out of her depth.

Remus gave her a tight smile. “Legilimency is the art of reading another Wizard’s intentions, thoughts if you will. Voldemort is a master Legilimens. Professor Dumbledore is also quite skilled at this type of magic.”

Ginny sharply sat up in her chair. “He can read minds!” she blurted aloud.

“No,” Remus told her. “A Legilimens doesn’t read minds so much as see your emotions and memories. There is a considerable amount of interpretation involved.”

“Are you a Legilimens?” Ginny asked, not sure she wanted to know the answer.

“No. Occlumency is quite easy compared to Legilimency. A Legilimens must be willing to accept another person’s thoughts into their mind as they sort through them. As you might imagine, if you’re in a crowd of people, being able to sense other’s thoughts can be overwhelming.”

Ginny thought about this for a moment. Tom’s voice had been in her mind. Was that Tom talking to her, planting suggestions; or was she able to read Tom’s mind and he did not know it? When she responded to what he told her there was no indication that he actually heard her replies. Ginny gave her head a sharp shake. Trying to figure this out might eventually drive her to madness.

“All right,” Ginny finally replied, although she did not quite understand what she was agreeing with. It just seemed the right thing to say. “Can you tell me more about this Occlumency?”

Remus gave her a warm smile and began to explain. “As I told you before, Occlumency is a branch of magic that shields the mind against intrusion. Occlumency doesn't give any other advantages; there’s no memory organization, storage or retrieval. It doesn’t help to decipher relationships or whatnot. To quote the Occlumency study guide you will be using, ‘Active shielding, the simplest defense, relies on the practitioner actively focusing on one specific thought to form a barrier to intruders.’ There is nothing subtle about this level of Occlumency; it is readily apparent to the intruder. It is simply a shield of a specific thought built by willpower and reinforced with magic. The shield will be more effective if the Occlumens has an ability to compartmentalise their mind. This compartmentalisation is very important to prevent external intrusion or viewing of thoughts. And that is what a Level One Occlumens is capable of. A Level One shield may still be overpowered by brute force if the Legilimens does not care about damaging the target’s mind.”

“Level One? Are there more levels?” Ginny asked, trying not to think about what mind-damage might feel like.

Remus nodded approvingly at her question. “Yes,” he replied. “A Level Two Occlumens develops passive shields; the Legilimens does not know their intrusion has been noticed. This gives the Occlumens the advantage of letting the intruder interpret the focus thought as important. A Level Three develops active defences and is able to mentally and emotionally ‘push’ back against an intrusion. As with a Level One Occlumency, the Legilimens will know this is happening and attempt to overpower the Occlumens. At best the battle leaves them both with a bad headache; at worst the Occlumens suffers a shattered mind.”

Ginny blanched and shuddered. What sort of pain comes from a shattered mind? What sort of life can one lead, if there’s even any point left to living? Ginny shook her head to clear it, as Remus continued his lesson.

“A Level Four Occlumens further develops their defences to deflect a Legilimens’ intrusion away from shielded thoughts and emotions and towards thoughts the Occlumens wants the intruder to be aware of.” He paused and gave her a very serious look. “Ginny, I must impress upon you not to discuss this ability with anyone outside this tower. If a Legilimens does not know they are facing a protected mind, that gives an advantage to the Occlumens.”

Ginny nodded in response. “But… but how is that better than the um… third level?” she asked. “It sort of sounds the same.”

Remus appeared to ponder this for a moment. “Yes, you’re right. It does, doesn’t it?” He looked lost in thought again and then spoke again. “It seems there is little difference between Level One and Level Two, and then between Level Three and Level Four. Although subtle, the differences are there. Willpower versus the appearance of capitulation, thrusts versus feints, traps versus counters. It is like a mental game of chess, actually.”

Ginny snorted. “That sounds like something my brother Ron would like. He’s the chess champion in our family, pretty much unbeatable. Don’t know how, though. He’s a thick as a brick with most things.”

“Yes, well,” Remus continued. “An advanced Occlumens has more tools to use against the Legilimens. Even against a Master Legilimens it will delay them -”

Ginny was appalled that there seemed to be no way to beat a Legilimens. “All of this is only to delay?” she interrupted. “What’s the point? If I can’t win no matter what, why bother?”

“Time and space are important in magic, Ginny,” Remus explained patiently. “What you are doing is buying time to thwart the intrusion. You can use this time to physically escape, to counter attack with spells, or to send for help.”

“But I won’t be able to fight back?” Ginny asked for clarification.

“No. By its nature Occlumency is a defensive skill. But there is defence and then there is defence. The next step is Level Five,” Remus told her. “At this point the Occlumens can achieve mental transparency. To the Legilimens it seems the targeted mind doesn’t exist. The closest analogy is looking through a window instead of at a wall. That way, you are not actively fighting back, but you are completely preventing the attack. Then there’s -”

“So, you and Harry both Occlumens then?” Ginny asked expectantly.

Remus nodded. “I’ve been studying Occlumency for almost twenty years. Before the Wolfsbane Potion became available, it helped me to retain a piece of my humanity during the full moon. I am a Level Five Occlumens.” Remus gave a devious grin. “Professor Dumbledore tells me it is quite disconcerting to see me standing before him and yet to detect no mental activity whatsoever.”

“Oh,” Ginny responded, wide-eyed. She turned to Harry and asked, “What about you? How far along are you?”

Harry looked down and mumbled to his feet.

“Harry, that’s rude,” Remus admonished. “How about an answer in something that resembles English?”

Harry sighed and told Ginny, “I’ve been studying for over a year but I’m still not at Level One.”

“Oh,” Ginny said again, this time disheartened. Apparently this was not something she could learn quickly.

“Don’t fret, Ginny,” Remus said. “Part of Harry’s problem is he can’t seem to hide his emotions. They are always there for someone who can read them.” Remus caught Ginny’s eye and nodded towards a sulking Harry.

He smiled at Ginny and continued on. “I think it is easier for girls to learn Occlumency, as it was for Harry’s mum. She accomplished it months before any of us. With daily practice you should be at Level One proficiency within a year.”

“A year!” asked Ginny, shocked. “That long?”

“Well,” Harry said slowly, “the relaxation techniques for calming your thoughts help with everything, even before you get the knack of Occlumency. I find it easy to get to sleep at night and I don’t have as many -” Harry suddenly stopped; a panicked look appeared his face.

“I don’t know if I have the time,” Ginny fretted. “Between my time here, regular classes, and trying to bring my grades up I don’t have a lot of time for another homework assignment.”

“The best time to practice the relaxation exercises is as you lay in bed waiting for sleep,” Remus replied. “If you are able to find some time during the day to practice, you will be able to accomplish Level One more quickly.”

Ginny gave Remus a dubious look. He made it seem simple to learn, but she was sure there was more to this. If Harry Potter had trouble with learning this Occlumency magic, she would probably never learn it.

“Harry,” Remus ordered, interrupting her thoughts, “go get one of the lesson books from the library. I want Ginny to leave with it and start practicing her relaxation exercises tonight.”

While Harry disappeared into the library, Remus explained to Ginny, “There are a lot of vague words in this book. Don’t worry about anything past the first chapter for the next several weeks. The important thing to get out of this chapter is to select a pleasant thought, something familiar to you, that you really like to think about. Once you begin thinking about this, think about it to the exclusion of all else. Let it become the only thought in your mind as you fall asleep.”

Ginny gave Remus a confused look. “That doesn’t sound so hard. Why does it take so long to learn this?”

Remus smiled. “It does sound easy, doesn’t it? However, it takes a lot of introspection to find the one thought to fix on, to fix on to the exclusion of all else, with no random competing ideas or distractions. Only after you have accomplished that can we move on to the next step of your training. Don’t be discouraged by those stray thoughts. Don’t let them distract you; disregard them and return to the mental image that you find relaxing and begin again.”

Ginny thought this all sounded like some sort of prank. Honestly, how hard is it to think about one thing? Sort of like day dreaming maybe. “I’ll try and let you know how it goes on Thursday, all right?”

“Of course,” Remus answered. “Just promise me you won’t get discouraged and give up if things don’t go so well at first.”

“Hey, Remus?” Harry called from the library. “I can’t find a copy in here.”

“It must be in there, Harry. Did you check the index?”

A snide reply came back. “Gosh, Remus! Thanks ever so much for that tip. I don’t know what I’d do without you. Of course I checked the index; I’m not Sirius, you know.”

“All right. We’ll look for the library copy later. Let Ginny borrow yours for now. I’d like to have her begin to select her focus while she is still here.”

As Harry scrambled up the stairwell along the tower wall Remus told her, “Think of something very familiar to you and concentrate on that one thing. Close your eyes to help you focus if you must, that is all right for beginners.”

Ginny frowned slightly at the term ‘beginner’ but Remus gave her a small smile in return.

Closing her eyes Ginny wondered what to focus on. The idea of Tom flooded her mind. She let out a sharp gasp and snapped her eyes open. Looking quickly about the lounge, she saw only Harry, who stood on the steps to the upper floors.

“Harry!” she called out desperately. “Did anything happen with the … um… threads between me and the diary?”

He frowned and looked between her and the study. “No. There’s been no change in the mind thread since we first met, actually. Why? Did you feel something?”

“It’s just that the first thought was about Tom and -” Ginny shuddered and wrapped her arms tightly about herself for warmth. “I suppose he is something familiar,” she sighed heavily, “but definitely not something relaxing.” She shuddered again; Remus had told her to pick something relaxing. That no longer described how she felt about Tom.

Closing her eyes again she heard Sirius talking to the house-elf in the kitchen. Perhaps… Ginny thought of the smells from the kitchen at home. Fresh bread, pies, breakfast on the frying iron... She felt herself smile at the memories.

“Tell me what you have chosen, Ginny,” asked Remus quietly.

“The kitchen at home, the smells of fresh baked dinner. Mum’s humming to herself as she -”

“You see, this will be hard,” Remus said in that quiet voice.

Ginny opened her eyes and scowled. “Hard? Of course not,” Ginny replied, slightly annoyed. What was Remus talking about?

“You have to focus on one thing and one thing only,” Remus answered patiently. “So far you’ve mentioned several. That won’t work for Occlumency. Try again. Narrow down the scope of your memories until it is the memory of only one thing.”

Closing her eyes again, Ginny began to focus on just one thing in the kitchen but could not decide on which thing. There was so much there! How could she narrow it down to one thing? That was silly. She opened her eyes as she heard the hurried clatter of Harry’s feet on the stone steps.

“Hey!” Ginny groused loudly. “I was almost on to something and you disturbed me. That was rude.”

Harry’s eyes opened wide and he came to an abrupt stop halfway across the lounge. “Oh, yeah,” he said knowingly. “That focus bit is very hard. I still struggle with it. I’m sorry I disturbed you. I er… I’ve got your book to read,” he added apologetically. Harry held a thin dark gray book.

“Thank you. I didn’t mean to snap at you, you did nothing wrong. This is too hard!” she moaned.

“Don’t get discouraged, Ginny,” Remus counselled her. “You’ve given this subject all of a few minutes thought. Do you think Transfiguration can be learned that quickly?” Ginny shook her head. “Then Occlumency can’t either. Harry will be quiet while you try to focus again. Remember; don’t get discouraged, but don’t let your thoughts run away on you. Are you ready to try again?”

Ginny nodded fervently and closed her eyes. Something particular about the kitchen. What? What could she focus on when it was all intertwined? She groaned and tried something else. Mum’s clock. That was one thing! She pictured it in her mind, the pendulum gently swinging back and forth, the hands relaying where each family member was, the polish of the wood… She began to smile again: there were so many wonderful things about the clock.

She growled again; she was back to thinking about a whole lot of things. Bugger! All right, let’s try again. The clock’s wooden case: all warm and slightly worn in spots. She started to think about all the spots where the wood was worn… Bugger it all! Try again: the hands. No, there’s more than one hand! She opened her eyes and sighed in frustration.

Remus gave her another kindly smile. “I know, it is hard. Don’t let that deter you.”

“I’m going to need a headache potion before I’m done with this, aren’t I?” Ginny scowled.

Remus chuckled. “You won’t be the first, believe me. Just…” Remus paused and sighed, “You can’t do it tonight. Just relax and let some thoughts flit about your consciousness. That is why it is easiest to practice as you are dropping off to sleep.”

Professor Dumbledore’s voice called through the Floo. “Is Miss Weasley ready to return? Professor McGonagall has stopped by and is willing to escort the young lady back to the Gryffindor tower.”

Sirius knelt before the flames and answered back, “We are almost through, Albus. Could we have a few more minutes?”

Ginny did not hear the reply but Sirius was smiling as he pulled his head from the fire.

“Don’t forget your Occlumency book, Ginny,” said Harry, holding out the slim volume. “I know it seems too hard, but you will get it, I’m certain! We’ll practice together on Thursday, if you like.”

Ginny felt her face heat up but managed to say, “Thanks for your faith in me. I’d love to work with you on this. Maybe I’ll have made some progress by the next time, yeah?”

A sudden thought rose in her mind and she paused on her way to the hearth. She turned and asked, “Remus? Does controlling your mind for Occlumency help with controlling the magic through a hot wand?”

The reactions of the other three took her completely by surprise. Harry broke out into a wide smile, and the normally ebullient Sirius’ mouth fell open as he looked at her in silent astonishment. The rather sedate Remus let out a sudden and joyous “WHOOP!” He knelt before Ginny and gave her a quick hug.

“Yes!” Remus crowed proudly. “Yes it does! You have just figured out the magical link that 95% of all Wizards never do. Controlling your mind controls your magic! Occlumency is not necessary to control magic, but you can use its principles for casting any spell you can think of. It is the basis of non-verbal magic, too. Your focused thought becomes your magic. Well done, Ginny! You have made me proud!”

Ginny glanced at Harry one last time, and he gave her that heart-meltingly wry smile. She did blush fully as she realised that, at least this once, he wore that smile for her alone. Her heart felt lighter than she could ever remember, even lighter than when she got her Hogwarts letter. Ginny mixed her blood drop with the Floo powder, took a calming breath, and carefully called out “Headmaster’s Office, Hogwarts” as she stepped into the flames.

The moment the green flames died out, Sirius exclaimed, “Sweet Nimue! Remus, it took you several years to make that connection. Do you think it safe for her to have her own wand? I mean -”

“Don’t,” Harry snapped. Drawing his wand on Sirius he said, “Do you ever want to sit comfortably this week?”

Sirius began to back away holding his bum. “Moony, you’ve got to help me out here.”

Remus raised an eyebrow and drawled, “You’re on your own, Padfoot. I’ve trusted Harry’s observations and judgments from the start on this.”

Harry looked at the two men and holstered his wand. “Once more from the top, all right? There are no changes in the mind thread, not since she closed the Voldemort diary in the dining hall. I am a bit confused because the chest thread is thinning out. I don’t know what is causing that, but apparently it has to do with what Remus is not telling about when she writes in the diary we gave her.” Harry added in exasperation, “Unless you wish to let me in on the big secret.”

Remus appeared to consider this for a moment. Harry grew hopeful that this one mystery would be solved.

“Not a chance, Harry,” he grinned. With a more serious tone he added, “I gave her my word. If Ginny ever wants to tell you, that’s fine. It is her story to tell, not mine. Just remember she’ll soon have a wand attuned to her magic, so before you pester her about it, I suggest you watch that ‘Bat-Bogey’ hex in the Pensieve one more time.”

“Great, fine. Maybe I will!” As Harry stomped off to his room he missed Sirius waggling his eyebrows at Remus while the other man placed a finger on his lips and made a shushing motion with is other hand.

The news of Ginny’s scholastic award was the talk of the common room when she returned on Tuesday evening. And, wonder of wonders, Percy actually initiated a conversation with her.

“Ginev -” Percy began until Ginny shot him a withering look. “Er… Ginny. I just wanted to let you know that I am proud of you for turning yourself about so judiciously. It would seem that spending time with the Headmaster and our senior prefects, no matter the circumstances, has been quite beneficial. I sent a letter to our mother immediately after dinner, informing her of your achievement. I’m sure she would appreciate a note from you as well. You are allowed to use Hermes after he returns.”

Ron’s response was a bit more to the point. “I hope this doesn’t mean you’re becoming a swot like Granger and Percy,” he sniffed.

“Oh? Do you mean like Bill, too?” Ginny snapped in reply. “I’ve already got the long hair,” she continued as she glared at her clueless brother. Ron gave her a blank stare and then walked off to chat with Dean and Seamus.

The Twins’ response was difficult to figure out. They had not come over to congratulate her but rather caught her eye from across the common room. They glanced at each other and then both gave Ginny a small smile and a nod of their heads.

The Gryffindor first-year boys were surprised that she won the award but also pleased they were not the object of House rumours and scrutiny. Her roommates’ reactions did not surprise her, though. The Kates were disgusted that they would not get a chance to meet Sirius Black. They had let everyone in the common room know how unworthy a Weasley was of ever meeting the glamorous Mr. Black.

While Ginny secretly found that quite funny, the insult was not lost on her brothers. Ron grumbled and Percy frostily informed them that he could take points from them for insulting others. The Twins appeared to ignore them. However, the next morning the Kates discovered their tooth paste left a dingy yellow coating on their teeth that stayed no matter what they tried to remove it. Ginny was not sure how the Twins had done that, but she gave them each a quick thank you and hug as she passed them in the halls.

Vivien was genuinely pleased that Ginny had received the award. As the rift grew between the Kates and Vivien, the Muggle-born girl began to spend more time with Ginny. In an attempt to respond to Vivien’s previous kindness, Ginny introduced her to Luna. She promised Vivien that since she and Luna were pure-bloods, Vivien was protected from Slytherin’s monster while in their company. Vivien frowned for a moment, and Ginny thought she had mis-judged the girl. Then her roommate smiled and gratefully accepted her offer of friendship and protection.

Ginny wrote her mum a note, to be delivered when Hermes returned the next morning. She closed her bed curtains and told Helga about all that had happened. Sighing happily she closed the diary and returned to her attempts at finding a mental focus. She had no further luck; with all the excitement since her return from the Headmaster’s Office her thoughts were more scattered than before. She finally drifted off to sleep, thinking of Harry and mentally repeating I am not Dark!.

The next several days comprised another whirlwind of activity for Ginny. She was grateful for her return to old sleeping habits and restful nights. She also began to appreciate her brothers’ friend Hermione. The older girl seemed to enjoy her company at breakfast and was genuinely pleased when Ginny asked her for help with a Potions essay. Unfortunately Hermione’s notes from Professor Snape’s lectures were not all that different from her own: she was not learning anything beyond what the textbook already said. Ginny thought about asking the Twins, but they were never about when she looked for them. At home that tended to bode ill, so Ginny decided not to become involved in any way, shape, or form.

Immediately upon her arrival in the tower on Thursday, Remus began her mental focus exercises. After another hour of continued frustration, Ginny thought she was no closer to her focus point than when she had first started. Remus reinforced his original instruction that bed-time was the best time for a beginner to practice. Ginny told him she understood: the Occlumency book had said that, too.

Ginny spent dinner discussing her Potions essay with Harry. She was pleasantly surprised that Harry was able to explain the theory behind the proper desiccation of shrivel fig skins.

“But how do you know that?” Ginny asked urgently. “I’ve looked through my Potions book -”

Sirius snorted while Remus sighed heavily.

“- and checked other references in the library. They all say ‘proper desiccation’ but never explain what that means, and why.”

“My mum’s books cover that, and I have a whole lot of her notes explaining the proper preparation and preservation of potions ingredients,” Harry told her.

“Your mum was good at Potions?” Ginny asked in surprise.

Remus said, “Lily, Harry’s mum, took Potions at the same time as the school’s current Potions Master. She regularly out-scored him, too. Before the recent Ministry interference, the previous Master had more leeway in what books and teaching materials to use.”

Ginny blinked. “Oh. Does that mean you were here with Professor Snape as well?”

“Yes,” Sirius drawled slowly. “I’ve had little contact with the man for a number of years, but we -” Sirius paused and seemed at a loss for words. “We knew each other fairly well, I suppose.”

“So, Ginny,” Remus interrupted, "I want you to practice with the training orb after dinner. Since you’ve made the connection between mental focus and magical focus, let’s see how bright you can make the orb glow.”

“I can make it glow brighter?” Ginny asked expectantly. “I definitely want to do that!”

Sirius placed his utensils along the top of his plate and shoved it into the table. “That also takes some training to accomplish, but I have faith that you will be able to do it quickly.”

Ginny was excited by Sirius’ positive endorsement. “You do?” she asked.

“Oh, yeah. Hey Remus, Harry? Why don’t you set up the orb while I talk to Ginny for a moment.” He gave Remus a pleading look and nodded his head toward the dining room doorway.

Harry and Remus both gave him a confused look in return. Then Remus said, “Oh, of course. Come along Harry; Ginny will be with us shortly.” Harry continued to look confused, but he followed Remus into the lounge.

Sirius fidgeted a bit and cleared his throat. “Ginny,” he began haltingly, “I wish to apologise for my behaviour the past two weeks.”

“Do you mean how protective of Harry you’ve been?”

Sirius looked shocked. “I can be rather obvious at times, I suppose.”

“There’s no need to apologise,” Ginny replied. Sirius opened his mouth to respond but Ginny kept talking. “I understand completely. I would never want to hurt Harry.” Ginny swallowed and fought against her Weasley blush. “He’s so nice and smart and… and -”

“A git?” Sirius interjected, grinning.

Ginny stopped dead and closed her mouth. She could not believe Sirius had said that.

“He gets that from me,” Sirius added with a shrug.

“Well, ah… That’s not quite the way I’d put it, but yeah,” she giggled.

Gathering her courage she plunged on. “I grew up listening to his story, you know.” Despite the heat in her face she willed herself to continue. It was important that Sirius know how she felt about Harry. “My brothers still take the mickey out of me about that. But Harry was always my… a hero. There is nothing I’ve learned the past few weeks that makes him any less of one. I was going out of my mind with worry that I’d do something to hurt him last weekend. But he was so calm. I could never be able to tell him how much that meant to me. How important his trust is for me. He is a hero, far beyond any silly child’s story. Protect him, Sirius! Even if it’s from me,” Ginny said with a slight hitch. She wiped her eyes to prevent tears from tracking down her cheek.

Sirius stood and moved next to her at the table. “You are truly a Gryffindor, Ginny. I heard your uncles in every word you said. It’s my great shame that I wasn’t able to save your uncles, but I vowed to protect their family. That means you, lass, and I won’t fail you.”

Ginny felt Sirius’ hand gently pat her slight shoulder.

“Why don’t you take a moment to compose yourself? Knowing Harry, if he sees you’ve been crying he’ll grab the first owl he can find and write another apology.”

Ginny sucked in a breath. “How did you -”

“I didn’t until just now, but I had my suspicions,” Sirius told her with a smile.

She used her napkin to dab her eyes and cast a weak glamour on her face. Ginny stood and gave Sirius a broad smile. Squaring her shoulders she walked into the lounge.

“So, Remus,” she called out, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt, “let’s see how bright I can make this thing shine.”

An hour later Ginny felt that any attempt at confidence was misplaced. True, she had been able to brighten the orb, but she had not met the goal she set for herself of lighting the room with the bloody thing.

“Tell you what, Ginny. Let’s give this a break and work on your mental focus for a few minutes,” Remus told her.

Ginny gave a frustrated sigh. “That won’t help me, Remus.”

“Of course it will,” Remus encouraged her. “You made progress with the orb. That may equate to progress with your other focus attempts. You know if you switch between these exercises -”

Remus’ face went blank and then he slapped his forehead. He let a frustrated grunt and spat, “Son of a bitch!”

Ginny started to giggle at the unexpected outburst from the normally-reserved man.

A look of panic crossed the man’s face. “You didn’t hear that, right?”

“You secret’s safe with me,” she replied.

“I don’t know why I hadn’t seen this before, it’s so blo… er… obvious. There has to be an equation that describes this. Reciprocity. Magical focus equals mental focus, so therefore mental focus equals magical focus! Harry, see Ginny to the Floo, I’ve got to get this down now!” Remus hurried off to the library.

“That was… odd,” Ginny stammered. “Does he do that often?”

Harry gave her a shrug. “Sometimes. He hasn’t thrown a wobbly like that for a while, though. You want to call it a night? You’re probably knackered after all this.”

“If it’s okay, yeah,” Ginny answered with a very reluctant sigh. As much as she wanted to stay and learn with Harry, she was tired. “I know you can’t go with me when I get my wand, but I want you to show me some spells when I get back on Saturday.”

“Deal!” Harry beamed. “Hey, Sirius!” Harry called out as he walked Ginny to the hearth. “Ginny’s heading back to Dumbledore’s.”

“Good night, Harry,” Ginny said softly.

“Good night,” he replied with that wry smile. “I’ll have a really good spell, or two, to teach you when you return.”

Sirius stepped into the lounge and told Ginny, “I’ll see you Saturday morning. Don’t forget we haven’t met, so I must use proper address again. At least at first,” he winked.

“I can’t wait,” Ginny replied. She called out the code phrase but then paused and looked over her shoulder before stepping into the flames. “Good night, Mr. Black,” she smiled and then disappeared in the green swirls.