Ginny walked through the dark. The air shimmered with heat, the scent of ash and ice mingling. When she raised her wand, the night itself obeyed - flames roared to her left, frost bloomed to her right. Figures fled before her, shadows scattering like frightened birds.
"My lady." A man knelt before her. His face shifted whenever she tried to focus, but his eyes burned with worship. "The enemies are fleeing before your might."
She smiled - or thought she did. Power hummed through her veins.
"What are you doing?" a familiar voice asked, clear and sharp behind her. Anastasia's voice.
Alexander turned. His hand was still wrapped around the wand. What had he been doing?
"You're hopeless, you know that?" Anastasia said, with the same fond irritation as always. She stepped close, close enough for him to taste her breath and when their lips met, the world fell away.
Then a wet sound broke the moment. He looked down. The knife's hilt jutted from his chest, gleaming with blood.
"Why?" he whispered. But her eyes were already empty.
Darkness rushed in - then sunlight spilled through leaves.
"Ginny? Are you okay?"
She blinked. Her head rested in Harry's lap, his hand stroking her hair. The grass rippled in a warm breeze.
"This is a dream, isn't it?"
"Yes," he said gently. "But does it matter? It's peaceful here."
Her voice was barely a breath. "Will you betray me too?"
He smiled, soft and sure. "How could I? I'm yours."
Then darkness again.
Ginny woke up, the details of the dream already fading. Something about fighting and… then resting with her head in Harry's lap? It didn't really matter. As far as she knew, she hadn't the Inner Eye, so her dreams were nothing more than fragments of her subconscious.
She lay there for a while in her soft bed, trying to drift back to sleep, but it wouldn't come. Her pocket watch showed 3 a.m. Sometimes she missed her smartphone. Maybe she should just do something productive with her time.
So she slipped out of bed, took the book on Egyptian rituals, she'd recently found in the Room of Hidden Things, and went down to the empty common room to read for a while.
She really did look forward to Egypt. Maybe she'd find clues there about a way to become immortal. After all, being transmigrated into the Harry Potter world and not searching for immortality would be sheer stupidity. It was a pity she hadn't been here last year to study the Philosopher's Stone - if that one had even been real in the first place. Horcruxes were out of the question. She knew far too much about their drawbacks to ever try that.
Her thoughts drifted to the future as she read about a particularly gruesome Egyptian ritual.
There was also the whole Sirius Black situation.
She could reveal Pettigrew now, of course - but there was always the risk that Sirius Black would 'tragically' be found dead in his cell before any exoneration could occur. Her faith in the integrity of the Auror Office had plummeted, especially after Lucius Malfoy's supposed suicide in his cell just the previous week. She didn't buy that for a second. It wasn't necessarily a problem for her, but it did highlight the sorry state of magical Britain's justice system.
Why did she even need Sirius Black? Well, indirect access to the Black library and fortune through Harry for once. And undermining Dumbledore's political influence was always a welcome bonus. She still didn't trust him completely, even if he had fallen for the Lockhart diversion regarding Hermione's death.
But letting Black escape would also mean she'd have to face Dementors next year. Which meant she needed to master the Patronus Charm.
Another task on her ever-growing list was researching Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes. There was a chance she could siphon off their magical power and knowledge just as she had done with the diary, becoming stronger in the process. For that reason, she had already relocated Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem to the Chamber of Secrets. She had no clear idea where to start, but there was no rush. She also was curious if the jinx on the post of DADA teacher would still work like this…
Over the past few weeks, she had been raiding the Room of Hidden Things whenever she found the time. Unfortunately, the majority of the coins she discovered were Knuts and Sickles, with only a smattering of Galleons. Still, if converted into Galleons, her collection would amount to about 970 Galleons - roughly equivalent to Arthur Weasley's wage for two months. Not a windfall, but not insignificant either.
She had also gathered various books, magical artifacts, jewels and other trinkets that could prove useful. Her enthusiasm for collecting had perhaps grown a bit too fervent, but her motivation was clear: She didn't want to be poor as an adult and this was the quickest and easiest way to amass valuables. She envisioned her future library in a cozy home ten years from now, stocked with these rare books.
To that end, she planned to open her own vault at Gringotts. Thanks to Tom Riddle's memories, she knew underage witches and wizards could open a vault if they were at least 13 years old. For younger children, a parent could establish a trust vault on their behalf. Goblins, of course, were known for tricking customers into paying more than necessary, so she would need to be careful. The cheapest vaults cost only a single galleon per month but were very small - though that wasn't a concern, as she could store everything in a trunk enchanted with an Extension Charm. Expensive family vaults that allowed room to walk around could cost thousands of galleons annually, which was far out of her reach.
For now, her plan was simple: Store her coins, jewels and all legal, non-dark items safely in Gringotts and everything else in the Chamber of Secrets.
"Ginny?" came a familiar female voice from behind her, near the entrance to the girls' dormitory.
"I saw your bed was empty," Mira said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "What are you doing down here?"
The usually prim and proper Mira looked quite different now - still in her nightgown, hair mussed, her expression soft with sleep.
It made Ginny want to tease her a little.
She had noticed Mira stealing glances at her when she thought Ginny wasn't looking. That probably had to do with the modified Beautification Potion slowly taking effect, even if the results were still subtle. Maybe she could have a little fun with a tired Mira for a while.
So she put on an unsure expression - a blend of sadness and loneliness - and looked away, as if ashamed.
"I just couldn't sleep," she said softly, then added in a voice barely above a whisper, though perfectly audible in the empty common room, "just a nightmare."
She heard Mira's hesitant footsteps behind her.
"Is it… is it about Hermione?" Mira asked gently. Ginny hadn't thought of that, but why not?
She only nodded, as if she couldn't speak.
"Oh, Ginny. I'm so sorry." Mira's voice was awkward, uncertain. She clearly wasn't good with emotional things. That she had come down to look for Ginny in the first place already said a lot - not that she would ever admit it - but she obviously had no idea how to comfort a grieving roommate.
Mira sat down beside her on the couch in front of the fire. Ginny could tell she was torn, unsure what to do. Unlike Emily or Daisy, Mira would never initiate physical contact. Ginny had gathered from some of her surface thoughts that her upbringing had been formal and distant, the proper pureblood way. She only had a distant older brother, so it wouldn't surprise Ginny if Mira hadn't been hugged once since she was very small.
So, the course of action was obvious. Without a word, Ginny suddenly wrapped her arms around her, pulling her close and burying her face in the crook of Mira's neck.
"Wha… what are you doing!" Mira exclaimed, completely flustered, her body going rigid. Ginny couldn't help but feel amused as she sensed Mira's heartbeat quicken and her breathing turn uneven.
"Can we please stay like this for a while?" Ginny asked softly, looking up with pleading, tearful eyes.
Mira's face turned beet red. She was completely lost, unsure what to do, but after a moment she gave a small, hesitant nod. Ginny buried her face against her neck again, which made Mira let out a quiet, startled squeak.
After a while, Mira tentatively wrapped her arms around Ginny, as if trying to comfort her distressed roommate. They stayed like that for a while. Occasionally, Ginny would shift or snuggle closer, just when it seemed Mira was starting to get used to the contact.
Mira could really be cute when flustered.
Eventually, Ginny decided she had had enough and pulled away. Together, they returned to their room. With a quiet "thank you," Ginny slipped into her bed, pretending Mira's presence had soothed her after the nightmare.
She even managed to sleep for a few more hours afterwards.
When she woke up again, it was already time for breakfast, so she joined her roommates in the Great Hall.
"What do we have first?" Emily asked, piling an excessive amount of scrambled eggs onto her plate.
"Potions," Mira replied with an exasperated sigh. "I can't believe you still don't know our weekly schedule."
Interestingly, she didn't glance in Ginny's direction while speaking to Emily.
"But that's what I have you for." Emily winked flirtatiously at Mira, who only rolled her eyes, well accustomed to Emily's antics. "This way, I can use my brain for more important things."
"You mean more unimportant nonsense," Mira shot back dryly.
Ginny ate her breakfast in silence, unfazed by their usual banter.
Once they had finished, they headed off to Potions, which they shared with the Hufflepuffs. Unfortunately, Snape seemed to have it out for Ginny lately.
"Miss Weasley," he drawled, "how does the recipe on the blackboard differ from the textbook and why?"
"It has five clockwise stirs instead of three and three Valerian sprigs instead of two in the first step," she replied. "Five stirs speeds up the reaction and three sprigs would normally unbalance the two drops of Lethe River Water. But I suspect the Valerian sprigs in the cabinet got too little sunlight."
"Correct," Snape said grudgingly. "The third-year Herbology students this year were particularly inept. Any adjustments you'd suggest, Miss Weasley?"
"Shorten the brewing time to 35-40 minutes and use seven counterclockwise stirs to ensure the reaction fully stabilizes, sir."
Snape waved his wand, updating the blackboard. "Acceptable… Why aren't you all writing this down?" he barked at the class. "Miss Weasley, I expect a detailed report on handling overly potent Lethe River Water and mistletoe berries."
"Yes, Professor," Ginny replied evenly.
Emily leaned in and whispered, "I can never tell whether he hates or secretly likes you, Ginny."
It wasn't just Snape. Flitwick, McGonagall and most of the other professors - excluding Binns - had been challenging her with more difficult tasks lately. Ginny suspected they had discussed it during a staff meeting. Snape, however, seemed particularly unhappy about it, likely resenting the idea that someone other than himself could excel in Potions.
Unfortunately, Hogwarts didn't allow students to skip years, but additional extra-curricular subjects were an option starting in the second term of the first year. Back in December, Professor McGonagall had called Ginny into her office and strongly encouraged her to take advantage of this.
Among her roommates only Mira had chosen extra subjects, opting for Art and Music. Ginny, on the other hand, had taken on Ancient Studies, Ghoul Studies and Magical Theory. She had considered Xylomancy but decided it wouldn't be particularly useful without the Inner Eye. Instead, she had suggested it to Luna, who would likely enjoy it.
Now, with ten subjects in total, her schedule was packed. Luckily, the extra-curricular courses only met once a week, so it wasn't too overwhelming.
"I've got Ghoul Studies next. See you later," Ginny said, parting ways after Potions and heading to the third-floor Serpentine Corridor.
"Ginny, wait!" a male voice called from behind her.
She turned to see her Gryffindor year mate Alaric Dearborn and Charlie Farley hurrying toward her. Both came from pure-blood families. Alaric was the nephew of Caradoc Dearborn - whom Ginny had briefly possessed before his death, though Alaric didn't know that of course. As for Charlie, she only knew that his older sister, Gemma Farley, was a Slytherin prefect and that, in canon, he and his family would be killed by Death Eaters in 1997.
"Oh, hey, Alaric, Charlie! I thought you two went on ahead," she said with a smile, watching them blush furiously. Of course, she hadn't thought that at all - she had just wanted a moment of peace.
"H-hello, Ginny," Alaric stammered shyly. Charlie waved awkwardly, avoiding her gaze.
Ginny wasn't sure how to feel about their puppy crushes. It was cute in a way and being desired and adored still gave her a small thrill, but their presence could be exhausting. She was fairly certain they had only taken Ghoul Studies to spend more time with her.
"So… you were really amazing in Potions today, Ginny," Alaric began, his face turning an even deeper shade of red. He was clearly trying to compliment her, but it came out more like grovelling.
"Thanks, Alaric," she replied simply.
"What do you think Ghoul Studies will be about today? Another lesson on poltergeists?" Charlie jumped in quickly, eager to shift the conversation so Ginny's attention wasn't solely on Alaric.
"I think we're starting a new creature today - just like the professor announced last time." Ginny wanted to roll her eyes. Couldn't they at least come up with an interesting topic to discuss? It seemed like their brains short-circuited every time they were around her.
When they entered the classroom, Alaric and Charlie immediately took seats on either side of her. The class was small - only nine students in total, despite including members from all four houses. Most students weren't keen on taking extra subjects.
"Today's lesson is on Chameleon Ghouls," the professor announced. "These creatures are particularly sneaky. There's nothing worse than an ordinary-looking object suddenly turning into a ghoul when you least expect it. That's why it's essential to know how to identify and handle these masters of disguise. Let's get started!"
She explained how Chameleon Ghouls blended into their surroundings, their aggression and how the Revelio Charm could unmask them while the Engorgement Charm served as a strong counter.
"Miss Weasley," the professor called out - of course, she was chosen again. "Would you be able to demonstrate the Revelio Charm and determine if there is a Chameleon Ghoul in this room?"
"Of course, Professor," Ginny replied, rising and stepping to the front of the class.
"Revelio." Ginny cast the charm and immediately, she sensed the Chameleon Ghoul's presence. She turned toward the corner of the room. "The floor lamp is the Chameleon Ghoul, Professor."
"Very good, Miss Weasley! It's quite impressive for a first-year to cast the Revelio Charm so effortlessly. Ten points to Gryffindor," the professor praised her as Ginny returned to her seat.
"Now that we've identified the Chameleon Ghoul, I'll demonstrate how the Engorgement Charm can be used to defeat it. Any questions so far?"
Ginny raised her hand.
"Yes, Miss Weasley?"
"Professor, how does the Engorgement Charm defeat it? Wouldn't making it bigger just make it more dangerous?"
"An astute question! If cast on an undisguised Chameleon Ghoul, that would indeed be the case. However, with a disguised Chameleon Ghoul, the effect is different." The professor smiled, clearly pleased by the inquiry. "You see, a Chameleon Ghoul expends magical energy to maintain its disguise. When hit with the Engorgement Charm, it instinctively tries to stay hidden, even as its body expands. This forces it to burn through its magical reserves at an accelerated rate, until it eventually exhausts itself and faints. Of course, this method wouldn't work on other creatures for the exact reason you pointed out. But with Chameleon Ghouls, it's an effective countermeasure. Let me demonstrate."
The lamp trembled as the icy blue light of the charm struck it. At first, it simply shivered, but then strange distortions began to ripple through its structure. The base, the tube and the shade swelled one at a time, bulging unnaturally before shrinking back, as though the object itself was struggling against the magic. The process repeated over and over - one part expanding, another retracting - as if the lamp couldn't decide what size it should be.
Then, with a sharp, angry screech, the lamp lost its battle. It shuddered violently before twisting into its true form - an ugly, greyish-green ghoul with sunken eyes and jagged teeth. The professor lifted her wand, ending the spell, while the Chameleon Ghoul wobbled unsteadily for a moment before collapsing in exhaustion.
"And that," the professor said with satisfaction, "is how you easily defeat a disguised Chameleon Ghoul."
Ginny had to admit, it was an entertaining display.