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harry potter - ginny weasley

078.

[ video ]

... is this—oh, alright, it is.

[The voice may be familiar to many, and the face in essence too, but as Ginny Weasley leans back from the camera to address the network, it might be clear to those who know her that she's different today. For one, she's wearing her Gryffindor uniform, all robes and tie and cardigan. For another, she's younger and thinner—almost drawn, and though her eyes are as quick and bright as ever, they carry a wariness and weariness that haven't been present in years. Her hair is still long, though shorter than she's been wearing it in the City, and there's no mistaking the still-healing split lip or faded bruising along her cheekbone and eye.

None of this seems to bother the witch at the moment, though. There are more important matters to attend to.]

Hullo. I seem to have taken a wrong turn at school—not unusual, really, the stairs like to play tricks—but I was on my way to a classroom and ended up in this, er, charming place. And while I'm terribly fond of London, I know this isn't it; and honestly, I'm running late as it is.

[There's a hardness in her jaw and in her tone that the City softened long ago, but she isn't demanding answers like she had the moment she 'arrived.' She has her bearings, now. To an extent. She pauses, then smiles, shaking off the very real irritation for a more charming façade; come, now, help the innocent school girl find her way home.]

Hardly back a month from holidays and I've already got loads of things to do! I'm not usually late, you know. I don't mind missing a few minutes of Professor Carrows' class, for example— [She chuckles, shrugging.] —but I'm sort of in charge of this meeting and they're all fairly useless without me. I've read a guide, of course, but I don't exactly trust everything I read nowadays.

Thank you for your time.

[OOC; ginny's been hit with Feels Like the First Time! she's back to being 16 years old and for her, it's february of 1998, so she's still at hogwarts and helping neville lead the DA and causing general havoc with the student's rebellion.

she won't remember any CR she's made in the city for the duration of the curse because to her, this is her first time arriving here. it will all come back to her tomorrow, of course. enjoy!]

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Oh, Ginny, thank Merlin! I've been so worried about you!

[Beat.

Wait.]

Why have you changed back into your robes? What happened? Did you get into a fight? Where are you; I'm coming for you now.

[Alright, someone's responded on the Muggle thing, good. So she'll just fiddle around with it, and... Bloody hell, she knows that voice. She knows that face. She almost drops the damn thing in shock and manages a— ]

Percy?

[—before shutting off the feed. Accidentally, of course. But if Percy got a good look at her surroundings, he'll see she's found her way to the library in the hopes of finding out more information.]

[Damn, there's the feed ended. It doesn't matter; she was clearly around the library and he's on his way now. He jumps off the couch - ]

- sorry, Helena, I didn't mean to wake you -

[ - and grabs his keys, hurrying out and down the stairs. Once he's outside, he pictures the library, turns on the spot, and Disapparates. A moment later, he reappears with a crack! outside the library and spots her, his expression flooding with relief.]

Ginny! What happened?

[The familiar crack of Apparition sends a bolt up electricity up her spine and she whips around, back to a wall—they've been training, don't you know—and wand drawn before she even registers who it is. Percy's voice hits her and a stiffness settles in her shoulders and jaw, her wand arm unwavering, though her mind is going a hundred miles a second. Percy, why is Percy here, why does he care so much, why is he here?

She studies him for a long, tense moment, then says— ]

If I woke up from a nightmare when I was little, Percy Weasley would get me back to bed and to sleep.

[It's the first thing that pops into her head and she doesn't know why she chooses to go for sentimentality in her security question than practicality, perhaps because it's family, family she hasn't seen in so long, family she is sure has abandoned the rest. But if he knows the answer, then it makes this strange place a little more bearable.]

How?

[The question and the wand surprise him. Still, even now, even after a few months in the City, his instincts are honed like a knife's edge, and his wand comes up almost instantaneously.]

I'd sing you a lullaby.

[He hesitates, then, haltingly:]

Baloo, my girl, lie still and sleep
It grieves me sore to hear thee weep

[His voice isn't the greatest, clearly unused to singing after so many years of silence, but the tune, the words, are the same.]

[She hates this, she hates having to be on the edge of a duel with everyone she meets, but Percy is the only familiar face she recognises here and despite all he's done to the family, she finds herself hoping it's him. Please let it be her brother, not another Death Eater, not another impostor, not another bloody nightmare.

But the tune, the words, jolt her from her defensive stance into something softer, an inward relaxation as relief floods her core—and yes, it's been years, but that answer can't be easily forgotten, nor would a Death Eater think to go that deep in an interrogation.]

Percy.

[It's soft, uncertain and certain all at once. And then she breaks into a smile, wry and fond (how do you proceed with an estranged brother?) and lowers her wand to her side.]

Your singing's still terrible.

Edited 2012-05-27 23:27 (UTC)

[Ginny is clearly cursed, but--]

Is your face badly hurt?

[Ginny is peering at the screen, curious and a little bewildered. Who are you, kid that sounds kind of like Krum?]

My...

[And then she touches her cheek because, really, it's been a few days (to her) since it's happened and then she shrugs.]

It's not bad. I fell and hit a desk. [Not strictly a lie, it's just the Cruciatus is what caused her fall in the first place.] Wasn't looking where I was going, I suppose!

Desks can be very sneaky sometimes.

Do you know where you are, from reading the guides?

Anyone who's a student would know, I expect. [She pauses.] Some vague place called the City, right? Not exactly the most creative name, if you ask me.

[Like she could come up with something better. A clue: not really.]

Speaking of, what's yours, then?

I'm a bureaucrat, not a pop star, and I imagine everyone is grateful for that.

[And then he moves forward, brows knitting, so overwhelmed with concern and worry for her. She's hurt, how did this happen, why did it happen, who did it - and why is he so worthless as an older brother that he let it happen?]

What happened to you?

[She waves off his concern with a hand and a shrug because honestly, this was a few days ago, it's her fault for not bracing her fall the right way, and there are others in the DA worse off.]

Detention. It's fine. [She pauses.] Of course, I reckon you know all about it, being in the Ministry and all.

[Somehow, she manages not to sound nearly as resentful as she feels (just a little, just in the corner of her heart) because Percy so far is the only one she knows here. That's better than nothing. She hesitates, uncertain, then rests her hand on his shoulder—and Merlin, she feels so silly, so young around him when she's so used to being one of the oldest, the one the firsties look up to, along with Neville.]

So, this... City place. People say you can't leave. They're not bloody serious, are they?

Maybe the deities were not having a good day when they named the City?

[Oh, come on. What wouldn't be better than the City?]

Pavel Andreievich Chekov. We have met before.

Maybe—

[And then she stiffens visibly at his next words, wariness slipping back into her tone.]

We haven't met. Sorry, mate, you must be thinking of another ginger.

No--yes, of course, sorry. And what is your name?

Ginny.

[Still careful. She'll feel bad about this later, Pavel. ;__; ]

Which of your names d'you want me to choose?

Ginny, thank you.

[There's no need to feel bad about curses, no matter how awkward that curse is.]

Chekov or Pavel is good. I will respond to either.

[Yes, but she tends to be more rude when she's younger.]

Run into quite a few girls like me, have you, Chekov?

The stairs like to play tricks?

[Pause.]

... hello?

[There's no face. Why. 8| ]

Deten -

[She hasn't been in detention for ages. It sounds like she's talking about -

- his heart clenches.

The war.

She sounds like she's coming fresh from the war, when she was facing things like that on a regular basis. This must be some sort of trick of the City's, making her forget everything.

He sighs, though he makes no move to shake off her hand.]

No, I'm afraid they're quite right. How are you feeling? Are you hungry or thirsty?

Hello.

[By now, Merlin knows the kind of expressions people wear at a time of struggle, a time of war. He's not used to seeing Ginny this way and it surprises him, but it's obvious that the City's played some sort of trick. She doesn't seem to have any memories of it.

He wonders what exactly is going on in her world.

And he almost says that she's not at home, but realises that something more gentle and step by step might be more appropriate here. So instead, he goes with:]

You alright?

You're in there, right? I mean, not in there, but—it's like a telephone, right?

[Oh, another face. It's like a Floo during holidays, people just popping in and out to say hello, only a lot less green, but still personable, somehow. Even with this silly screen in the way (and she resists the urge to tap it, even now). Ginny blinks at him, then smiles easily, even if this is a perfect stranger.]

Perfectly fine, just a little lost.

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