“So Gaia is an Order member that got kidnapped by a deatheater?” Ron asked for the tenth time that night.
“That’s right,” Harry told him as they sat in the deserted Gryffindor common room rehashing the revelations that Ginny had made in Hagrid’s hut. The hour hand of the grandfather clock signaled that it was close to midnight.
“And she’s contacted Ginny for help?”
Harry nodded.
“And she’s been held captive for seventeen years by an unnamed deatheater?”
Harry continued to nod.
“And there’s another prisoner with her, that she’s never seen, who is being drugged.”
Harry felt that if he continued to nod, his head was libel to roll off his neck in protest. Instead, he whispered “yes” and took a sip of water for his dry throat. Hermione had managed to convince Ron that Ginny was a real Volcen and had forced him to return to Hagrid’s hut with her just in time to hear Gaia’s story. He and Ron had exchanged rushed apologies, both feeling as though they were the one in the wrong. Ginny had then retold her Voltara story to Ron, who seemed to be the slowest on the uptake.
As she had done with Lupin, Hermione had guessed that Ginny was a Volcen. She had also correctly deduced that Tonks was there to teach Ginny about Volcency. Hermione speculated that Charlie was there for Ginny’s protection, most likely sent by Mrs. Weasley. They were all disconcerted to learn that Mrs. Weasley had no knowledge of Ginny’s abilities. They came to the agreement that Mrs. Weasley would most likely not allow Ginny to remain at Hogwarts if she knew.
Harry and Hermione immediately agreed to keep Ginny’s secret. It took longer to convince Ron; however, he reluctantly agreed after getting into a rather heated argument with his sister.
“Gaia told Ginny all this information about Voltara?”
Harry responded in the affirmative as he felt his eyes begin to close from tiredness. He shook himself awake, remembering the promise that he had made to answer all of Ron’s questions…irregardless of how long it took.
“So all that’s required of Ginny is…?”
“That she acts as a link,” Harry answered, “To relate the information that Gaia gives her back to the order.”
“And Gaia appears…?”
“Very rarely,” Harry sighed, he began to lose all patience with Ron’s repetitive questions. “Tonks is here to protect Ginny and report information about Gaia back to the order,” he responded to the next question before being asked.
“Well that doesn’t seem so dangerous,” Ron said carefully considering Ginny’s role. Harry felt like cheering.
“It’s getting late, we’d better be off to bed,” Ron said in high spirits as he caught Harry beginning to drift asleep. The two made their way up to their dorm room in silence. Harry threw himself into his four-poster bed. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was fast asleep.
For the following week, Harry, Ron, and Hermione all insisted on attending Ginny’s after class sessions with Tonks. They were surprised to learn that Tonks, although not a Volcen herself, was able to coach Ginny on vessel-voyaging. They each, in turn, became Ginny’s vessel, or destination. Harry preferred to be Ginny’s vessel because he could not watch her body grow slack and her eyes become lifeless without feelings of great anxiety assailing him. The idea of her being soulless terrified him.
When he was her vessel, he could hear her inside his mind making snide remarks and telling childish jokes. He and Ginny particularly enjoyed arguing over Hermione and Ron’s ‘just friends’ status. Often, he wondered what Ginny spoke with Hermione about. Every time he and Ron would ask, the girls would simply giggle and refuses to answer. It was simply infuriating.
Towards the middle of the week, Tonks administered her first exam. The students had to keep her out of their minds utilizing Occlumency. Of course, this was not Ginny’s actual assessment. Tonks had a special test for her. Ginny was charged with the task of implanting a thought into someone’s mind. The catch was that the person had to act on that thought, as proof that she had done her assignment.
Tonks added the restriction that the thought must cause no injury to the person when Ron suggested that Ginny tell Malfoy to run off into the forbidden forest in search of the centaurs. Friday, Ginny announced that she had completed her mission, although she refused to disclose what she had done. After Ernie McMillan, Parvati Patil, and Susan Bones all approached Harry with questions about reforming Dumbledore’s Army; Harry correctly surmised that she had let word of Snape’s Slytherin Soldiers spread. The later the hour became, the more panicked everyone seemed to become, until he was fed up with the growing hysteria and announced that a meeting would take place 6pm the following day in the usual location.
Ten minutes to six the following day, he and Ginny could be found walking back to Hogwarts after a partially successful try-out session. Jimmy Bane, a stout 7th year with arms like a gorilla, proved to be an adept beater. Of course he could not wreak havoc on the quidditch field as finely as his predecessors, but he was a skillful flyer and was competent with a bat so Harry added him.
“Do you have any clue what you’ll be teaching?”
Harry was startled by the question. In truth, he had not spared a moment to think about the DA meeting that they were heading to. He wondered if Charlie would make it to the meeting.
“Did you talk to Charlie about coming?” he asked Ginny.
“Ron said that he and Hermione were visiting him this morning and that they would ask.”
“Oh.” Harry had picked up on a peculiar occurrence over the past week; Ginny had not been answering his questions before being asked. As time went by, he began to wonder when she was listening to the thoughts of those around her and just how much she heard. He opened the door, signaling her to go first, and cleared his throat awkwardly. “Ginny?”
“Yes Harry?”
“I was just wondering…how often do you hear other people’s thoughts?”
“As often as I want.”
“How come you didn’t hear me thinking about Charlie?”
“Charlie?” Ginny responded in bemusement. “Sorry, usually I just tune people out…otherwise it gets noisy in here,” she pointed to the general vicinity of her head.
“Like being in the great hall all day,” Harry commented.
“Exactly,” Ginny replied with a charming smile.
He hesitated, but the question he had been dying to ask burst forth, “Have you ever listened to my thoughts?”
For a moment, he thought that Ginny would not answer. The smile she had been wearing disappeared. Finally, she nodded in affirmation.
“What did you hear?” he continued to probe.
Ginny seemed to grow apprehensive, “Are you sure you want to know?”
“Yes…”
Ginny sighed, “I heard how horrible your date with Cho went…That the dementors make you hear your mother…That you got something called the Marauders Memoirs, I didn’t know what it was at the time I heard you thinking about it.”
Harry laughed at the thought of Ginny hearing about his disastrous date with Cho. “Have you ever changed something in my life?”
A slight blush came over Ginny; she nodded but did not speak.
“What did you change?”
She took a deep breath, seemingly bracing herself, and then jumped right in. “Since I saw you at Mafalda’s, I sensed how broken up you’ve been…about Sirius.”
All at once he sobered up, “Please continue.”
Her nerves looked to be failing her now that she had started the topic, but she continued. “You were so upset that I felt I had to do something to help you.”
“What did you do?”
“Every time you began to think about Sirius, I put other thoughts in your head.”
“What type of thoughts?”
“Oh, simple things…the urge to play cards, eat some food, or just soothing thoughts.”
“I see,” he replied unsure what to make of Ginny’s interference.
“Please don’t be upset with me,” she pleaded, “I only wanted to relieve the guilt you’ve been living with…You know, it really wasn’t your fault.”
“I’d rather not…”
“I know,” Ginny replied looking shamefaced. “Pull yourself together for right now. There are a lot of people behind that door.”
He was surprised to find that they had reached the room of requirements. He had not even noticed that they had walked back and forth three times in front of the door.
“There are a lot of people behind that door,” she warned as he turned the knob, “Just remember what we’re here for.”
“Right,” Harry nodded.
As he opened the door the noise level overwhelmed them. He felt as though he was entering the Quidditch pitch before a big game. Their presence was made known by Colin Creevy who began squeaking ‘He’s here’ before tumbling out of sight behind a pack of seventh years. The room had clearly reached full capacity. There were many people there that were not members of the DA; some he recognized from the hallways, others he did not know at all. He was thankful when Hermione approached him, ticking things off her clipboard as she went.
“Harry, I’ve explained the rules to joining the DA to everyone and they’ve all signed up. We’ve gone over the penalties that will befall them should they blab about our alliance. Charlie,” she nodded her head indicating the very back of the room where Charlie was tearing two squabbling third years apart, “has assigned everyone into groups and given group leaders. The group leaders are the old DA members, obviously. They are in charge of getting their groups up to speed in terms of hexes, charms, and spells…pretty much everything you taught us last year.”
Harry found himself in awe of the way Hermione had taken control of the situation. She looked expectantly at him. “Brilliant job, Hermione,” he said in apparent admiration.
She beamed happily at him and said, “Once you’re ready, give them the order.”
Harry turned to the eager crowd, “Everyone in your groups?” They all nodded enthusiastically. “Leaders ready?” The old DA members called out in the affirmative. “Then let’s get down to work!”
Hermione swept him into the midst of the bickering third years and they looked reverently at him. “This is your group, Harry,” she told him, shrugging when she saw the beseeching look in his eyes. “Ginny come with me and I will take you to your group.”
Ginny followed Hermione giving Harry a feeble thumbs up to encourage him. She fared off better than he did with a group of keen fourth year boys that were thrilled to have her as their leader.
“Alright guys…and girls,” he added, noting the mutinous looks on the girls’ faces, “Let’s pair up.” Once they had done so he set them about the task of repelling unfriendly hexes and curses. He had never had to deal with so many third years all at once and found that they were quite the rambunctious bunch. As they seemed to find their rhythm his concentration on the task before him began to ebb away. His mind turned to the conversation he had been having with Ginny that had come to an abrupt halt when they reached the room of requirements.
He was certain that she had not disclosed every thought that she had heard him thinking. After another hectic hour with the third years his mind settled on their first night back, when she had stomped off leaving him and a very confused Dean behind. Harry was prepared to bet his firebolt that Ginny had heard the war raging in his head. She had to know how he felt about her. That was the only explanation as to why she ignored both him and Dean. She knew he loved her, every fiber in his being told him that she knew. The question was: What was he going to do about it?