CHAPTER XLIII:
join an army why don't you

( October 1995 )

"OKAY I'LL ADMIT, TODAY WASN'T THE ABSOLUTE WORST." Ginger shrugged getting into her seat in the Great Hall.

Her fellow Ravenclaws sat around her listening. "How did Umbridge react to you coming back?" Cho asked before taking a bite of her dinner.

"She sort of just said that she was glad I was back in good health and glared at me for the rest of class." Alexander and Cho nodded listening while Luna seemed to have her head in the clouds per usual. "But the twins were ready to cause a scene if she did anything." Alexander nodded skeptically of the twin who she took to the ball.

"Speaking of the twins," Alexander muttered to the girls as the carbon copies of each other took strides over to the table of sapphire and black.

Sitting on either side of Ginger, they spoke finishing each other's sentences, "we heard a rumor–" "–there might be some worthwhile education arising for us."

Alex rolled his eyes lightly, "tweedle dee and tweedle dumb, no riddles please." Cho choked out a laugh while Luna gave a dreamy smile when Ginger flicked his arm.

"Well, there's word floating around from Hermione that she believe we–" "–students–" "–have a possibility for teaching ourselves the dark arts." The Ravenclaws let their eyebrows raise intrigued.

"How exactly is that possible?" Ginger questioned.

"No details now but meet in the Hogshead next trip to Hogsmeade if you're interested in it." They spoke in synchronization not letting anyone get a word in before standing up together leading themselves back to their table of scarlet.

"Why must those two be so cryptic when sending messages," Cho shook her head with a smile.

"I suppose it may be something they've picked up from horned snorkle-stacks" Luna nodded with her words. Cho and Alexander shared an odd look that Ginger had narrowly missed as she nodded agreeing with the girl.

      THE FIRST VISIT TO HOGSMEADE CAME QUICKER THAN EXPECTED AND BEFORE SHE KNEW IT, GINGER WAS TRACKING HER WAY THROUGH THE SMALL VILLAGE. Her hands stuffed themselves into the pockets of her pants to keep them warm while the October breeze blew into her face pushing her hair back occasionally.

      Nearing the entrance of the Hogshead, she swung the door open to be greeted by overflowing warmth and comfort. Moving her neck to look over different groups and crowds she eventually found the group she was searching for. A huddle of teens took up an entire space consisting of some faces Ginger was mostly familiar with and some she wasn't.

"Hi, Luna," Ginger waved at the blonde who nodded her head with closed eyes.

Then two large arms wrapped themselves around her shoulders, "ah Miss Moon." George. "Miss Lovely." Fred. "Fancy meeting you here." Both.

Smiling up at the two boys she said a simple "hello boys."

The sound of fists pounding on a table in front of all the teens quickly silenced the chatter as Hermione stood up straight with all eyes on her. Ginger and the twins all took a seat beside Alexander who had gotten into the pub before Ginger. "Hi, everyone. I thought it would be nice if we met and talked over how we wanted to teach ourselves Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Why?" A boy interrupted right after her sentence.

Ron Weasley at him, "why? 'Cause You-Know-Who's back, you tosspot."

Ginger furrowed her brows at the insult and pulled the twins by their matching coats, "what exactly is a tosspot?" she whispered for their ears to hear.

They shrugged simultaneously, "no idea."

"So he says," the boy snapped back.

"So Dumbledore says," Hermione defended with an irritated hint in her tone.

"So Dumbledore says because he says. The point is, where's the proof?"

Ginger advanced forward in her seat, "the proof is the boy who's stood in the presence of You-Know-Who with a scar on his forehead in plain sight," she defended Harry quickly. She held a special place in her heart for The Boy Who Lived for no apparent reason but she felt as if she needed to defend him no matter what.

"If Potter could tell us more about how Cedric Diggory got killed..." Another boy commented. Ginger tensed in her seat shifting uncomfortably not wanting to hear anything about her best friend.

Harry sighed and stood up, "I'm not going to talk about Cedric Diggory so if that's why you're here you might as well clear out now." He began whispering things to Hermione who seemed to be trying to convince him to stay and reason with the crowd.

"Is it true you can produce a Patronus Charm?" Luna spoke up interrupting them.

Harry seemed to be thinking about it for a moment so Hermione spoke for him. "Yes. I've seen it."

"Blimey, Harry, I didn't know you could do that," Dean Thomas spoke in shock.

"And he killed a Basilisk, with the sword in Dumbledore's office," Neville spoke up.

Ginny nodded, "It's true."

"Third year, he fought off about a hundred dementors at once," Ron boasted for his friend." Ginger's eyes widened along with many other students around.

"And last year, he really did fight off You-Know-Who in the flesh."

"Wait, look, it all sounds pretty great when you put it like that, but the truth is, most of it was just luck," Harry interjected his victories. "I didn't know what I was doing half the time, and I almost always had help."

"Luck or not, Harry, you still did more than anyone of us could do now and you're barely even sixteen yet," Ginger stated with multiple people nodding agreeing.

"He's just being modest–"

"No, Hermione, I'm not. Facing this stuff in real life is not like school. In school, you can make a mistake and just try again tomorrow. But out there... when you're a second away from getting murdered, or watching a friend die before your eyes, you don't know what that's like."

A small silence fell over the group as Harry sat back down in his seat. Ginger interlocked her elbows with Alex then held George's hand putting her head on Alex's shoulder thinking about Cedric. They were all so young and yet they were worried about when the next time someone would die. Some of them hadn't even had their first kisses yet and they had to worry about the rise of a dark wizard during what was supposed to be the best years of their lives.

"You're right, Harry, we don't. But that's why we need your help. Because if we're going to have any chance at beating... Voldemort..." The group tensed at the name altogether.

"He's really back?" A young boy asked, anxiety and fear evident in his words. Harry slowly nodded confirming their worst fears. Ginger only tensed more seeing his expression. She tightened her grip on George's hand sending moths to flutter around in his stomach while she too had begun to feel a slight tickle beneath her ribs.

      After a few more moments of speaking about their newly formed organization, the meeting had come to a close leading to just about every attendant signing their name on a piece of parchment Hermione had taken out of her bag. "My mother did say to join a club or two," Ginger laughed shrugging as the line advance. "How d'you think she'd react to me joining an army?" Alexander laughed with her shrugging.

      Once it became her turn to sign her name, she scribed her name in perfect swirled letters just as she did for any other assignment she had in school. Finishing adding the last e in her name she leaned forward on her palms, more weight on her right than her left, and whispered "you did splendid" to Harry who shyly nodded at her sisterly aura.

      Pushing off of the table to allow the next person to sign their name, Ginger was met face to face by Fred and George.  "So, Lovely-Moon," she smiled at the combination of their names for her so that they could speak in synchronization, "how about we all go around Hogsmeade together and get a cup of cocoa?" Angelina and Lee walked up joining the trio as Alexander was chatting with Cho and Dean.

"I think that's a great idea," she nodded. Their Cheshire grins, which she oh so adored seeing, splattered their faces as they each interlocked their elbows with hers whisking her away with their Gryffindor group for all of them to spend their Hogsmeade day together for the first time in months.

NOTE. i would like to be here to say that for the first time by mac demarco is their song for their hogwarts years ☝🏽 especially their gof era since this man was whipped from the start 🤷🏽‍♀️ BUT later on they get a more mature song which is i only have eyes for you by the flamingos which really sets them up for the dh era

basically the songs with the eras in my perspective would be:
gof: for the first time, mac demarco
ootp: c'est ca l'amour, les sœurs etienne (so this is love but in french)
hbp: heavenly, cigarettes after sex
dh: i only have eyes for you, the flamingos OR the night we met, lord huron

QOTC. if you had to choose a song for ginger and george, what would you choose?