Vanity Fare

"Oh, how I wish, how I just wish..." she whispered to herself. "If only I could have my dreams, I would be made forever." She closed her eyes, as one almost red tear stained the bedspread.

Now, it is said that on the Eve of St Junifer's Day, all the animals in the world are given the power to speak, although very few can hear them, and fewer understand what it is that they say. But this day is only known to a few, and most are long dead and forgotten. But still the pigmies in the wood will sing their songs, the sea-morgans will throw their waves into boats, and woozles will lure strange children into the woods with their sweet sounds and their bright sparkling lights. The forests dance with enchantments. It is said that if one has wished at the right time, at the right moment (the right time and the right moment are often thought of the same, but this is never true), then the child will be granted their heart's desire.

Ginny lay asleep, oblivious to anything around her. A shadow drifted across her bedspread, casing her entire face with its dark tones. She opened her eyes. The wind was hammering against the window, and it burst open. She neither screamed nor was scared, and although the noise was loud none of the other girls woke. The room was covered in moonlight, weird blazing dust particles glittered in its light. A beautiful creature, with long golden hair which fell in ringlets to the floor, stood framed by the window. It was a huge creature, almost exactly like a human but much taller than an ordinary lady. She wore a trailing green kirtle, made of lovely green silk. Around her head was a coronet, made of green leaves and dark berries. She seemed to emit a strange green glow from her skin, and her ears were strangely pointed. At times she seemed to be solid, but at others Ginny felt that she seemed very distant, like her body was translucent and hovering. She smiled at Ginny.

"I heard your calling Ginny," the creature spoke with a soothing, eloquent and gentle voice, but like her body she spoke like she was distant, like an echo. Ginny looked confused, as she didn't remember calling anyone.

"I heard your cries Ginny, in your sleep and in your dreams, I heard them. They were louder and shriller than anything I have ever heard. I felt the pain. I'm here to help you Ginny." Ginny looked at her in question, feeling slightly scared and violated at someone who could see into her deepest thoughts and desires. She was stunningly beautiful, but her eyes seemed to dance and flicker like a green flame, moving quickly and sharply around the room. Her eyes seemed unnatural and alien to her.

"Ginny, I am your guardian. I am here to help you; please do not be scared, I am here to grant you that which you desire most. I love to do good, it's what I live for. Helping others, who are as miserable as you are. You are miserable are you not? Or perhaps I have come to the wrong person..." the creature said, turning away to leave.

"No, wait!" said Ginny, grabbing the creature's arm. She could feel the strength and power in her. Perhaps her eyes were not that bad; it's not like she had done anything to alarm her.

"I do want your help." The creature smiled, a most wonderful smile like the crack of lightning, or the roar of thunder.

"Then follow me." It gave out its hand to her, and Ginny placed her hand into the great palm that was offered. It felt cold, and mechanical. Her fingers were like metal claws, covered in perfect white skin, like steel pincers that would break her hand quite easily, but yet her hand was not real or touchable. She led Ginny out of the room, through many passages and chambers that Ginny recognised well. All the time nobody awoke, nobody even stirred. She led her into chambers that she had never seen before, secret passages and corridors that had been kept hidden and forgotten for centuries. Then they came to a corridor, and at the end was neither a door nor an aperture. It was a sheet of pure glass, but it was opaque and frosted so Ginny could not see in to the other side. The glass seemed warm, despite its frost. It glowed red and there were strange markings that were scratched into it. The creature, still with her hand clamped to Ginny's, lifted her other hand and pressed it firmly flat against the glass sheet. She kept it there for a while, and Ginny could feel a tremor beneath her feet, that began to grow more and more louder and violent. The glass shattered into hundreds of shards, but each flying piece stayed clear of Ginny or the lady. Ginny looked shocked, and even if she did have a slight desire to be away from this person, she feared the hand that held her. They entered the room, which seemed to be made of pure gold. The floors, the walls, each and everything shone with a radiant gleam of gold.

The creature tugged at Ginny's hand, and they entered the golden room. They had entered into a crypt, with weird disfigured pillars that were twisted and coiled; huge gargoyles, with ugly demon faces looked down at her, mouths gaping in horror. The roof was vaulted and seemed to go higher and higher. There were rose windows with tracery, which were also gold. There was no other colour, just different shades of gold. There was no natural light; there were only pulpits, which contained lighted lamps, making their shadows flicker ominously on the floor. The creature took Ginny passed golden tombs, and into a room that had contained a carved font cover and an eagle lectern. Both were gold. On top of the eagle lectern was a huge tome, chained to the lectern.

"Go to the book, and open up its pages. There you will see your heart's desire and I shall grant it for you, my sweet child." The creature gave a smooth shove for Ginny to open the book. Ginny wavered for a while, fairly tentative.

"Now, girl, say your name clearly." The lady was getting more and more excited by the minute; she seemed to be stiff, while she waited for Ginny.

"Ginny Weasley," she cried. The book began to glow, and the chain and latch that bound the book flipped open, and the pages flicked over and over. Between the pages Ginny could see that each one marked a horrible stage in her life, when she broke her hand and when she was blamed for something she did not do. Strange wisps of magic weaved in and out of the pages, blue and green bumble bees buzzing in the pages. The pictures were moving, and the page stopped at one entitled "Your Heart's Desire". It was made from print, and each letter was made in golden, shining ink and each letter had tails and fancy patterns.

"Now you must watch as the book will show you all that you want, and all that you desire." Ginny gazed into the book, and she began to see herself. She was pale, and gaunt. She watched as she told a joke to a group of girls, who didn't even so much as see her. One of the more popular girls said the same joke, and they all laughed. Ginny watched as the pictures moved onto more scenes of misery. She saw times when the boys laughed at her red hair, and her face. People ignored her. A tear dropped from Ginny's eye, and had she looked up at that moment, she would have seen the creature smile a most wicked smile at her pain. But Ginny was compelled to continue watching, and she now saw herself being led by the creature that had happened not so long ago, and she could see herself in the picture, looking into the book as though it were a mirror. Now the page showed two pictures: on one side it showed Ginny as she was, and how she would grow up. She would go through all her years ignored and unwanted. It showed her middle-aged, with nothing but cats and a small house to live in. Then it showed her old, and dying with no one at her bed. Then it showed her grave, with nothing but her name as the plaque. There were no words of love. This picture faded out, and she looked to the other side of the page. This showed a much different picture. It showed the most beautiful woman Ginny had ever seen, so much so that she felt like bowing to her and felt that her life would be empty unless she looked at her for every second of her remaining life. At this point the lady creature came over to Ginny and spoke:

"That there, which you gaze in wonder was once the most beautiful woman that has ever been. She was Helen of Troy, whom men and women fought for, just so that they could see her again. It was she that had all of the world at her feet, in awe and wonder at her splendour. Much blood was spilled, and men were driven mad after they had looked upon so wonderful a person. Her beauty was unparalleled by all, and there is no description that can do her justice." Ginny looked in awe at Helen, as men adorned Helen's feet and slaughtered their own wives in the hope of being the suitor whom she would choose.

"It was Helen, with all her beauty that commands respect and obedience, who became immortalised in every way. Her memory lives on even now, on this mortal plane. She is immortal. Zeus, charmed by her grace and exquisiteness, offered her real immortality amongst the Gods. Do you see what she had, my child? How she had everyone at her mercy by her beauty that ensnared even blind men?" The creature smiled, as she told Ginny to gaze once more at the book. She saw herself, as she thought she was now, pale and unwanted. Then she watched as her red hair turned into a gleaming russet, which grew in perfect curls down to her feet. Her skin became unblemished and glowing, and her eyes turned a deeper brown that shone with vitality. Her body became slender, her lips red and full. Every asset of her was wonderful, perhaps even more beautiful than Helen, she thought. She will be more beautiful than Helen, she must be.

Everyone waited on what she had to say, and crowds of eager men were shrouding her, adorning her with gifts and speeches about her beauty and grace. She watched as she smiled and dismissed them at her will. She watched as huge ships sank to the ocean, as men became hypnotised by her perfect face and body. Ladies spoke of her as if she were a goddess; in the awe and wonder she had often done about others. Now she could see two images, one of her, as she would be without the spell, pale and lonely in a small forgotten house. The other picture showed her as a stunning woman, sitting on a chaise-longue, in a palace full of servants and men showering her with offers of love, duty and honour. Both the images began to fade, and then the book showed only pages of words that it started with. But Ginny had the memory of that other Ginny, who was stunning and wanted and adored. She remembered how they all did as she ordered, how they killed themselves at her command, and how the most gentle and civil of men would kill their own family if she so asked.

The power she had with intoxicating. All this time the lady was in the background, smiling at Ginny's growing lust for her to cast the magic. Ginny could hear the evil whisperings of the book in her mind saying 'Yours, Ginny. Only yours...' Ginny spoke softly, in a faraway tone: "Only mine." The book kept repeating its evil whispers, but there was one part of Ginny that was still wary; the part where she knew the evil was all around her, the true and real Ginny was telling her this, the part where she knew she was loved. 'You will Ginny. Go on, ask for your heart's desire..." came the book's whisperings. "I won't. I won't," Ginny said, struggling to believe her words and resist the temptation, as she tried to remember the killings and the deaths in those images.

Though she didn't know it, she looked nearly as beautiful in that room defying the evil book, as she did in its pages. The book showed her once again what she could have and her mind became plagued by power and desire. "I will, " she cried. "Of course I will. You will give me my heart's desire." The creature smiled, and she ripped the page out of the book, and opened the lid off the huge carved font. She threw the page into the basin, and replaced the lid. Smoke sifted through the ridge between the lid and the basin. The lady removed the lid once more; only this time out of the font came a small phial of red liquid.

"Here in this bottle, is that which will give you your dreams," she said. "But, there is the small matter of payment. You might say the price, or fare for the gift I am giving to you." Ginny looked up at the witch in wonder.

"What is this fare?"

"You must give me your soul." Ginny stared at her, her heart palpitating rapidly, shocked by the terms of the lady's offer.

"But my soul is a part of me. Without it, I am damned."

"It is a fair trade, insolent beast!!!!" screamed the witch, her voice booming. She snarled, and looked angry at her defiance. Then, she seemed to remember something and smiled once again.

"Oh my poor child, forgive my rudeness. It is only that I despair that you are giving up on the one thing that will make your miserable and pathetic, meaningless life, one that will be so wonderful you will cry with happiness. My dear child, what is a kind soul, if there is no one to see the kindness in your heart? What is a soul that will give you a place in the afterlife, when you will be immortalised and in paradise here? You see, you will have the best of both worlds. You have no point for your soul. Not when you have my magic blessed upon you." But Ginny was fighting against losing something so precious to her, with something that she believed would fulfil all her dreams. The witch gazed on her struggle, and then her eyes flashed as she remembered...

In the palm of her hand the creature materialized a bowl, and she told Ginny to look into it. The water was green, like emerald water and was bright on her eyes. The creature swished the water, and there was something else, images of someone else. She could see herself sleeping with the one she had loved, and always loved. She could see him adoring her, and kissing her. It was Harry, as she wanted him to see her, and feel about being with her. The images faded.

"I will take the trade," relented Ginny. The creature smiled, and offered her the phial of red liquid. Ginny removed the cap, while looking at the witch, who was trying to suppress a look of hunger, and impatience. "Oh well. Bottoms up," Ginny said, as she imbibed the entire contents. She dropped the bottle to the floor, and began to feel dizzy. All the golden objects in the room, the walls, the floor, the lectern, everything turned black as lead. She could hear the echo of laughter, and from her body the creature was draining her of her soul. Ginny's dizziness disappeared, and she now looked around her. She no longer saw things the same way that she did before; they now felt empty, detached, as she had no strong feelings towards anything. She looked at the foul creature, which put her soul into a jar. As the witch held the jar, Ginny realised that the woman had now become solid, and more tangible. It was only now, with the contrast, that she realised the creature had had no real physical form before. Now her soul had given the creature that much, as her skin no longer looked cold but warm.

"At last!! I have a soul! Titania will be evermore jealous of me, Lilith, the more powerful...the fool, as if she did not realise that I would use this Eve as a day to claim my right." The witch now turned to Ginny. "Farewell, fool. You have sacrificed the most precious thing you have, all in the name of greed. You were easy prey. In the knowledge that you have damned yourself forevermore, I shall leave you." The creature now faded into green light, and Ginny found herself becoming dizzy again, as the liquid burned through her throat and strangled her blood and veins. When she awoke, the sun was dawning, and she was in her bed. She rushed over to the mirror. Staring back at her was the Ginny she had yearned for, the one that would give her everything she most desired, but at a terrible price. She rushed over to each of the other girls' wardrobes, trying on their outfits.

A very rich Gryffindor owned the last wardrobe she came to. As she groped around, on one wooden hanger, she saw a glittering ball gown. It was an off the shoulder's gown, made of pink and peach damask and brocade. Rubies and garnets were studded to the dress, with its ruffles and silk stitches. There were red velvet shoes, and a golden tiara all ready for her to steal. For some reason she no longer cared about the upset the girl would feel if she saw her trying it on. She hardly noticed anyone that would not give her self-gain. But then, she no longer really saw other people anymore, only herself. She walked into the mirror, gazing at the reflection that would lure everyone into her web of deceit and pride. She took out a lipstick from the drawer, and cased her lips with a blood red colour. She pouted her lips a few times, and smiled an evil, introverted smile just like the creature did that she met last night. She was smiling as she imagined: the pain, the power and the perfect person that would drag everyone else down in her misery.