There's Something About Ginny

'Ama me fideliter! Fidem meam noto: De corde totaliter Et ex mente tota, Sum presentialiter Absens in remota.'

Carmina Burana, "Omnia Sol Temperat"

The Order meeting room had the atmosphere of a trial, eyes harrowing into Ginny as she kept her own lowered, awaiting her verdict. She quickly scanned the table, watching as others instinctively lowered their eyes - she felt like an outcast. The Order automatically arranged a meeting after every frequent death eater attack. This one, however, had something unusual on the agenda. Till everyone arrived they had not told her anything, yet had merely whispered as she waited in silence, treating her like a fragile doll, consciously avoiding her gaze." You must speak to Lupin." That was all they had said, and she complied.

At long last the silence was broken, and the meeting began.

Fitting with the air of the meeting, there were no jests, no questions to Molly about what was for dinner, no lively conversation - instead, following a summary upon the breadth of the attack and its implications, Lupin went straight to the point, gently requesting Ginny to tell them what had happened. With a subdued voice, Ginny explained what had occurred. "I don't understand myself" she whispered, "I just knew the things about him that I wanted to know, and I couldn't control myself, I couldn't refuse to speak what I learned..."

Ginny could not help feeling weak for her strong display of emotion. She felt as though she really needed Harry to be besides her, but he had avoided her ever since they returned from Diagon Alley. He was not at the meeting, having been on icy terms with the Order ever since they had allowed Severus Snape back into their ranks. She did not tell the Order about how Draco saved her life or of the kiss, merely that they had met as she tried to escape.

Tonks, her mouth wide open, could not speak. She knew she did not have to, either. There was something mysterious about Ginny Weasley, but one thing was certain: for Ginny's sake, Voldemort must never know about the power she possessed.

She shuddered, imagining what Voldemort would do to get an Alucinor in his grip...

"Thank you, Ginny", Lupin had said quietly, dismissing her. "We will call you back soon."

Slowly, Ginny left the room, hearing many muffled voices as she closed the door behind her.

An hour later the witch returned, and she immediately demanded to know. Ginny hated being in the dark. After a few seconds of tentative silence, Lupin was the first to speak. "Ginny," he said in a calm voice, "you possess a very rare gift, called Alucinor, which enables you to extricate feelings and knowledge from those whose eyes meet yours. My theory is that you received the gift from Tom Riddle, as this gift has only appeared, till now, to descendents of Salazar Slytherin. Tom must have inadvertently transferred the gift to you while he possessed you. Although he was a halfblood and could not use this gift, you are a pureblood, and hence you can."

"Then why ," Ginny questioned skeptically, "have I never discovered it until now?"

Lupin appeared pensive for a moment, as though pondering how to phrase a certain truth, and then at last resumed his speech.

"Such rare gifts only appear when the person possessing the gift loses one of the last remnants of innocence, and then is gradually developed, the inner distraction generally resulting in extreme emotional states till the ability fully appears."

He spoke ambiguously, yet allowing Ginny to privately recall losing her virginity to Harry, due to which they decided to resume their relationship.

A moment of silence ensued, during which Ginny began to realize the situation. Only then did she grasp the true weight of the matter, and her voice rose as she shouted, frightened, at Lupin. "Ability? This is no ability - this is a curse!" Ginny's grip around a glass of water tightened so that it broke in her hand. Water and blood spilled over the table edge, the drips mingling with her shouts. "How can I live with it? I can't avoid another's gaze for the rest of my life!"

Lupin's face appeared resolute and grim as he hesitantly resumed his speech. "The Order is still discussing that matter; you will be informed as soon as we have a concrete answer."

She would be left in the dark - again. An upset witch immediately left the meeting room and ran to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Tonks rose to comfort her, yet Molly placed a hand on her shoulder before she approached the redhead, whispering to the young auror that it was best to leave her daughter alone for now.

Ginny sighed, ignoring her wounded hand. Sometimes she felt as though everything happened to her. She longed to have her mother nearby, holding her and soothing her softly, and yet deeper still she wanted to struggle silently and in solitude, just to prove to herself that she could. During her first year, when Harry had saved her, she had felt useless, that she was just a damsel in distress. But this time, Ginny knew, she would take things into her own hands. She would no longer be a victim - she refused let her new curse interfere with her life.

Immediately, Ginny fell into a deep slumber.