For Such A Time As This

"WHAT D'YOU MEAN I'M NOT GOING BACK TO HOGWARTS?!?!?" Ginny Weasley

screamed at her parents, her voice reverberating shrilly throughout 12 Grimmauld Place, and probably the entire surrounding neighborhood as well. She had mentioned in passing that she was wondered when the Weasley family would be making their annual trek to Diagon Alley to purchase school supplies for the coming year, but as her piercing tone of voice indicated, the answer of "you're not going to Hogwarts this year" was clearly not what she had expected.

"Just what I said, dear," Mrs. Weasley replied calmly. "You'll be studying abroad next term. You know full and well that full-fledged war is imminent, and I don't want you to be in danger."

"Danger?!" Ginny sputtered. "After everything that happened this past spring you think I can't handle myself in 'danger?'"

"That is precisely why you are not returning this year; we don't want you to have to face another situation like that," her father told her, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"But Dad, honestly!" Ginny pulled away and began pacing. "And anyway, as long as You-Know-Who's has power, Hogwarts is the safest place I could be. You know that as well as I do! Dumbledore protects all of us students!"

"But isn't Dumbledore the one who suggested the whole thing?" her older brother, Ron, quipped as he entered the room, munching on an apple.

"Ronald, please leave the room," Mrs. Weasley responded curtly. It really was quite funny--everyone had by this point learned to steer clear of a Weasley row except the other Weasleys.

"No, no, wait a minute! You know about all this already?" Ginny wheeled around to face him. "Aren't you even a little bothered by this life-changing revelation?"

"Why should I be?" Ron asked her, still nonchalant. "I'm not going!"

"WHAT?!?!" If anyone had thought Ginny could not become any angrier or her voice any louder, this latest exclamation certainly proved him or her wrong. "How the hell does Ron know about this before me?!"

"That is a very good question. How did you, Ron?" Mrs. Weasley's voice was dangerously calm.

"Oh, blimey," Ron muttered under his breath. "Um, er... lucky guess?" He tried to chuckle sheepishly, but the glares from everyone else in the room stopped him short. "Well, listen, it was nice chatting with you all, but I think I'm, um, going to go, um, clean the whole house... or something right now." He slowly backed up to the doorway, and then sprinted away.

"Capital idea," his mother agreed with more than a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

Gah, he must be using more of the twins' Extendable Ears, Ginny thought with disgust. The gits. Why haven't they given me any?! "But Mum, Dad--what did Ron mean, he's not going!?"

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley exchanged a "do-you-handle-this-one-or-shall-I" look before Mr. Weasley spoke. "Dumbledore feels it would be better for Ron to stay here--"

"But Dad!" Ginny whined angrily. Oh, the unfairness of it all! "What makes--"

"Harry needs him!" he shot back loudly, wounding more than just Ginny's eardrums.

"Oh, I see, Harry needs him," she hotly retorted. "And poor baby Ginny isn't needed by anyone, she can't take care of herself, let alone help somebody--"

"Oh, enough with that rubbish, Ginny," her mother snapped. "Harry is your friend too, and you know it."

"Yes, yes, and he wants you to be safe too, I'm sure!" Mr. Weasley added. "In fact, I'd wager that if he had the chance to get away for awhile, he'd take it! Really, Ginny, the idea of studying abroad is really an excellent one, if you just sit down and look at the facts." His face pleaded with Ginny to level out and listen to him, but she was too far into the argument to back down now--after all, she was a Weasley.

"Yeah, well, maybe I don't want any of you 'excellent ideas!' I don't need you telling me how to run my life!" she snapped, her amber eyes blazing as she took a step towards Mr. Weasley, who raised his voice dangerously.

"Virginia Weasley, as long as you live under our roof--"

"JUST STOP IT!" Mrs. Weasley screamed even louder than Ginny had--it was easy to see where Ginny got her temper. "Ginny, we are sending you abroad because we love you! I love you, and I don't want to see you hurt again! Now you're going to have to get over your blasted stubbornness."

"But--"

"Not another word! I don't want to see you or hear another word from you until you can be reasonable about this."

"Fine," Ginny spat out as she turned on her heel and began walking away.

"NOT ANOTHER WORD!"

******************************************************************************

Five days later, Ginny timidly approached her mother, who was leafing through a cookbook in the kitchen.

"Er, Mom?"

"Yes, Ginny?" Mrs. Weasley replied civilly without bothering to look up from her book.

"Um, when do I leave?" Ginny tried to sound offhand.

"August 14^th." She spoke as calmly as if she had just been asked for the time of day, rather than of a major, life-changing point of no return.

Ginny nearly choked. "As in four days from today, August 10^th?"

"Yes, I believe so."

AAAHHHHH!!!!

"Great, Mum," she replied with a very broad and very forced smile. "Oh, and one more thing."

Mrs. Weasley glanced at Ginny, and either misjudging or ignoring her signs of displeasure, returned her smile. "Of course, dear!"

"Well, uh... where exactly am I going, anyway?"

"Rintorditos Academy of Magic. It's in the western United States."

Crap.

"Super!"

******************************************************************************

"Super!" On the other side of England--Glastonbury, Somerset, to be precise--Luna Lovegood uttered that exact same word at the dinner table. The only difference was that she meant it sincerely. "I've wanted the chance to study abroad for ages; this is really fabulous, Dad." Though perhaps her tone didn't do much to exemplify her excitement, Dwayne Lovegood knew his daughter well enough to tell that she was completely thrilled.

"So where am I going?"

"Rintorditos Academy of Magic. It's in Arizona, in the southwest part of the United States. It's a rather large school--about seven hundred students, I think--but the headmaster, Dr. Daniels, assured me that the kids are more than welcoming."

"Fantastic. Do you suppose it's anywhere near the Lost Dutchman Mine?" Luna inquired, her thoughts drifting back to mysterious tales and legends about America that she had heard as a child.

"Could very well be! You and your new friends will have to do a little exploring if you have any free time," Mr. Lovegood said. Seeing his daughter's large, shining eyes he added with a grin, "Who knows... if you happen to find anything, maybe I'll let you write an article about it for The Quibbler"

In a rare burst of enthusiasm, Luna got up and put her arms around her father's neck. "First the holiday in Sweden, and now this. Oh, Dad, you're the best! So how soon do I go?"

"In four days. You might want to--"

Luna interrupted him: "Goodness, in that case I'd better go pack, hadn't I?" She hastily began clearing the table.

"Just what I was going to suggest. You are a mind reader, Luna," Mr. Lovegood replied with a chuckle as he carried the unfinished shepherd's pie into the kitchen. "Oh, and you don't need to worry about the dishes tonight."

"Thanks, Dad," Luna called back over her shoulder as she made her way to the back staircase. She hurried up two flights of steep wooden steps to her room. It was once an attic, but Luna and her parents had spent most of her life renovating it into an eclectic haven, perfectly suited to her hodgepodge of interests. The sloped ceiling was still unfinished wood--next summer's project--but the walls were painted in a striking shade of blue-green that sometimes appeared bluer, sometimes greener, that made a beautiful background against her many posters and photographs of far-away destinations and mythical creatures tacked up all over. A thick, soft rug that depicted the night sky and all its constellations covered the entire floor. On the left wall a bronze bookcase, designed in the shape of the Colossus, overflowed with volumes tattered from excessive use, and a gross of old "Quibblers" were haphazardly stacked along its far side. Next to the newspaper pile was the room's only one window, with its jade and emerald striped curtains and small, cushioned reading seat, and nestled in the corner beyond it stood Luna's wardrobe, made of teak and adorned with red and gold Chinese characters. Against the far wall were a lime retro-styled chair and an oak desk--probably the most ordinary object in the room--but quills, empty inkbottles, and assorted knickknacks lined its hutch's shelves. Across from the window Luna's small but comfortable bed, covered with an old patchwork quilt of her grandmother's, jutted out at an angle and a granite-topped nightstand on top of which a Tiffany lamp stood beside it. However, the most interesting object in the room was situated just to the left of the bed. A squat but nevertheless real eucalyptus tree with wide branches that just brushed against the ceiling served as both the room's focal point and the home for Luna's three sugar gliders: Arianrhod, Phoebe, and Dae-Soon.

"Hello, lovelies!" she greeted them. Spotting Phoebe resting on a low branch, Luna gently picked her up and began stroking her soft, chestnut fur. "You'll never believe what Dad just told me--I'm going away to school in America this year!" She cocked her head for a moment, as though listening to the silent squirrel. "What do you mean, Dad told you about my trip already?" she asked Phoebe, letting out a chuckle. "Don't be silly, he only just told me. What's that, Dae-Soon?" She looked up at the small creature just above her head. "Of course I'll miss you! I always miss you when I go away." Luna listened again. "Will I miss Hogwarts? Hmm... I would suppose so," she answered rather absentmindedly. She returned Phoebe to her branch and flopped backwards onto her bed.

"Will I miss Hogwarts?" she repeated aloud, mind churning. "Will I miss Hogwarts?" Hogwarts--such a sanctuary of learning. A place of wonderful, and as the last year had proved, sometimes terrible adventures. Not really an establishment full of friends, but then again, she really didn't have many, so that wasn't as critical. Her home away from home for the past four years. Her parents' home away from home during all their school years. But wait--not for her mother. "Of course, Mum studied abroad." Luna went over to her bookcase and pulled an old photograph album off the shelf. She sat down on the window seat and began flipping through the pages, smiling as images of her family from the past waved to her. Oh, yes, there they were. Willow Steves Lovegood had taken an abundance of snapshots while she spent her fifth year studying at the Salem Witches' Institute in Massachusetts, nearly twenty years prior.

"Are you excited, too, Mum?" Luna inquired of the grinning schoolgirl in the photograph whose hazel eyes matched her own. "I'm going this year, just like you did. I'm going to be like you yet, just wait and see." Luna always prided herself on being a master of controlling her emotions, but she simply couldn't stop that one tear from running down her cheek. "Don't worry, Mum, I'll make you proud. I'll make you proud."

Luna sat with the album for quite a long time.

******************************************************************************

The night before Ginny's departure, she sat in her room, double-checking the contents of her trunk. Thanks to a few unexpected visitors and owl deliveries, she had several more items pack. Hermione mailed her a book on American wizard society. Dean Thomas sent a framed sketch of Ginny and himself. Though they had both agreed they could see other people while she was away, it still warmed her heart to read the title, "My Lovely Ginny and Me." Fred and George, who joined the family for supper, gave her with a full sack of Canary Creams, Twisted Talky Taffies (chews that caused the eater to speak in an uncontrollable variety of pitches and accents for several minutes), and some long-overdue Extendable Ears.

"Tell your new friends we'll cancel the shipping and handling on any of their orders," the twins had written.

Suddenly, Ginny heard a tapping at her window. She pulled back the curtains to see a large white owl hovering outside the glass.

"Hedwig!" she exclaimed. She quickly opened the window and allowed the bird to fly inside...

Ginny,

Ron and Hermione both wrote and told me about your studying in the States. You're really fortunate, you know. I wish I were going. It would be so much fun to travel to America. It would be fun to travel ANYWHERE. I would give almost anything to get away for a while.

Well anyway, best of luck.

~Harry

PS. Hope you can find a good use for what's in the other envelope. I would've done something more, but I haven't exactly been anywhere that accepts anything but pence and pounds.

Huh, Dad was right about Harry. She swiftly ripped the other packet open, and into her hand dropped a single gold galleon. "Harry, you shouldn't have!" she remarked aloud, embarrassed but at the same time grateful for his generosity. She slipped the coin into her purse, and hastily snatched up a quill and scrap of parchment to write a reply.

Dear Harry,

Thank you ever so much for your kind thoughtfulness. I'm very lucky to have you for a friend.

I hope you have a super year as well. Keep your chin up.

Always,

Ginny

Ginny placed the note in an envelope and handed it to Hedwig, pausing a moment to stroke the owl's glossy feathers. As Hedwig flew out of her room and into the night, a pang of sadness crossed her heart. Old crushes die hard, she mused. She had more or less gotten over her feelings for Harry, yet it was still painful to think about leaving him, about not seeing him for an entire year. She felt her eyes dampen, and blinked to try to hold back the tears.

"Everything all right, Gin?" Ron's voice startled her. She looked up to find him standing in the doorway with a look of concern.

"Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she replied hastily. How long has he been standing there? She thought, more than a little embarrassed at her sentimentality. "Come to gloat over me about how you're going back to Hogwarts while I'm being shipped off to the ends of the earth?" Her tone hardened. She still hadn't forgiven Ron for failing to tell her what he had known about her leaving.

"Oh, don't be like that." He walked over and tried to put his arm around her shoulders, but she stiffened at his touch. Ron got the message and stepped away. "Look, I'm sorry you have to leave--really, I am. But you're going be okay. It's all going to be okay." His voice was so calm and full of kindness that Ginny's resolve to stay angry broke. He tried again to hug her, and this time she did not resist.

"You've got to write me all the time, and keep me posted on things."

"Yeah, definitely. And you do the same! Let me know how you like America, and all those crazy freaks who like QUODPOT over Quidditch!" Ron flashed her a grin.

Ginny laughed. "Yeah." Her face darkened. "I wonder what all they do to keep busy, without a You-Know-Who to worry about destroying." She sighed, deeply and pained. "Why do I have to go?"

He shrugged. "The hell if I know. But there's gotta be a reason of some sort. Mum says there's always a reason for everything." Ron gently turned her face toward his. His chocolate brown eyes met her hazel ones, and he spoke seriously. "Ginny, you're going to be exactly where you're supposed to be--fighting it won't do a damn bit of good." He brushed the tears off her face, and smiled. "What you've got to do go over there, do whatever it is you're supposed to do, and do it well!"

Ginny weakly returned the smile, and hugged her brother tightly.

******************************************************************************

Luna and her father were up bright and early on the morning of the 14^th. As there was still a week before school started, Luna would spend the time with an American family, and as they happened to be old friends of her parents, Mr. Lovegood had decided to go also. They double checked their bags, ate a breakfast of cold cereal and tomato juice, and then departed by way of Floo Powder for the IPTWS (International Public Transportation for Wizards Service) station on the eastern edge of London. As Mr. Lovegood had always distrusted the reliability of portkeys, they chose the latter to travel by faeroplane, a craft similar in design to a Muggle airplane, but capable of traveling five times as fast.

Once at the IPTWS, the tickets were validated and Luna's trunk checked in short order. After making one last stop at the tobacco shop for a few packages of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum ("necessary travel rations," Mr. Lovegood called them jokingly), there was nothing left but to sit in the terminal and wait for the flight to be called. Luna stared dreamily out the large glass windows at the shiny green faeroplane that would deliver them to America in about two hours' time, wondering about all the eccentric people and exciting adventures it must have seen.

"Now boarding Flight A3--destinations Santa Fe, New Mexico, Aurora, Colorado, and Phoenix, Arizona, United States," a woman's voice sounded at last. "Please board now, so that we may depart promptly." Luna slung up her navy rucksack over her shoulder and walked with her father to the gate.

"Are you all set, dear?" Mr. Lovegood inquired. Luna replied that she was, and the two descended the ramp to the faeroplane. They found the cabin, a small but nicely decorated space with a number of comfortable-looking leather sofas, mostly vacant, save for several business-wizards and a witch with three young children. Mr. Lovegood and his daughter each chose a couch and settled in. An attendant came by to point out the plane's safety measures and to offer drinks. Then the captain greeted the passengers over the intercom, and the faeroplane took off.

Mr. Lovegood buried himself in the day's "Quibbler," and Luna likewise took out her book on Native American mythology, but found she could not concentrate on reading. Instead, she reclined on the arm of her sofa, sipping her razzleberry fizzwater and watching the sky, daydreaming as always.