And We Go On

Mrs. Weasley walked down the stone corridor of the underground hideaway that she and the four remaining adults had created the night the War of the Wands had ended. Gently, she knocked on the doors of each of the seven children and called, with a cheery, I-know-it's-early-but-I'm-the-parent voice, "Wake up! Breakfast is on the table and it's high time you lazy bones were out of bed!" Smiling to herself slightly, she stopped at the last door, gave it an affectionate knock and then turned around to walk back to the large room at the end of the corridor that served as the library/dining room/study for everyone.

A scream from around the corner coming from Ginny's room startled her just as she was about to walk into the multi-purpose room and she grabbed her skirts around the knees and jogged to the room just as Ginny burst out, shrieking. Rushing to her daughter, Molly said, "Now, then, Ginny, what all the fuss about, really?"

Ginny looked from the open bedroom door to her mother frantically, her mouth moving, but unable to push any words beyond her lips. She shook her head slowly and pointed to her desk where an old, leather-bound book lay open. Molly looked at her daughter skeptically, but went to examine the book for herself. When she reached the table, she leafed through several pages of the book and said, "Ginny, darling, there's absolutely nothing in this ruddy, old bo--"

Molly stopped speaking and, remembering Ginny's first year of Hogwarts and the diary that she'd been writing in, asked, "What did it say, darling? What did you see? Was it... him, again?"

Ginny shook her head again, closing her gaping mouth and said, "Can't you... can't you see?"

Molly scowled and said, "Ginny, if books are speaking to you again, then you should get rid of it now while you've still got the chance." She closed the book, picked it up by one corner and pulled her wand from her sleeve to set it on fire.

Leaping forward, Ginny snatched the book from her mother and held it close to her chest as though it were a child. "NO!" Ginny shouted at her mother. "This is the only thing I've got left of Harry and you'll not destroy it!" She looked at the book and said, in a calmer voice, "It... it was given to him by Dumbledore."

Molly had nothing to say to this, and simply stood where she was looking rather shocked. Ginny placed the book back on the table and, seeming to have gathered her wits about her, said, "I just... I suppose that it reminded me of Tom Riddle's diary and... well, with Voldemort--" Molly shrieked softly-- "running around, it worried me. But... Dumbledore gave it to Harry, after all, so it can't be..." Her voice trailed into nothing when she opened the book and words began to write themselves on the pages.

She turned the page, but the same words repeated themselves there. She flipped to the back of the book, but always the same words. She placed her fingertips softly on the paper and, nearly breathless, said, "Mother... I think you should read this."

"Oh, come now, Ginny," Molly said, turned her gaze to the book. "You really should worry yourself li--" Her voice broke off abruptly and the room was silent for several minutes as the two read the page. The silence was broken by Molly, who swore loudly just as Ginny finished reading and exclaimed, "Dear God."

Ginny clutched the old book to her chest as she and Molly ran the short distance to where everyone else was having their breakfast. She waved her wand in front of her and the large Dining Hall doors swung open as she and her mother hurried inside. Book shelves lined the walls of the dome-shaped room, but were less than half filled with the books the children were taught from. Several spheres that held tiny balls of flames floating about nine feet from the ground lit the room. The ceiling, however, was at least thirty feet, leaving the dome completely black and untouched by the light. A single, around table and twelve chairs--one for everybody--occupied the very center of the room. Since breakfast was taking place, only two of the chairs were unoccupied; they were Ginny's and Molly's.

Ginny walked to her own seat and, without any grace, dropped the book on the table where it clapped loudly against the wood. The children all jumped, but the three adults didn't even flinch when the startling noise echoed off the unseen ceiling. Olivia looked at her mother, eyebrows knit together, and said, "Now, what's all of that about?" Taking a closer look at the books, she said, "Hey... that's dad's book!"

"Dumbledore's book," Ginny added, nodding at her daughter. "The pages were always blank before but Dumbledore told Harry that it would reveal itself when the time was right." She looked around and met everyone's eyes before finishing, "It appears as if the time is right."

Everyone looked up at Ginny, giving her undivided attention. "I... I'm not sure what possessed me to do it, but I opened that book today for the first time in nearly a decade and the book did reveal itself and it concerns all of you children. It... it tells of a way that we can defeat Lord Voldemort."

The sounds of ten forks clattering to porcelain plates echoed around the darkened room.