Call to Destiny

Chapter 14

Cassie Jones

BRRRING! BRRRING! BRRRING!

A terrible, horrible, obnoxious, loud, annoying ringing hit Ginny's eardrums, interrupting her peaceful slumber. The redhead groaned and pulled the covers over her head and curled up into a ball.

"Go away," she mumbled, but the ringing only seemed to get louder. Angrily she threw off the covers and glared at the alarm clock causing the racket.

"I'm up," she growled at it and stalked to the bathroom- only to find it occupied.

She let out a strangled cry and plopped down in front of the bathroom door. Perfect, she thought. Just the perfect way to start out the new school year. This was why she'd never liked the idea or the actual sharing of a room with someone else. Bathrooms were a pain to share. She'd always had to share everything. Coming to Hogwarts every year and having her own room, her own bathroom, her own everything had always been a sort of bliss for her. She sulkily picked some lint off of her pink flannel pajama pants. That bliss was over.

Suddenly the door she was sitting in front of swung open and a pair of small, pale feet with blue toenails came into view. Ginny looked up into the questioning gaze of her dormmate. She was wearing a blue spaghetti strap shirt and pair of purple pajama pants with blue bunnies on them. Her black hair was up in a sloppy bun at the top of her head and she looked much too awake for Ginny's taste.

"Why... are you on the floor?" Cassie asked slowly.

Ginny picked herself up off said floor and gave her a look.

"Ah," Cassie said with understanding. She moved out of the way and bowed Ginny into the bathroom.

The red head tried to smile at the new girl's kindness, but it really turned out as more of a grimace. "Thanks."

Cassie grinned. "No problem."

Ginny gestured vaguely at the bathroom behind her. "I guess I'm gonna, you know, take a shower."

"Good idea," Cassie agreed, nodding, and looking as though she wanted to laugh.

"Not funny," Ginny said shaking her head.

"Yeah funny."

~

Fifteen minutes later Ginny was freshly showered and slightly more awake. She walked through the empty bedroom to the door and shut it. The rooms she'd lived in since her second year actually consisted of two large rooms and a bathroom.

If one were to exit Gryffindor tower and take a left at the Fat Lady, turned the corner and walked straight they would end up at a portrait of an insanely giggly nymph. Behind the nymph lay a short tunnel and then The Rooms. The first room was a sort of miniature common room. There was a fireplace, a small caramel sofa and a large, overstuffed armchair, which Ginny absolutely adored. There was a circular window and opposite it stood a mahogany desk, which was usually littered with parchment and quills.

By the window there was a door. The door led to Ginny's beloved bedroom. It used to house her four poster bed, identical to the ones in Gryffindor tower, a small vanity and a dresser. Now however; the rooms had been expanded and another identical bed had appeared. Ginny had taken the bed nearest the window and dresser, while Cassie's was by the vanity and bathroom.

After slipping on her shoes, Ginny crossed the room to the vanity and took a look in the mirror. She grimaced. Although her hair was straight, it was still a frizzy mess. One would think straight hair would be easy to manage. Not so. She resignedly reached for a small brown hair tie and put her hair up in a ponytail. After lining her eyes with a bit of brown eyeliner, she studied her reflection for a moment. A pale, freckle dappled face stared back at her. Her eyes had circles underneath them, her hair was a frizzy mess, and to top it all off, there was a spot coming in on her chin. Don't I look stunning, she thought dryly.

Shaking her head, she went for the door, grabbing her bag on the way out. Not the vision of beauty she'd hoped to be on her first day back, but it was as good as it was going to get.

She was a little surprised to find Cassie sitting on the sofa, looking a little anxious.

"You're still here," Ginny said stupidly.

The raven haired girl raised her eyebrows. "Yeah. I kinda don't know my way around."

Ginny shook her head. "I'm sorry, I forgot. I don't think I'm awake yet."

Cassie stood up and swung her bag onto her shoulder. "Lucky you. I was so nervous, I woke up two hours before my alarm clock rang. I am normally not a morning person."

The two girls headed out the portrait hole and down towards the Great Hall.

"Hogwarts is great," Ginny said. "You'll get used to it."

Cassie made a dismissive motion with her hand. "It's not that I'm worried about, I'm sure I'll get used to the place soon. I just don't think I'm ever gonna be able to find my way around!"

Ginny laughed, remembering thinking the same thing in her first year. She looked up at a painting they were passing and shuddered. It was a painting of a giant snake, wrapped around an old oak tree. The snake moved its head, its tongue darting out and in. The painting just screamed Darkness. How fitting.

"Talk about ominous," Cassie muttered, following Ginny's gaze.

She glanced over at her. "Really."

~

By lunch, Ginny had forgotten all about the painting, and was thoroughly exhausted. She gratefully fell down into a seat at the Gryffindor table, Cassie collapsing beside her. The two girls had identical class schedules, which they had been quite pleased about. Cassie, so that she couldn't get lost and Ginny, so that she'd have someone besides Colin in her classes. They'd just returned from Arithmancy, and Ginny was once again wondering why on earth she bothered with it.

"Tough morning?" Harry asked. The Trio had just arrived in the Great Hall and were taking seats across from the two sixth years.

Cassie, who had pushed away her plate and had her head resting on her folded arms, raised her eyebrows in answer.

"Where'd you lot come from?" Ginny asked.

"Double Potions," Ron said with a shudder.

Hermione shot him a glance, before turning back to Ginny. "Slughorn's nicer than Snape, of course, but it's still dreadful."

Ron's eyebrows shot up. "But you're good at Potions."

"Just because I'm good at it, Ronald, doesn't mean I like it."

Ginny looked over at Cassie, who was looking thoroughly amused.

"And, uh," Cassie began, smirking. "How long have you two been married?"

Ginny burst out laughing and Harry choked on the pumpkin juice he'd been drinking. Ron and Hermione stared at Cassie with shocked faces. She sat up and put her hands up in defeat, grinning.

"Sorry, but that was just too easy. No harm meant."

Ron looked sheepish and Hermione looked indignant.

"We do not sound like, like..."

Ginny grinned.

"Hermione, you know I love you and you're like a sister to me-" both Harry and Cassie snorted at this. Ginny's grin widened and she continued. "But the two of you do sound like a married couple sometimes."

"I didn't mean to offend anyone," Cassie said, looking a little uneasy.

"You didn't," Ron said, hurriedly. Ron was head over heels for Hermione, and Ginny thought he always would be, but he could never upset a pretty face.

Hermione shook her head. "Can we just change the topic. Please?"

Ginny restrained a grin. She didn't think she'd ever seen Hermione so uncomfortable before.

"What's so horrible about Potions, anyway?" Cassie suddenly asked.

"It's Potions," Ron stated, as though she'd just asked the world's stupidest question. He took a bite out of the sandwich he was holding.

"Exactly. I love Potions."

The noise level at the Gryffindor table dropped considerably. Ron's jaw too had dropped, and a half-chewed sandwich was visible.

Cassie looked apprehensively around.

"You love Potions?" Ginny asked her dormmate incredulously.

"What's wrong with Potions?" Cassie asked defensively.

"It's Potions," Ron repeated, swallowing his sandwich.

"So what?"

"It's Potions."

"Am I speaking a different language here?" Cassie exclaimed, looking exasperated.

"Welcome to my world," Hermione said dryly.

The staring Gryffindors began to return to their previous conversations, and the noise level made its way up again.

Cassie 'humphed' and looked at Ginny, seemingly peeved. "What is the big deal?"

Ginny shook her head, still a little shocked. How could anyone even like Potions? "It's a long story."

"When does our next class start?" Cassie asked. Ginny started at the sudden change of topic but checked her schedule, nonetheless.

"Twenty minutes from now. Why?"

"Okay." Cassie said, sounding decisive. "We've got time. Tell me the long story."

Her suddenly demanding attitude irked Ginny a little. Who was she to give commands? She bit her tongue and decided to answer as pleasantly as she could.

"Sure." She leaned towards Cassie. "You see the professor on the end there?"

Cassie followed Ginny's gaze and made a face. "You mean the one that looks like a vampire?"

Ginny gave an involuntary snort. "Yeah, him."

Cassie suddenly closed her eyes, a look of understanding dawning on her face. "He teaches Potions, doesn't he?"

A grin spread over the red head's features. Cassie was quicker than she'd thought. "Taught."

Cassie opened her eyes and furrowed her brow in a silent question.

"Slughorn, the fat one on the other end, is teaching Potions now. Snape's teaching Defense."

The blue eyed witch gave her a look. "Why does that make me nervous?"

Ginny gave her a bright smile. "Don't worry. It makes everybody nervous."

Cassie rolled her eyes, but grinned. "Great. Okay, but besides the fact that he just looks unpleasant- what else?"

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked, confused by her question.

"I mean, you couldn't all just have hated Potions because he looks like a vampire. At Salem, we had Professor Hawely as our Potions teacher, and he was little woo-hoo, but nobody hated Potions with a passion."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "'Woo-hoo?'"

Cassie waved her hand dismissivly. "You haven't heard the worst of it. Explain, please."

She grinned. "Okay, fine. Snape's also head of Slytherin House, and he hates Gryffindors. You'll find that out soon enough. He's constantly docking points and giving out detentions for Merlin only knows what."

Cassie gave an 'ah' of understanding. "The whole Gryff- Slyth again, right? Wait a sec. Dock points? Points for what?"

Ginny raised her eyebrows. "For your own safety, never say 'Gryff' or 'Slyth' again."

Cassie laughed. "No problem."

"About the points, though. There are two year long competitions. The Quidditch Cup, which speaks for itself, and the House Cup. Both are competitions between the Houses. You get points all through the year to win the House Cup. Professors give out points for good behavior, right answers in class and so on."

Cassie furrowed her brow. "That's kinda stupid, though. Doesn't that just create division between the Houses?"

Ginny raised her eyebrows once again. It was amazing how clear an outsider's perspective was. She shrugged. "I guess it does."

She cast a sideways glance a certain blond Slytherin.

"Secret crush?" Cassie asked, making Ginny jump.

"What?"

Cassie grinned. "Don't worry. I won't tell."

Ginny shook her head. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Fine." The raven haired witch sighed. She studied Draco for a moment. "He's really hot, though. Besides the whole Slyth- Slytherin thing- what's stopping you?"

Ginny gave her an incredulous look. "I do not fancy him, if that's what you're implying."

Ron's head snapped up. "Who do you fancy, Ginny?"

Ginny gave an exasperated sigh. "No one!"

Happy with her answer, her brother turned back to his conversation with Harry. Hermione gave her a pitying smile, knowing the aggravation that was Ronald Weasley. Ginny turned back to Cassie.

"I don't," she stated stubbornly.

Cassie grinned like a Cheshire Cat. "Okay."

"I don't," the red head muttered, stabbing her salad. She paused. How did she get a salad? She stared at it suspiciously for a moment before remembering that Fred and George were nowhere near. She speared a cherry tomato and brought it to her mouth. She chewed cautiously for a moment and when nothing unusual happened, continued to happily munch on the salad. For all that she loved junk food, a nice salad was appreciated every now and then.

Ginny looked up a few moments later, and her gaze drifted to the Slytherin table. Draco was sitting there, listening to something Pansy Parkinson was saying. He had his elbow on the table and his chin resting on his hand looking bored. His whole demeanor said 'I've got so many other, better, things to do, but I'm stuck here. Oh, how I suffer.' She had to restrain a smirk. How Draco-like.

His eyes suddenly flicked over to her and she froze. The eyes staring at her were not the same ones she had seen that summer. Or even last night, for that matter. The eyes she'd known had been silver and glittered with a cool amusement. Usually at her expense. Now... she shivered. The eyes she looked into were hollow and dead. Draco's eyes were the color of stone- and held just about as much warmth. Ginny shivered involuntarily and broke away from his cold stare.

What the hell?

She flicked her eyes back towards Draco, but he was focused on Pansy again. Ginny frowned feeling more confused than shocked now, the conversation with Cassie forgotten. What the hell?

~ Next Day ~

"This is the Owlery," Ginny announced, leading Cassie inside.

Lunch had ended about half an hour ago and the two girls had the next period free. Cassie had requested a tour around the school and Ginny, who hadn't been wanting to go back to their rooms and do homework, agreed. They were on the fourth floor when she'd been struck by the idea to owl Draco. They needed to set up a day to meet up and practice, but mostly she was still concerned about the way he'd looked at her yesterday. She'd made a beeline for the Owlery, Cassie following behind.

She was already headed for one of the school owls when Cassie appeared in the doorway. "Urgent message?"

Ginny shot her a grin and took out a piece of parchment and a quill. "The fate of the world rests in my hands."

Cassie laughed and crossed to the Owlery window. Ginny smiled as she wrote her short message. The fate of the world actually rested in the hands of the Light. If they succeeded or not depended on the Warriors keeping them alive and safe. So, in a way, the fate of the world did rest in her hands. Huh.

She looked down at her short note.

Draco,

We should set up a time and place.

All's well?

She puzzled about how to sign it. Signing with her name would be stupid, not to mention dangerous. She settled with just signing it 'G.'

The way Draco had looked at her yesterday had worried her. And scared her a bit. She'd expected him to become more closed off and colder once they returned to Hogwarts, if simply for keeping their covers. She just hadn't been expecting it to happen in one night. Something odd had happened. She couldn't be sure of what. Actually, she had no idea of what it could be, but the more she thought about it, the more it worried her. Maybe she was just overreacting. Yes, that was probably the case.

"Wow." Cassie breathed from the tower window. "The view's amazing."

Ginny looked up and glanced out the window. The view from the Owlery was indeed amazing. It was a perfect autumn day. The sky was clear, cloudless and a cool, light blue color. The forest stood as a silent, dark, slightly swaying mass. The lake, which was just visible from the Owlery, was a glossy black sheet, an occasional ripple disturbing the serene surface.

Ginny smiled. Leaving the owl and the note for now, she crossed to the window. Cassie moved over to allow her room. The two girls leaned out the Owlery window in a comfortable, tranquil silence.

The grounds were already littered with fiery, golden leaves. In a couple of weeks, the trees would be completely bare. Winter would come early that year.

Ginny let out a contented sigh. Hogwarts was too beautiful for words. Each season had its own captivating beauty, but autumn was Ginny's favorite. She felt as though she matched it, in a way. Silly, she knew, but a girl was allowed those silly thoughts every once in a while.

"Salem is nothing like this," Cassie said softly, her voice filled with awe.

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked, still staring out at the grounds.

"Salem is so plain, so boring, compared to this place. Just scenery wise. I always thought it was okay, but, god. This place is just- wow."

Ginny gave a little laugh. "Yeah, it is."

"I mean, my mom told me it was gorgeous, but, you know. Hearing about it and actually seeing it are two totally different things."

"Your mum went here?" Ginny asked, turning around to look at her.

Cassie turned around, looking shocked. "I said that?"

Ginny raised her eyebrows quizzically. "You just did."

Cassie shook her head. "Sorry. I just had one of those moments where you think something and say it aloud, but don't really realize you said it out loud, you know? Yeah, my mom did go here."

Ginny laughed at Cassie's explanation and crossed back to the owl. She seemed so light hearted. Not in a vapid, stupid way as a lot of people were, but in a simply 'no use stressing about it' kind of way. She actually reminded Ginny a bit of Ali. She tied the note for Draco to the owl's leg and watched it take off.

"Hey, Cassie?"

"Hmm?" she asked, turning to face Ginny, her black hair swishing behind her.

"Did you know anyone at Salem named Alexis Brite? Or Sage Graham?"

Cassie's eyebrows went up in surprise. "Yeah. Sage was in my year, and Alexis was a year above. Why? You know 'em?"

Ginny nodded and motioned for Cassie to follow her out of the Owlery.

"Yes, I do." She paused, then decided it couldn't do any harm. "I met them at a convention in San Francisco this summer."

"Cool." Cassie said, appreciatively. "I've never been to San Fran, but I do know a song about it."

Ginny raised her eyebrows. "There's a song about San Francisco?"

Cassie's jaw dropped. "You spent the summer in San Francisco and you don't know the song?"

"No," Ginny said, laughing at Cassie's shock.

"Oh, come on. You had to have heard it!"

"How's it go?"

Cassie cleared her throat dramatically.

"If you're going

to San Francisco,

be sure to wear

some flowers

in your hair."

Ginny shook her head. "Sorry."

Cassie sighed. "I have much to teach you."

"About what?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. Just felt like the right thing to say."

Ginny laughed and the two girls continued on their way. It was nice to have someone in her year to laugh with. This year really did seem to be looking up.

~

The next morning at breakfast, an owl landed in front of Ginny. Cassie shot her a quizzical look.

"Fate of the world?"

Ginny laughed. "Possibly."

She untied the note from the owl and it took off. She unfurled the note and read it:

G,

You're mad. It's impossible.

In all fairness, it's quite stupid.

Don't bother replying, you'll just waste my time.

D

Ginny stared dumbly at the note. She reread it several times, but still couldn't seem to understand it.

"You okay, Ginny?" Cassie asked.

She looked up, feeling as though she'd just been slapped.

"I'm fine," she lied.

She looked over at the Slytherin table. Draco wasn't there. She looked around the Great Hall, feeling very numb. What the hell had happened? She looked back at the note and read it again, not believing the few short sentences.

She balled up the parchment and stuck it in her bag, still numb. She was sure of it now. Something was terribly wrong. Two days ago, she'd sat on the train and laughed with Draco, and now he was telling her to not waste his time. Oh yes, something was very wrong.

"San Francisco" is by Mckinley.

A/N: Okay, just a few general notes here. This fic is AU. It's up with the books until the fifth book, and then it's my little world. Ginny is in her sixth year (as I hope you picked up on) and the Trio and Draco are seventh years. I will use some things from the sixth book, so don't be confused if I do. That's all I can think of for now. The D/G is coming up really soon! As is the main plot, so don't give up hope on me! I'm trying to update as fast I can. My teachers this semester have decided to kill their students with homework, so my writing time is a bit limited. But I'm trying! Please bare with me.

Please leave me a review, they really make me happy and motivate me to post. Really, they end up going in your favor.