Ginny felt her magic course through her, felt it ride the currents of nerves and blood, felt it pool in her hand, felt it seep into her finger tips, and watched the stinging hex shoot towards her intended target who instantly swatted the spell away with his wand.
"I did it!" She leapt up, ran at Harry, and threw her arms around his neck, forcing him to spin her around, or risk losing his balance.
"Well done." Harry smiled. "Keep it up and at this rate we'll be doing actual duelling soon. I'll have to start thinking about introducing you to your duelling partner."
Ginny's face fell. She looked at her feet. "Duelling partner? I thought we were going to…"
"Oh, we are." Harry lifted her chin and grinned. "But you're going to be stuck here for a whole year while I'm in Scotland and I don't want you getting rusty. I've been training a few others, so we're not going to face this future alone. There will be a good number of us to rely on."
Not alone. That sounded good.
"Oh, that reminds me," he said, snapping his fingers and reaching into his pocket. "I have something here for you. Since you've just mastered your first wandless spell, I guess this will do well for a reward."
She took the object and looked at it. It was a ring, but it clearly wasn't a ring ring. It was silver and had a small lightning bolt design on the face.
She raised an eyebrow.
"I'm giving these to those who know all three of my secrets. They're invisible to all but those who also wear one. They're also soul bound, and have most of the usual goodies you'd expect from a high end piece of jewellery."
Ginny fingered the ring. It was a gift from Harry. "It doesn't make you have weird dreams does it?" she asked, tracing the ridges of the lightning bolt with the sensitive tips of her fingers.
"Nope, no dreams," Harry said. "Although they do have a few cool features. They can send very basic messages to each other using vibrations and they make you immune to compulsion charms. That was the only immunity I could get to work. I swear, Merlin was a freakin' genius when he created the noble-house rings."
"You were trying to re-create the noble-house rings? Ambitious aren't we?"
"Well it is my house's nature."
"Well that's true." Ginny looked thoughtful. "You know, if you'd told me a year ago I'd be going to Slytherin, I'd have said you were mad, and to piss off."
"How we change, mmm?"
"Yah."
"How's my brother doing?"
Ginny's expression darkened. "Still whining that his love detests him for no reason. Ever since the hate potion wore off, he's become so needy it's sickening. My family even tried to hold a mediation between us the other day."
Harry cringed. "I bet that went well."
"They spent the whole time trying to tell me that I was being unreasonable — that we looked so cute together. Well, Mum did anyway."
Silence descended on the pair for a moment.
"So, you want to put that on?"
She perked up. "Sure, which finger?"
"Pinky of your right hand. So it's very obvious when you shake or kiss hands."
"So, it's kind of like a secret club."
"In a way."
"Cool."
She delicately slipped the intricately crafted ring onto her dainty pinky finger, feeling the weight of its magic settle against her skin like a gentle caress. As the cool metal made contact with her flesh, a subtle thrum of energy pulsed through her veins, igniting a spark of excitement within her. It was a momentous occasion, the first time she had ever adorned such a mystical artifact.
With the ring snugly in place, she couldn't help but marvel at its exquisite craftsmanship. Etched into the silver band were elaborate swirls and intricate patterns, reminiscent of ancient runes from a forgotten era. Each curve and line seemed to tell a story of its own, hinting at the powerful enchantments woven into its very fabric.
As she gazed upon the ring, a wave of wonder washed over her, transporting her to a realm of fantasy and possibility. For a fleeting moment, she allowed herself to indulge in a fantasy, imagining herself as a true pureblood princess, adorned in regal attire and surrounded by an aura of mystique and allure.
In her mind's eye, she saw herself ruling over a kingdom of her own, her every command obeyed without question, her every wish fulfilled by the boundless magic at her disposal. It was a vision of grandeur and splendor, a world where she held the power to shape her own destiny.
But as quickly as the fantasy had taken hold, it dissipated, leaving her standing alone in her humble surroundings. The reality of her situation soon came crashing back, reminding her that she was but a mere mortal, with no kingdom to call her own and no magic to command.
Yet, even as she returned to the mundane realities of her life, she couldn't shake the feeling of exhilaration that the ring had awakened within her. For in that brief moment of enchantment, she had glimpsed a world beyond the confines of her imagination, a world where anything was possible for those who dared to dream.
"Back to training?"
She beamed. "Yes, Harry."
[Chapter end - May, 1990 (Four months before Hermione's 'final test')]
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