xiii. the fickle future
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Jemina entered the Room of Requirement with a smile on her face, feeling good after a great Christmas break with Aberforth, Ariana and her new knitting needles. As soon as she arrived, she saw Neville, Noah and Ginny sitting down in the middle. Her smile grew wider when she saw Ginny was wearing the red scarf with Quaffle prints and matching mittens Jemina gave her.
"Hi." Jemina greeted with them a smile once she sat down in front of them and her smile faded away, wondering why the atmosphere was so down. "Did something happen?"
Ginny, Noah and Neville exchanged downcast looks before Noah finally let out a sigh and answered.
"Luna's gone."
Jemina's eyes widened, and she felt her heart dropping. No... It couldn't be. Luna was strong. She couldn't be... "W-What happened?"
"She was taken by the Death Eaters over the holidays." Ginny explained to her, and it made Jemina frown even more. "They weren't happy with what her father was writing so they decided to take her. Hopefully, she's still alright and is just imprisoned or something. I mean, it's bad, but I hope it isn't the worst."
They all went silent for a while, thinking of Luna. Was she eating well? Was she sleeping well? Was she doing alright? Probably not, knowing Voldemort but they wished that she was somehow alright. Luna was a fighter, they knew that. Like Ginny, they hoped for that too. It was bad, but they hoped it wasn't the worst.
"Should we still push through with the meeting on Friday?" Jemina asked in worry. "Luna's out there somewhere and..."
She trailed off with a sigh, not even wanting to think of what was possibly happening to Luna right now. Her heart ached at the thought that she was being tortured right now by those vicious Death Eaters. But she tried to stay positive and remembered that Luna was strong. She was going to get through it and come back to them alive. Jemina trusted that.
"We should. Luna would want us to fight." Neville finally said, smiling at all of them. They knew he was the most shaken up by the news. He liked Luna, and he must be dead worried now, but he was trying to stay strong because he knew that was what Luna would do in this situation. She would make them laugh with her random facts about magical creatures and sudden comments. So, for Luna, they would continue on.
And they all smiled at each other, an unspoken agreement between the four of them. Dumbledore's Army was back, and nothing would stop their plan from continuing on.
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"Why don't we start with this?"
The Nosebusters were currently in the Room of Requirement, scrolling Deanna's notebook for the spells they should teach for today, while Ginny was tending to Jemina's new wounds, courtesy of Amycus Carrow. He tortured her for throwing the rat on his hair instead of casting the Killing Curse on it.
Deanna left a notebook full of spells and how it should be cast as part of the plan in case that Jemina did continue to Hogwarts. It was full of new and unfamiliar spells that they practiced over the past few months and were sure to help them defend themselves against Voldemort and the Death Eaters. The Dumbledore really was their light in the dark.
"I think it's too difficult for us." Jemina said when she saw Neville was talking about Deanna's signature fire spell. She remembered how she and Eleanor tried learning it from Deanna, but they only succeeded casting it once. It took a lot of power and concentration to do it, and Deanna was indeed powerful to cast it effortlessly.
"Stay still for a bit, Jem." Ginny scowled at her because she couldn't wrap the bandage properly around Jemina's arm. The Hufflepuff blushed at that and nodded, muttering a sorry while Ginny chuckled at how adorable she was and wrapped the bandage around Jemina's arm.
"How about this one? Expungovir. It cancels a wand's magic for a few seconds, giving you the opportunity to take down your opponent's defenses." Noah read out from one of the pages in the book. "And it doesn't seem too difficult to cast."
"That sounds good." Ginny agreed and patted Jemina's hand to tell her she was done. "Let's try it?"
The other three agreed and they split up into pairs, practicing the spell on each other. Jemina and Neville and Ginny and Noah found it more difficult than they expected though, but soon enough, the practice and effort paid off and Ginny casted the spell first, and they all followed soon. They grinned at each other after. They were now ready for their first lesson.
When the clock struck 9, people started filling into the room as usual, and when they were complete, Neville took the lead once more with a smile. "Hi, everyone, today's the first session of Dumbledore's Army, and like we've agreed on, Jemina, Noah, Ginny and I will start teaching again. Please be patient with us since we too are learning ourselves. Let's do well together, everyone. Let's start."
The four nodded at each other before each of them took a group of their own. Thankfully, there were no protests and such and the lessons commenced. Jemina had Ernie, Hannah, Susan and Justin in her group and smiled widely at all of them, her nerves being calmed down a little when the four grinned back at her and cheered her with their gestures.
"Hey, you guys. I'll be teaching you the Wand Cancellation spell for today." Jemina started off in a soft and shy tone. "It... It cancels out the magic of your opponent's wand for a few seconds, giving you the opportunity to take down his or her offenses. So, let me demonstrate. Er, Ernie, could you please come up here?"
"It would be my pleasure, dear Nightingale." Ernie winked at Jemina who laughed softly before facing him.
"Now, Ernie, after I cast the spell at you, try casting a spell back at me, alright?" Jemina asked of him. When he nodded, she smiled once more and turned to the others in their group. "So, now, I'll demonstrate the spell."
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in, hoping that she could cast the spell successfully. Opening her eyes, Jemina raised her wand and cast the spell at Ernie. "Expungovir!"
Jemina waited in anticipation as the spell hit Ernie's wand and the Hufflepuff raised his wand to cast a spell. "Expelliarmus!"
A look of glee came onto Jemina's face when she wasn't hit at all by the spell. That was a success. Ernie and everyone else looked at Jemina in awe. That was an amazing spell indeed.
"So, now that I've shown you how to do it, I'll teach you the spell." Jemina spoke in a more confident voice, feeling proud of herself. Teaching was something she was scared and uncertain of, but it seemed like something she was liking more and more as she was doing it.
"That's how you do it." Ginny grinned at Nigel who had successfully done the wand motion before glancing at where Jemina was teaching the others. A smile made its way onto the Gryffindor's face when she saw Jemina looking more confident than she had ever been and her eyes shining with passion. It seemed like Jemina loved what she was doing, and Ginny loved seeing her like that. Happiness. It suited Jemina a lot.
"Hey, Ginny?" Nigel called out to the older girl whose eyes widened when she realized that she had been staring for too long and forgot that she was supposed to teach them.
"Uhm. Oh. Yeah. So, while doing the wand motion, say, 'Expungovir' and point it at your opponent's wand." Ginny continued with her lesson, her cheeks burning from her thoughts and actions. Seriously, Jemina Iris Nightingale was not good for her heart. Everything she did just seemed to have an effect on Ginny.
She may not be good for her heart, but Ginny still wanted to be with her. Now that she got to know Jemina, she couldn't imagine her life without the Hufflepuff. Jemina was someone she wanted to be with for the rest of her life, and that thought made Ginny confused again about her feelings for Jemina.
Did she care for Jemina as a friend, or did she fall for Jemina without her knowledge?
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"We've done well again today." Noah grinned at all of them as they finished cleaning up in the Room of Requirement after another successful session. Everything was going well so far with their sessions at Dumbledore's Army, and they were in their own ways showing that they were rebelling.
Some of them were speaking out now against the Carrows when they did something wrong during their classes. Despite the wounds and torture, they'd smile at each other. It made them feel proud to see people being braver and being lights in the dark.
"Oh right." Noah suddenly remembered. "Nev and I have to go because we still have something to do for Herbology. Can you guys finish up in here?"
"Yeah, Jem and I will be fine." Ginny grinned at them while the other girl blushed. Neville and Noah exchanged amused glances at the dynamics of the two before they finally bid goodbye and left the two alone. Silence took over in the room for a few moments before Ginny cleared her throat and smiled at Jemina. "You did really well today, Jem."
"T-Thanks. You did well today too, Gin." Jemina shyly smiled back at Ginny before she continued cleaning up the cushions and books.
"What do you want to be in the future?" Ginny suddenly asked, moving closer to the Hufflepuff. She had always been curious about what Jemina wanted to do but never had the opportunity to ask.
Jemina stopped with what she was doing and stared back at Ginny while thinking. "Well, I never got to think about it. I was supposed to make a decision this summer, but you know. Things happened."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Ginny apologized right away before speaking again. "But hey, you're great at teaching! You know, you should consider being a professor."
"Really?"
"Yeah, you're really great at teaching and I can see you love teaching too." Ginny patted the other on the shoulder. "Well, I'm not telling you to do it. Just... you know, think about it."
Ginny didn't have an idea that the moment she suggested it, Jemina already made a decision. She was going to be a Professor. It was true she had the passion for teaching and that she still had no idea about what she was going to do in the future. Ginny wasn't the only reason why she chose to be a teacher, but Jemina will admit that Ginny impacted her decision.
"I will." Jemina said in a soft voice, smiling widely when Ginny smiled. "How about you? What do you plan on doing after we graduate?"
"Me? I'll be doing what I love, of course. Quidditch." Ginny's eyes sparkled just at the thought of it. She missed it so much after she was not able to play for a long time. Ever since Voldemort took over, Quidditch had also taken a stop, so she had no choice but to long for it. "I'll be part of the Holyhead Harpies and win the Cup."
Jemina could only look at Ginny with admiration and smile, having no doubt that Ginny would indeed do that. "You will. I know you will. You're the happiest when playing Quidditch so I know you're going to shine after graduation. Whatever you do in the future, you'll do well."
Ginny blushed at the sincerity in Jemina's eyes and voice. Her heart did it again. That loud beating. And her entire body heated up once more. Jemina just told her she was going to do well in the future, but her simple words made Ginny feel that again. She couldn't have a future without Jemina in it. And without even letting her mind stop to think twice, her mouth had moved on its own.
"Then, do you see me in your future?"
Jemina's eyes widened at the sudden question, and her mind went blank at what Ginny asked. She almost thought that she was dreaming or that she heard wrong, but when she saw Ginny staring at her, anticipating her answer with a soft smile on her face and a look of... was that expectation and...?
That look in her eyes. That was how Jemina looked when she looked at her... No, she shouldn't assume. Maybe, Ginny was just asking in a platonic way. Yeah, that could be it. However, fast heartbeat and raging emotions aside, there was only one answer to Ginny's question.
"There is no future without you, Gin." Jemina answered, her voice dripping with the love and admiration she had for Ginny Weasley. "I may be uncertain of everything else, but I have no doubt you are in my future."
And at Jemina's answer, Ginny also had no doubt now. What she felt for Jemina... How she saw the Hufflepuff... Why she felt like kissing her back in the broom closet and even now. It was all clear now to Ginny whose heart felt like bursting out of her chest.
They suddenly became aware of how close they were to each other. Their faces were inches apart, and both girls couldn't help but let their eyes drift to each other's lips. Just one move. It would take just one of them to make a move to finally make their lips touch.
Jemina once again realized the situation and not wanting to make Ginny comfortable, she started to move back when all of a sudden... Closing her eyes, Ginny made her move. With her feelings now sure, she didn't think any further and leaned in, finally claiming the lips she wanted to feel on her own since that day...
And their lips touched, brushing against each other and it was unexplainable. The feelings they felt with the simple brushing of their lips. The moment they touched, it was like someone cast the Wand Cancellation spell on their hearts with how they stopped momentarily before they started beating so fast and hard again. It was overwhelming, how much they could feel with this simple kiss, but this kiss they shared... It was something they cherished.
Jemina could only stay still with wide eyes. What the hell? Did her longtime crush and first love, Ginny Weasley, just kiss her? The Ginny Weasley? Was she dreaming? Did it really happen? Perhaps... did Ginny like her back in the same way? It was too much for Jemina's poor heart that belonged to Ginny ever since their first year.
Ginny pulled away after a few seconds, staring into the still Jemina's eyes. She got worried after that. What if Jemina didn't like what she did? What if Jemina didn't like her in that way? What if... what if she would lose Jemina because of what she had done? The thoughts of uncertainty and doubt became too much for Ginny and she did something she told herself she should not do as a Gryffindor.
She ran away.
Seeing Ginny run away, Jemina finally snapped to her senses and called out to her. "Gin!"
But it was too late. Ginny Weasley had already left Jemina Nightingale in the Room of Requirement with one filled with confusion and hope and the other certainty and fear and both of their minds plagued with the brief yet sweet kiss they shared.
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