Chapter 20: Woven Destinies
Ginny Weasley sat on her bed, her room at the Burrow adorned with the familiar warmth of her family's love. The midday sun streamed through the window, casting a soft glow on the worn wooden furniture and the posters of her favorite Quidditch teams adorning the walls. However, amid the familiar surroundings, Ginny found herself lost in thoughts of a certain raven-haired boy she had met during the summer holidays.
Ginny Weasley still vividly remembered the day when her brother Ron had hastily summoned her, claiming there was a strange boy in the kitchen who had somehow injured their mom. Rushing downstairs, she found Ron with an unconscious boy tied to a chair. As her eyes fell on the mysterious figure, almost covered by the binds and facing away, a strange sense of familiarity gripped her.
Peeking from behind Ron, who had a poker pointed towards the awakening boy, Ginny felt a mix of fear and an odd inkling that she shouldn't be afraid. There was an unspoken recognition, an inexplicable connection to this boy she couldn't fully see. It wasn't until he introduced himself that shock and realization hit her like a bolt.
They had attacked the Boy Who Lived. The boy she had admired and held a crush on since childhood was now right before her, and she hadn't even recognized him. In Ginny's defense, she had never seen Harry before, and the distinctive scar on his forehead was concealed from her view. The situation was quickly cleared as a misunderstanding on their end. Things went by and Harry came over next day to play with them. He had also bought them gifts for scaring them as he said. It was sweet of him. He had gotten Ginny an entire box of assorted candies and sweets. Ginny had never had anything like that and she enjoyed it.
The Weasleys were not exactly rich with 4 sons at Hogwarts, Ginny didn't always get what she wanted but she didn't complain about it. She knew her father was working hard to provide for them. She was content with whatever they had. She loved spending time and playing with Harry but after leaving for Hogwarts he still hasn't send her a letter yet. Ginny couldn't shake off the melancholy that settled within her as she pondered why Harry hadn't written to her. Disappointment clung to her, but then a rational voice in her head spoke up. Why would Harry Potter, the famed and celebrated wizard, write to her? She was just an ordinary girl from a modest and humble family. Despite her dreams of a romantic future with Harry, she couldn't deny the reality. There were countless girls with similar aspirations, and in her eyes, they were likely more worthy and impressive than she was. To Harry, she was probably just Ron's little sister, a fact that overshadowed any personal feelings she might harbor for the Boy Who Lived. As Ginny grappled with her internal musings and the pangs of unrequited thoughts about Harry, a determination began to bloom within her. She needed to find her own path, to be someone more than just Ron's little sister. She will make Harry notice her. Little did she know, miles away, Harry Potter was venturing into the Forbidden Forest with a singular goal in mind.
Harry made it into the Forbidden Forest after his morning breakfast. It was a challenge getting past Ron and Hermione, but he lied that he would be in the library reading something about advanced wards. He then managed to shake them off and made his way out of the castle. He cast a Disillusion charm on himself so that no one would see him going into the forest. He went past Hagrid's house, making sure not to make any noise. Once in the forest he sprinted deeper into the forest to ensure the no one would see him. As Harry ventured further, the dense canopy above filtered the sunlight, casting dappled patterns on the forest floor. The air held a sense of ancient magic, and Harry could almost feel the pulsating energy of the enchanted woods.
With each step, Harry felt a surge of anticipation and trepidation. The Forbidden Forest, teeming with magical creatures and secrets, had always been a place of mystery. He had long wanted to come to the forest to look around for various magical creatures that are present in the forest. As Harry continued to venture deeper, his attention was caught by a small glimmer from a bush. Intrigued by the glimmer he moved towards the bush to see what it was.
His eyes gleamed in delight as he found a flower. It was the Luminaflora Diurna. A rare magical flower that had a slight light red halo. It's petals were white with a faintest red hue. It was one of the magical plants that Harry had read about. Placing the flower in a room can create a calming ambiance, promoting peaceful sleep and pleasant dreams. Harry carefully picked the flower and stored it in a subspace pouch he carries with him all the time. He smiled as he thought that he would send it to Ginny. Thinking about Ginny reminded him that he had not written her a letter after reaching Hogwarts. Mentally making a note to write to her tonight, Harry ventured deeper into the forest.
Once Harry felt that he was deep enough into the forest, he took out his wand. Even if it was day time, the forest blocked most of the sunlight and it made the forest very dark. Harry wanted to make a light but thought better since it might attract some beasts towards him. As if it was reading Harry's mind, the wand started to glow brighter in order to let Harry see his surrounding. The light was enough to let Harry see but not enough to attract any beasts or creatures. Harry smirked at this. Ollivander had told him that his wand would react to his thoughts rather than actions and it seemed that he was right.
Harry wanted to see more abilities of his wand. He started doing various other spells, charms, curses, jinxes, hexes to test it out. True to what he was told, the wand seemed to follow his thought rather than his actions. As long as Harry thought of what he wanted to do, the wand drew power from Harry on it's own and did it. Harry smiled, this eliminated some complications of wand magic as it was not like other wands. When Harry used his wand it was faster than wandless magic. Also Harry could feel that the wand was happy to be of use to him, as if it could feel. This proved that the wand was sentient.
Harry decided to experiment with the time control feature of his Yggdrasil wand. Focusing his thoughts on the concept of time manipulation, he envisioned a small area in front of him. With a wave of his wand and a concentrated mental command, the surroundings within that defined space seemed to warp.
As Harry concentrated, time in that specific area began to slow down. Leaves fell at a slow pace, and the breeze itself seemed to move in a leisurely manner. It was as if time had taken a deep breath and stretched itself out.
Satisfied with the result, Harry then reversed the process. With another flick of his wand and a shift in his mental focus, time within the chosen space accelerated. Leaves whirled in a frenzied dance, and the ambient sounds seemed to fast forward.
This demonstration left Harry marveling at the versatility of his wand. The Yggdrasil wood, intertwined with the magic of nature itself, responded to his every intention, allowing him to manipulate time within a confined area. Harry was very happy with the results. It seemed that his worries about ending up injuring others if he used the wand were for naught. He thought that he had experimented enough with his wand for today. He thought that he should put away his wand for now and return to the castle. As he thought about putting away the wand, the wand disappeared from his hand. Harry panicked, thinking he dropped it. He started to look around frantically to find it. He didn't want to lose the wand. He might need it if he encountered some powerful beast on his way back. As he thought this, the wand materialised in his hand again.
He was shocked at this. He then thought of something. Maybe....Harry thought of putting away the wand again and it vanished again. He thought of holding his wand and it materialised into his grip again. Harry was delighted at this. Harry didn't have to worry about storing his wand safe. It would retreat to a different safe place when he thought of putting it away and then reappear in his hand whenever he needed it. He opened the scroll about Elythral and read it. It seemed that this feature is called Thoughtforge. The wand retreated to a small subspace of it own when Harry didn't want to use it and then reappear when Harry wants to use it.
This would certainly help in battle with Voldemort, Harry thought. Little did he know that there were far greater forces at play than Voldemort.