Hidden In the Pensieve (A Harry Potter Fan Fiction)

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All rights of Harry Potter go to J.K Rowling. Please do not steal my story, though.

Pre-reading info: I will often interject the memories with what Ginny is doing or thinking. I use present tense. In the memories, the point of view is 3rd person, but in current action, I use 3rd person/omniscent point of view. The last chapter is in past tense.

Chapter 1:

Honestly, who can say they really know a person? Who can honestly say that their friends, family, or lover, is completely truthful to them? Nobody can say that. No one shares the complete truth about themselves or the events in their life. It may be to protect someone else, to protect one's self, or to remain mysterious. It could be that a person, over time, forgets that period in their life, that they kept secret. Maybe they choose to forget, because they are not that person anymore, or there is a reason they don't want to remember. There is a number of reasons why a person might not completely tell the truth about their life or themselves, but the truth might just lie in the memory. Where do memories of witches and wizards often lie? They lie hidden in the pensieve.

The year is 2002, on December 24. The sound of music pours throughout the new house, of the newly engaged, Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley. The couple sits on a vintage, red and chestnut colored, love seat. Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, George Weasley, and even Draco Malfoy, inhabit the rest of the seats, holding various alcoholic drinks (which are technically forbidden) in their hands. Hermione shows off her humble, but yet gorgeous, diamond ring to Luna and Ginny.

"Oh, Ron, I'm so happy you finally proposed to Hermione. I can't wait for Hermione to be my sister!" Ginny exclaims, hugging Hermione.

"She's going to make a lovely bride," Luna comments, in her usual airy tone.

"I agree, she will make a beautiful bride," Draco Malfoy chimes in.

Hermione's head shoots up. Color rises to her cheek, but nobody notices. The rest of the group is complementing Draco on his kindness. It is miracle how much Draco has reformed since the death of Lord Voldemort. It's almost as if he has erased the Draco that had been a Death Eater, who loathed anyone not of a pure-bloody wizard family.

Everyone from the group discusses recent events from their lives, as well as the Quibbler, the Daily Prophet, and work. They exchange Christmas gifts, decked out in brightly colored wrapping, and before they know it, hours seem to pass by.

George brought out a box of his newest prank products, geared toward the Christmas season, to show to the group. Ginny kisses Harry on the cheek, before excusing herself for the bathroom. She ascends the stairs and walks into the bathroom. After exiting, Ginny notices a square on the ceiling, in the hallway, with a handle on it. She pulls on the handle and out comes a narrow staircase, leading to an attic. Something in Ginny's brain wills her to go up.

The attic contains a large quantity of boxes. In a dark corner, an oddly shaped object sits, with a black sheet, covering it. Ginny walks over to it and uncovers the object. It appears to be a pensieve, like the one Harry had discovered in Dumbledore's office. Ginny wonders if it is Ron's. She had never seen anything like that in Ron's possesion, though. It must be Hermione's pensieve.

It only looks like there are enough memories for a week, but maybe Hermione recently started putting her memories in a pensieve. Ginny, even though, she heard the story, wants to see Ron's proposal for herself. She sticks her head into the pensieve, expecting to see Ron making a romantic speech, before getting down on one knee and asking for Hermione's hand in marriage. The memory hardly appears to be the engagement of Hermione and Ron.