Dinner in the Great Hall was a familiar routine. The clatter of cutlery and the hum of conversation filled the air as students tucked into their meals. At the Gryffindor table, Harry picked at his shepherd's pie while Ginny chatted idly with the others around them. Across the hall, a group of Hufflepuffs were laughing and the Slytherins seemed subdued for once, focusing on their food instead of sneering at passersby. It was a moment of relative peace, one of the few Harry had experienced since Halloween.
The door to the Great Hall burst open with a resounding bang, the sound silencing the room instantly. Harry's head snapped up, along with hundreds of others, as six figures in deep red Auror robes marched inside. Their boots thudded heavily against the stone floor, their determined faces casting a shadow over the usual warmth of the hall.
At the front of the group walked a man with a slight limp, leaning on a sturdy walking stick. His greying tawny hair and sharp yellow eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses gave him an air of authority.
Professor McGonagall was the first to react. She rose swiftly from her seat at the staff table, her expression a mixture of surprise and indignation. "Mr. Scrimgeour," she said, her voice cutting through the stunned silence. "What is the meaning of this?"
Ginny leaned close to Harry, her breath tickling his ear as she whispered, "That's Rufus Scrimgeour. He's the head of the Auror Office."
Harry's gaze flicked to the man again, noting the way he carried himself - confident, even showy. Scrimgeour's voice, when it came, was firm and ringing, carrying easily through the room.
"We are here to arrest the guilty party behind the Acromantula attack."
The buzz of whispers that had started to creep back into the hall died immediately. Harry's stomach clenched, his mind racing. His eyes darted to Lockhart, who sat frozen at the staff table. The man's normally saccharine smile had vanished, replaced by a pale and alarmed expression. Harry's heart skipped a beat - was this it? Were they here for Lockhart?
Dumbledore rose from his seat as well, his calm voice a sharp contrast to Scrimgeour's commanding tone. "Rufus," he began, his eyes narrowing slightly behind his half-moon glasses, "who are you going to arrest? I must say it's highly irregular to do so here, in front of the entire school."
Scrimgeour ignored the headmaster, turning instead to one of the Aurors behind him. "Proudfoot," he said sharply. "Read the charges."
Auror Proudfoot stepped forward, unrolling a scroll with deliberate slowness. His voice was clear but emotionless as he began to read:
"Rubeus Hagrid, you are hereby arrested on one count of manslaughter in the death of Hermione Granger, on October 31st of this year, by allowing three Acromantula from the Forbidden Forest to breach the wards surrounding said forest. Additional charges include child endangerment and the concealment of an illegal colony of XXXXX-classified magical creatures. Under the Wizengamot Charter of Rights, you are entitled at your trial to call witnesses in your defence and to be represented by a person of your choosing."
Gasps rippled through the room as every head turned to the staff table where Hagrid sat. Harry felt his chest constrict as he looked at the giant of a man. Hagrid's usually cheerful face had turned pale and his hands trembled as he clutched the edge of the table.
While Proudfoot read, two other Aurors stepped forward, their wands drawn. They approached Hagrid cautiously, though Harry thought it ridiculous - Hagrid looked more scared than dangerous.
"Rufus," Dumbledore said again, his voice firm but tinged with something Harry couldn't place. "Is this really necessary? I can assure you that Hagrid would never harm any student."
Scrimgeour's expression hardened and he straightened slightly. "He will get a fair trial, Headmaster," he replied curtly. "There, it will be decided if he is guilty or not. But given the well-documented history of Myrtle Warren I find it unlikely that he will be found innocent."
Harry's fists clenched under the table as his mind reeled.
Myrtle Warren? He didn't know who that was. But Hagrid - the man who had taken him into the wizarding world, who had always been kind and good - was being accused of killing Hermione? That was ridiculous.
The two Aurors reached Hagrid and though he was shaking, he didn't resist as they snapped heavy-looking magical cuffs onto his wrists.
"Hagrid!" Harry found himself half-rising from his seat, his voice raw with emotion. Ginny grabbed his arm, pulling him back down, her eyes wide and warning.
Hagrid's voice, usually so loud and hearty, was hoarse as he stammered, "Professor Dumbledore… I… I swear I didn't…"
"I know, Hagrid," Dumbledore said, his calm voice a stark contrast to Hagrid's. "I know."
The hall was silent except for the clinking of the cuffs as the Aurors began to lead Hagrid away. No one moved, no one spoke. Even Malfoy, sitting smugly at the Slytherin table, seemed content to watch the scene play out without adding his usual commentary.
Scrimgeour turned, his limp more pronounced as he followed his team out the doors. It wasn't until the Great Hall doors shut with a resounding boom that the students erupted into chaos. Whispers and shouts filled the air, students turning to one another with questions and gossip.
Harry barely heard any of it. He sat frozen, his mind whirling with anger and confusion. This wasn't justice - it couldn't be. Hermione's death was still fresh in his mind, but he knew Hagrid had nothing to do with it.
Beside him, Ginny leaned close, her voice low but fierce. "This isn't over," she whispered. "We'll figure this out."
Harry nodded, his throat tight. If the adults weren't going to fix this, then he and Ginny would have to.
The next morning, the Great Hall buzzed with hushed whispers as the morning owls descended, dropping newspapers and letters onto the tables. Harry's stomach churned uneasily as a sleek barn owl deposited the Daily Prophet in front of him. He grabbed it, dread pooling in his chest as he unfolded the front page.
"ARREST AT HOGWARTS: HALF-GIANT TAKEN IN FOR MANSLAUGHTER" screamed the headline, accompanied by a photograph of Hagrid being marched out of the castle the previous evening, his massive frame flanked by Aurors. The article began with a sensational account of the dramatic arrest led by Head Auror Rufus Scrimgeour, painting the event as a critical victory for justice. It described Hagrid's trembling protests and Dumbledore's measured defence, which the Prophet smugly declared 'too little, too late'.
The next section dove into Hagrid's alleged crimes. Harry's eyes raced over the words, his unease turning into anger. According to the article, Rubeus Hagrid's history with the Acromantula colony stretched back to 1943 when he had allegedly hidden a giant spider in the castle. That same year, a female Ravenclaw Muggle-born student named Myrtle Warren was killed by what the Prophet called Hagrid's 'illicit pet'. Worse still, the article claimed that Hagrid had helped the creature flee to the Forbidden Forest, where it founded the colony that grew unchecked over the decades, with Hagrid maintaining 'intimate contact' with the beasts. The author accused Hagrid of hiding the colony's existence from the Ministry, endangering generations of students and now, by letting three Acromantula out, of indirectly causing Hermione's death.
The author didn't stop there. They gleefully dredged up old prejudices, hinting that Hagrid's half-giant heritage made him incapable of understanding the dangers posed by magical creatures. The conclusion was damning: Hermione's death, they argued, was the culmination of decades of recklessness.
Harry slammed the paper down, his fists trembling with barely contained rage. Ginny, seated beside him, leaned over to read. Her eyes widened as she skimmed the text, her face pale.
"Is this true?" Harry demanded, his voice sharper than he intended. "About Myrtle Warren?"
Ginny bit her lip, her gaze flicking nervously toward the staff table, where not just Hagrid but also Dumbledore was missing.
"Yeah," she admitted reluctantly. "I think so. I heard Hagrid was forced to leave Hogwarts as a student because one of his magical creatures attacked someone. I didn't know a student died, though..."
Harry felt as if the floor had dropped out from under him. "Why didn't anyone ever say anything?" he asked, his voice rising. "How is he even still allowed to work here?"
Ginny hesitated, then shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. Maybe because Dumbledore trusts him. Or maybe people thought it didn't matter anymore." She lowered her voice, her words slow and deliberate. "But this... this can't be right. Hagrid wouldn't let those spiders out on purpose. You know that."
Harry clenched his fists, his jaw tight. "Yeah…" he muttered, but the accusations in the article gnawed at his mind. If Myrtle's death was true, what else could Hagrid have kept hidden?
oOoOo
After breakfast, Harry had Transfiguration, but Ginny - thankfully - had no class during the first period on Tuesdays. With Dumbledore away and the Aurors gone, it was the perfect opportunity to return to the Room of Requirement - specifically, the Room of Hidden Things.
Over the past months, she had mostly used the Room to study soul magic and complex rituals, but today she hoped to find something new. The thought almost thrilled her. It was the kind of treasure-hunting moment any Harry Potter fan would have dreamed of.
After all, now there was no looming Hallowe'en deadline breathing down her neck.
After saying goodbye to Harry and telling her roommates she needed to check something in the library, she made her way to the seventh floor.
'I need a place where lost or hidden things are kept,' she thought, pacing three times before the blank stretch of wall.
A door materialized, solid and ancient-looking. Ginny, still invisible, slipped inside quickly before anyone could notice it appearing.
She looked around the Room of Hidden Things. She had forgotten that the room was the size of a large cathedral with high windows, light streaming down on walls crowded with damaged furniture, forbidden books, trash and countless other forgotten items.
Unfortunately, the Summoning Charm couldn't be used here. Otherwise, she would begin by summoning all Galleons.
Ginny wondered what treasures might be hidden within this mountain of forgotten things. How incredible would it be to find, say, a lost Time-Turner from centuries ago?
For now, though, she'd settle for a few Galleons or some rare potion ingredients. Anything valuable she could sell - or anything simply useful - would do just fine.
"If decades from now I have access to the Time-Turners in the Department of Mysteries and find out how to safely send one back in time, then I will…" she pointed dramatically at an almost undamaged cupboard, "hide it here for me to find today!"
She deflated as she began to open the cupboard.
"Alas…"
And froze.
There in front of her was a golden hourglass on a necklace - a Time-Turner.
She didn't move for what felt like hours.
"What the actual fuck?"
This couldn't be a coincidence. Not even close. The cupboard was right near the entrance and she'd opened it mere seconds after her lame joke.
So future Ginny has sent her a Time-Turner? Was there any other possible explanation? Maybe the otherworldly being that had imprisoned her in the diary had sent her the Time-Turner to mess with her?
Well, does it matter? If her future self really sent it, that meant she'd survive long enough to do so…
But it was just as possible she'd die and causality would still force the Time-Turner to appear here. Maybe some failed experiment at the Department of Mysteries had sent one randomly into the past just for it to appear here. Either way, she couldn't take her future survival for granted because of this.
'I can't use it inside the school, at least for now. The wards might alert Dumbledore if a student appears in two places at once,' she mused. The Marauder's Map would certainly show her in two places - probably.
So, the ideal place to store and use it would be the Chamber of Secrets.
It was outside the Hogwarts wards.
With the Time-Turner, she could easily conceal how much time she spent there.
And nobody but her - and Harry unfortunately - could enter, but she was confident she could keep Harry out of a girls' bathroom.
The moment she confirmed on the Marauder's Map that Dumbledore still hadn't returned, she cast the Disillusionment Charm again and slipped down to the Chamber of Secrets.
"You've returned so soon, little mistress!" the basilisk hissed, pleased. Well, for a thousand-year-old serpent, a few months must feel like nothing.
"After the ritual, Aurors were everywhere. I couldn't visit," she explained anyway, glancing at her pocket watch. Five minutes until class. She sighed - if only that 'Tempus' spell from those fanfics actually existed.
"It seems I don't have time… wait." Her eyes fell on the Time-Turner.
She deadpanned at the basilisk - 'returned so soon' my ass - then without another word turned the hourglass three times. Three hours should be enough to erase all traces of the ritual.
And so, she did. For three hours, Ginny vanished every drop of blood, Hermione's and her own, purged as much lingering dark magic as she could and disposed of the soul stone and Hermione's wand still lying on the ground.
The basilisk, delighted to have company again, hissed contentedly while she worked.
Just before her past-self arrived, Ginny hid the Time-Turner safely within the Chamber and slipped away - careful, of course, not to cross paths with herself.
The next few hours were filled with dull classes alongside her roommates. No first-year lesson could possibly challenge her - not with the knowledge of the eighteen-year-old magical genius Tom Riddle at her disposal. Still, she had to demonstrate a steady, believable improvement over the original Ginny's performance, which meant holding back now and then.
She had barely taken two steps into the common room before Fred and George intercepted her like a pair of overexcited Bludgers.
"Oi, Gin-Gin! Still pretending you had nothing to do with certain… mysterious events on the Quidditch pitch a few days ago?"
They slung their arms over her shoulders.
"But that you didn't involve us - that hurts, Gin-Gin."
"Yeah, though at least now we know for sure you weren't adopted like Percy."
They nodded solemnly in unison.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Ginny said with exaggerated innocence.
Interacting with the twins had proven tricky. She possessed all of the original Ginny's memories, which allowed her to analyse how the girl had behaved. Combined with hours of practicing expressions and gestures before a mirror - and changing them only gradually toward something she found more natural - she had managed to blend in reasonably well.
Still, the twins were sharper than they let on, their wit masking a surprising perceptiveness. And she hadn't forgotten how intuitive children could be. Hermione had sensed something was wrong the very first day Ginny was possessed and she hadn't even been family or a close friend.
Constantly skimming the twins' surface thoughts with Legilimency, paired with meticulous study of the original Ginny's habits, had worked out quite well for her so far.
"Oh, come on - we just want to know which charms you used. Right, Fred?"
"I'm George! But Fred's right. Imagine us racing across the Quidditch pitch with golden confetti swirling behind us…"
"Forming a giant middle finger aimed straight at the Slytherin stands. And I'm pretty sure I'm George… We should write to Mum again and ask her who's who, just to be safe!"
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Harry making his way toward her, leaving Ron, Thomas and Finnigan behind. He was already subconsciously jealous whenever others spent too much time with her. For some reason, she found those little sparks of possessiveness rather delightful - even if she was certain he didn't understand his own behaviour.
"Gin-Gin! If you don't tell us, we'll start calling you Queen of Confetti from now on," George announced.
"Yeah," the other George added, grinning, "imagine confetti raining down wherever you go. Actually… that's not a bad idea."
Knowing Harry was within earshot, Ginny pretended to give in. "Fine," she said, feigning reluctance. "I'll tell you how I charmed those brooms."
A sharp intake of breath behind her made her turn. "That was you, Ginny?" Harry's voice trembled slightly. "The picture of Hermione…"
Ginny let her expression fall, schooling her features into sadness, compassion and just a hint of shyness. Perhaps she really should take up theatre someday.
"I told you I'd make sure no one forgets her," she said softly, stepping forward to hug him.
"Thank you," he whispered into her shoulder.
The twins exchanged a glance but had enough decorum to leave them be - for now. Ginny was certain they'd pester her again later and to her own surprise, she didn't mind. She much preferred their company to Ron's or Percy's.