A.N. Just a quick fic I felt the need to write, hasn't been beta'd. Hope you like.
Disclaimer: Not mine. All characters belong to J.K.Rowling.
Her Knights
Firstly it was her father, her true champion. He'd dote upon her, sing her praises, and hold her up high, so the whole world could see how perfect she was. But never too high, for fear of her falling. No harm could ever come to his angel, and she knew with him she'd always be safe.
Then came her brothers, her Knights. The smallest cry from her lips would have them all descending upon her, fussing, checking for scratches or bruises. Red hair would flash in the sunlight, and her life was full of fun and safety.
Then, one by one, her Knights left her, for the castle that she could imagine perfectly, although she had never seen it. They dwindled in numbers, until they were all gone, and she would sit alone, waiting for summer to come once again.
And then it was her turn, and she was taken to the castle, and she met her new Knight. Ebony hair, emerald eyes, so different from her brothers. Harry Potter would smile warmly at her, pretend he didn't notice when she did something stupid, he never told her to go away, like her brothers did. And he was a true hero. He had almost been killed by the most fearsome wizard of all time, and he had survived. He was perfection, and to be in his very presence made her glow. No harm could come to her when he was around.
And there was one other night. A boy, a boy who lived in a diary. And whereas her father and brother's and Harry would keep her from harm, this Knight was her confidant. And he would tell her how wonderful she was, he would tell her that she deserved the world. And he would listen. He never forgot anything he told her. She could bring up a conversation they had had weeks ago, and he would know exactly what she was talking about. He meant more to her than any of her other knights put together, and she trusted him completely.
And he betrayed her.
She didn't notice at first, although she did realise that she was much more tired that usual. She put it down to not being used to the school work. And, yes, she would occasionally space out, but she had never had the longest of attention spans, so that she could ignore too.
And why would she distrust Tom? He was just beginning to trust her, just beginning to tell her his little secrets. Just little ones.
"I hated my teachers at school, they never understood me."
"My father abandoned my mother when she was pregnant with me."
"He hated her for being a witch."
"I swore I'd make him pay."
Sometimes he got angry, and scared her, but he'd always apologise afterwards. She understood. She saw her mother and father get angry at each other and her brothers. It was part of love, and they only ever got angry when the other person did something wrong. So she'd apologise for making him angry.
"You're such a good little girl Ginny."
"You're my girl, aren't you Ginny?"
"You'll do as I tell you, won't you Ginny?"
"Yes Tom." It was always the answer, it was the only answer. She was his, they both knew it.
And so it went on. Her listen to her secrets, and tell her his, and she was falling. Eventually she realised that she was falling towards him, that it was all his doing. Even as she began to realise what was happening, she still wrote, still fed him. Even when she was so weak she could barely move, she would find the strength to write.
She tried getting rid of the diary, but it turned up in the hands of Harry, and she knew it was up to her to protect him. She wouldn't let Tom have him.
She wouldn't let him have Tom...
Even when she knew, knew that all the blood and the tears and the fear was down to him, she would never let him go. Never let go of her secret Knight.
And she knew. The day she opened the diary for the last time, she knew. If she wrote one more word in that diary, it would kill her.
She dipped the quill into the ink...
He would kill her.
She brought it up carefully, not wanting the ink to drip...
Her Knight...
Dear Tom...
When she awoken in the darkness, she had marvelled that she wasn't dead. A boy was calling out her name, and she had thought it would be him. But it was not. It was her ebony haired boy Knight, whose worried green eyes, stared down at her.
She had clung to him as she sobbed, and she was sure he thought she was in need of his protection. Perhaps she had been. But she would never trust a Knight to protect her again. They betrayed her, they made her betray herself.
And there had been others since then. Boys who went out of their way to make life safer for her. Pulling blows in duelling clubs, walking her to classes, leaping to her defence when danger threatened. She didn't mind really. But she never expected it; she knew that they would let her down. Like her father had, like her brothers had.
Like Tom had.
One boy had never let her down though. But she would never ask him to look after her. For he could never be just her Knight, he championed the Wizarding World, and she would always come second.
That was ok.
Knights belong in the world of dreams and fantasies.
And Ginny knows more than anyone; never put your faith in a dream.
Dear Tom...
III
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