Poison on Paper
Plot: Amidst the chaos, tension and bloodshed thanks to the rise of the Dark Lord, Ginny's all set to start her Seventh Year when a familiar leather bound diary finds its way in her hands (and heart) once again.
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Prologue :: They meet again
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Dumbledore's death was all it had taken for everything to collapse. Harry, along with Ron and Hermione had left The Burrow and set out to vanquish the Dark Lord. The Ministry of Magic was getting weaker and less efficient as more and more people died day by day, the Dark Mark cast upon each and every house of the dead.
The Weasleys' had even thought of not sending Ginny to Hogwarts for her final year but this time, Ginny had protested. She found her house suffocating to the extent that her freedom was limited. Fear was the only emotion shown, as people feared they would be next.
No one ventured outside after dark, doors were locked and even looking out of the window was forbidden. Fear encircled the lives of the people as they did anything and everything to stay alive.
To Ginny, death seemed better than living the way they lived. In fact, the only thing that stopped her from thinking about death more often was her mother's surprising change in decision in allowing Ginny to attend Hogwarts. It looked like she was finishing her seventh year after all.
Her last few days at home passed slowly, as she stayed at home with nothing to do while her father bought her supplies from Diagon Alley. She smiled bitterly, thinking of the days when Harry, Ron, Fred, George, Percy and her would go to Diagon Alley together, and even stay at the Leaky Cauldron sometimes.
The laughter, the now forbidden freedom and happiness appeared alien to her now. Things had changed.
Almost no one was at The Burrow nowadays as Percy and her father were at work, Fred and George refused to budge from their shop, Ron had gone with Harry and Bill and Charlie had jobs of their own. The emptiness chilled her and sometimes, even frightened her.
Was this how she was destined to live forever?
For the first time in her life, she found herself wanting to get away from The Burrow as soon as possible.
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She boarded the Hogwarts Express after exchanging tight hugs and tear-filled goodbyes with her mother, the only family member who had bothered to see her off. Dragging her trunk along as she walked towards the last compartment, she found the silence killing her.
She had never seen the Hogwarts Express look emptier. Yet, it was true. Many had decided to forget finishing their education, scared Voldemort would somehow attack Hogwarts.
The only people she recognized on her way to the last compartment, were Michael Corner (they weren't on speaking terms), Zacharias Smith (they had never been on speaking terms) and Dean Thomas (no explanation needed).
She recognized Demelza Robbins, Katie Bush and Lydia Thomas on the way but didn't feel like talking to them. She finally reached the last compartment -empty as usual- settling down for a long, uneventful journey.
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Half an hour later, she searched her bag for the book she'd brought along. It had been a fantasy named The Perfect Lie her father had purchased for her while he had got her other supplies. It had a rich black cover, the title in silver.
The book cover mesmerized her.
Sighing, she flipped open the book to read, only to frown, confused. The pages were blank, even though she was sure they had been filled with small text hours ago.
She flipped a few pages forward. Still blank. She skipped a few more pages. Still blank.
Frightened and confused, she froze. She could here her father's voice in her mind: If you come across any unusual item or anything that doesn't belong to you, destroy it immediately. These are dark times where even the slightest mix up might have a reason.
Yet something made her hold on to the book.
Get rid of it, a voice screamed in her mind. It looks ordinary but it might be dangerous. Just get-
Ink appeared out of nowhere on the page as words were slowly strung together in a familiar, petite handwriting :
Nice to meet you again, Ginevra.
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