Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and any characters you recognize from the series.

Authors Notes: This is an ALTERNATE UNIVERSE story. Please, in your reviews, if you're going to leave a critique, keep that in mind.

Prologue

I was the bouncing ferret and she was the littlest Weasel. We had our place, and we knew it, but this year, I lost myself.

It seems to me everyone has lost themselves; my mum has completely alienated herself from the family, only surfacing when she's needed to make a family appearance. As for Father, not much has changed with him, although, he has gotten meaner, seems tenser, and has been snapping over the littlest things.

One day, during summer holidays, he was reprimanding me for the usual: Gryffindor beat Slytherin again, not that I expected any different. And Granger had been first in class, I did, however, come in a close second. But then, something seemed to break my father. He just came up to me and started beating on me. His reason? He said I needed to prepare myself for what the Dark Lord had in mind for me.

No pain, no gain, right?

But she was something else… a forbidden flame, if you will. And that she was, with her beautiful red and her deep brown eyes, but she was forbidden. She was a Weasel.

Whenever I saw her across the Great Hall or at Quidditch pitch, she always seemed so happy, like life couldn't get any better for her. I envied that. When I saw her at Muggle Studies, the only advanced class sixth years were able to take, she was radiant. She was the only person who actually seemed happy with herself, her true self.

She didn't know that she was the light in my dark world.

Blaise, my best mate, was the only one who knew about my infatuation with the Weaselette and he helped me out through it. To me, Blaise was, well, indescribable. The only person I could truly call a friend, even family. Was always there for me.

But then, everything changed.

Blaise started dating Pansy and Granger started dating Weasley, leaving my Weaselette alone to Potter, and he took her.

Her glow was gone, her laughter never to be heard.

I used to think maybe they had a row, maybe they broke up and that saddened her.

I now wish those thoughts were true.

I saw the bruises, but I couldn't admit to myself what was obvious. Saint Potter would never do something to Weasley's little sister. Then again, you could see her eyes.

Sometimes I ask myself why she didn't do anything against him, then I remembered why my own mum was still with my father, simply out of fear.

One afternoon, she landed in the hospital with a broken arm and bruised eye. She told Madame Pomfrey it was from a flying accident.

I didn't know you could get black eyes from flying.

A few days ago, I confronted Potter — but mind you, in a bantering sort of way.

The Weaselette and Potter were walking. Potter had a grip on her arm, nearly pulling her towards the Forbidden Forest. Her face was red, you could still see the tears that had dried on her face.

"Need to beat your girlfriend in order to get some, do you, Potter?"

Her eyes widened slightly, fear clearly in the depths of her dark chocolate orbs.

"Sod off, Malfoy," Potter said, angering quickly.

"And you can't even do it properly, either. Instead you try to beat her and take her to the Forbidden Forest. Isn't that right, Weasley?"

I was staring at her bottom lip, which started to tremble, when Potter's fist landed in my eye.

Needless to say, a fight broke out.

Snape and McGonagall broke us up and gave us detentions to serve after Pomfrey looked us over.

"Professor Snape—" that was McGonagall— "I'll take the Gryffindors. And you Mr. Malfoy?"

"I'll take Miss. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy."

I suspected he knew exactly what was going on.

McGonagall looked at us for a moment when she nodded in agreement.

We were walked to hospital wing where I was given some ointment for my bruised eye and Potter's broken nose was fixed.

"Ginny, come here," Potter said from his bed. But she didn't budge from where she sat next to me.

"Ginny, I said come—"

"Mr. Potter, much to my displeasure, we all heard what you said," Snape remarked. "Miss Weasley, Mr Malfoy, please come with me.

"Make sure you have your wands with you," he finished, looking squarely at Weasley.

"Harry has it," she whispered.

"Speak up, Miss Weasley," Snape demanded firmly.

I wasn't sure if it was a trick of the bad light, but I was sure a dim light grew in her eyes.

"Harry took my wand and refuses to give it back, Professor,"

"Mr. Potter, hand over Miss Weasley's wand at once before I have you reprimanded for theft among other much more serious offenses."

Potter grumbled something and handed Snape Weasley's wand, who then returned it to its owner.

After that we went towards the Potions room, where we were to label and organize the ingredients closest and clean out the rest of the room.

Snape looked at me for a second before he left us to the task and said to use our time wisely, leaving me the perfect opportunity to corner the Weaselette.