Cast Away

~* Welcome everyone, to my eighth fiction I am posting at FF.net. This one will include italics, bold, and answers to reviews at the end of chapters! I hope Cast Away will be as successful as my other fictions! It is based on a song (but not a songfic) that one of my close friends wrote, it's a very good song! *~

Chapter 1 – Unnoticed

Sadness fills my heart, when I think about my life

Always lonely and ashamed, unsure of what is right

How could there be anyone who sees me for me?

I am different I know, I cannot change anything

Fantasies are people dreaming, I know my blessed pride

Finding someone who loves me for who I truly am

How could there be anyone who sees me for me?

I am different I know, I cannot change anything

Time has passed, I have to move on

To a place afar where dreams come true

How could there be anyone who sees me for me?

I am different I know, why can't you see?

Why can't you see?

I will cast away from here

Never knowing what life will be for me

I will sing to the stars and skies above

Hope to find me the one

Who loves me for me

And not a mask

Ginny Weasley sighed and set down her quill. There was no way she would get that homework finished before the night ended. She flopped back on her bed, and picked up her novel, Reunion, by Rory O'Donnell. It was a book about Australian indigenous culture, a subject of interest to Ginny since she was young. The novel was battered and worn. Ginny had scavenged enough money to buy it from a second hand store.

Ginny, about to enter her fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was a short, skinny redhead with many freckles. She went un-noticed through most of her Hogwarts years, with the small exception of her incident in first year with Tom Riddle. Under-appreciated. No one really knew Ginny for who she was.

Ron's head appeared at the door to Ginny's tiny room. She looked up from the sentence she was reading and acknowledged her older brother's presence. Ron's eyes drifted to the book Ginny was reading.

'What's that you've got there?' He asked.

'Oh, nothing.' Ginny said, trying her hardest to move the book out of Ron's view, but he had already seen it so it was no use.

'Ginny, you know that we struggle to pay for things, you shouldn't buy stuff when the money could go to your school supplies.' Ron said in an older brother tone. Ginny looked ready to cry. Ron didn't understand her.

'It's something I'm fascinated by,' Ginny said, then as an after thought added, 'something besides all the things we learn at Hogwarts.'

'You should know better.' Ron said, when Ginny did not reply, he continued. 'Anyway, Harry and Hermione are coming here tomorrow, and then we're all going to number 12 Grimmauld Place for the rest of the holidays, so pack okay?'

'Sure, why not.' Ginny sighed, and Ron nodded and disappeared from view. Not wanting to leave her Australian world, Ginny picked up the novel and continued to read Reunion. In her novel, which she had read five times, she could escape the harsh reality of which she lived in.

Evelyn's bare feet pounded the ground as she sprinted away, not wanting the white hunters to capture her. They had been hunting her and her people for a few months, and it was only a matter of time before they captured her and caged her like the animal they thought she was. They did not see a soul, all they saw was dirty skin. Evelyn only hoped her young sister and mother had found a path to safety. Her father had been taken a few years back, captured and chained, sent away to be a slave. Her own destiny. She hated them. Life was unfair. The white people had come and conquered her land long ago. Evelyn and her family were forced to live as fugitives, not knowing when the white hunters would come for her.

Ginny set the book down. She loved that book more than anything she could think of, but decided it would be best for her to start packing before Harry and Hermione arrived. Ginny knew they pitied her, she hated pity.

She rummaged through her closet until she finally came across the item which she was searching for, her trunk. Ginny was a smart girl, who realised that they would go straight from Grimmauld Place to Kings Cross Station where they would board the Hogwarts Express.

In her trunk, Ginny packed her few items of muggle clothing, her Hogwarts Robes and uniform, all her school supplies and books which she had bought from Diagon Alley a few days ago, and anything else she could think of that she may need, including toiletries.

When Ginny had finished packing, and was just about to get back to her novel, when Ron entered her room. He just walked in, not bothering to knock. Ginny found that rather rude, but she said nothing.

'Ginny, dinner's ready.' Ron said, looking around for the novel, possibly wanting to get a look at what it was about.

'I'm coming.' Ginny said impatiently.

'No need to be rude, Ginny, I was only telling you what mum told me to.' Ron said defensively.

'Okay, I'll be down in a minute.' Ron left her room in a huff. Ginny hated climbing and descending those stairs. They were creaky, steep, and there were a lot of them, but she forced herself up and down them atleast ten times a day. Oh how she hated her room being up so high. Ginny made up her mind to ask her parents if they could take off the top levels of their house to make it only double story. This shouldn't be much of a problem since the only Weasley children left living at The Burrow were Ron and herself.

Ginny reached the bottom of the stairs, and headed into the kitchen where the dining table was set up. She took her seat across from Ron and next to her father. The Weasley household was rather empty since Fred, George and Percy left, so they all were looking forward to having Harry and Hermione, even if it was only for a few hours before they all went off to Grimmauld Place.

As they were eating, Ginny worked up the courage to ask her parents to make their house considerably smaller.

'Mum, dad,' Ginny began, three sets of eyes turned to watch Ginny.

'Yes dear?' Molly Weasley replied.

'I was just – um, wondering if we could make our house smaller? I mean, since only four of us live her and all, and it gets tiring all that walking up and down stairs all the way to the top when we could be on the second floor.'

'Say, that's not such a bad idea, I mean, why bother having a large house when only four people live in it?' Ron cut in. Mrs Weasley looked hassled.

'Molly dear, the children have a point.' Arthur Weasley said. 'Why do we have such a large and unstable house with only four people living in it?'

'Oh, oh dear.' Molly said, somewhat troubled by the idea of her house being shrunken from it's normal height.

'Mum, just think, you wouldn't have to do as much cleaning, and it wouldn't take long seeing as you and dad can do magic to get the job done.' Ron said. Ginny had somehow been excluded from this conversation, but she was used to it, so she just sat there and ate her mashed potato.

'I guess you have a point, Ron dear, thank-you for bringing it up.' Molly said, smiling at her son. Ginny sighed on the inside, the poor un-noticed Weasley girl, she got that a lot. Her own mother didn't even realise she was sitting at the same table as her, let alone living in the same house.

'So we should get busy tomorrow morning when dear Harry and Hermione arrive shall we?' Arthur said chirpily. 'They can help if they would like.'

'Can I help too, seeing as it was my idea?' Ginny asked, half annoyed, half hopeful that she would be allowed to help. Molly and Arthur exchanged glances, and Ginny didn't even bother waiting for an answer, this always meant no, you're too young Ginny. Ginny was getting very tired of that, of those looks which her parents exchanged that clearly meant just that. Exclusion. Ginny felt like taking that word out of the dictionary.

'Sorry Ginny, you're too young.' Molly said soothingly, but Ginny was long beyond listening. She quickly finished her dinner, eager to get back upstairs and escape once again into her world of Australian Culture. Just as Ginny was about to leave the table, she got called back by her mother.

'Ginny, we're having family time in the den, so don't go away.'

Ginny groaned. There was nothing she hated more than family time. When more of her brothers lived at home it wasn't so bad, but since it was only her and Ron, she seemed to be ignored even more. Ginny made her way into the den and sat on a faded, tearing lounge chair. Getting comfortable, she knew that she would be there for a long time, listening to Ron and her parents talk about his OWL results. Ron's letter from Hogwarts had come this morning telling him his OWLS. Ginny hadn't had the chance to ask him how many he got, but she was sure he wouldn't have gotten as many as Percy, or as little as Fred and George.

Ron soon joined her. He sat on the large three seat lounge which was also faded and torn. Ginny was sure that her parents would sit beside Ron and forget about her completely like they always did. Ron looked at her with a blank expression on his face.

'They're going to talk to me about my OWLS, I know they are.' Ron said sadly.

'How many did you get?' Ginny asked.

'Five.' Ron replied simply.

'Oh? That's not too bad.' Ginny said, trying to be supportive of her brother's efforts.

'I don't think it's the results mum and dad were expecting from me though.' Ron said.

'Oh. Do you get to stay a Prefect this year?' Ginny asked curiously, wondering this very question when she received no prefect badge in her letter, not that she had expected one anyway, she was sure that Maria Bentley would get the badge. She was the more responsible and noticeable Gryffindor fifth year.

'I don't think so, I think prefects are restricted to fifth years, did you make prefect?'

'No.' Ginny replied, and couldn't help thinking that because she wasn't a prefect was the main reason to her parents not paying much attention to her lately. I hate this, Ginny thought miserably. I hate the way they always talk to Ron and pretend that I'm not here. She crossed one leg over the other and prepared herself for a night of listening to conversations.

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~* What did you all think? Later I have planned to make this a Draco/Ginny fiction, for reasons which will be revealed later! Please review and let me know if you like it or not! Love you all! *~

~Gryffindor Gal~