AN: Hey there! Thank you for looking at my story. The story is adopted from Locked Secret Keeper. I used the same title so it would hopefully be easier to find for those people who have been waiting. Anyway, I hope you like it and ALL HAIL ROWLING!
Chapter 1
Light trails from the crack in her window shades streamed across the room. The dust danced in the spotlight, too numerous to count. It fell slowly, floating across the light, back into the shadows. It was beautiful.
Ginny knew it was. It was one of the few things in her life she looked forward in the morning. She would watch the dust whirl in the streams of light, looking free and weightless. It gave her the tiniest shred of hope that her living nightmares would end and sheʼd be like the dust: weightless.
Ginny rose from her bed. She turned her head to the clock at her bedside. September 1, the first day of her sixth year. She sighed and brought her legs to her chest. She wrapped her arms around her shins and held herself tight. It had been exactly 5 years and 364 days since she had touched or smiled to herself, let alone anyone else.
She fell back and stared at the ceiling. Her life had never been like the typical sixteen-year-old girl. No girl should have to endure what she had, but she wasnʼt about to burden someone else with her tale. She was kinder than that, though no one ever cared to know.
Ginny quick washed up in the bathroom across the hall. She scrubbed her arms and legs, careful not to agitate the faint bruises fading away. She brushed her hair carefully. Her scalp was sensitive and even the slightest yank brought tears to her eyes. When her hair was dry and tangle-free, she wrapped herself in her robe and walked back to her room.
She opened her trunk. It had been packed for weeks, waiting for the first of the month so she could hop the train and leave her hell hole. She slipped on a pair of long leggings and an overly large red sweater. It had a large golden G, but not for Ginny. It was an old sweater of Georgeʼs, back when her mother used to sew them every Christmas.
Ginny was always much smaller than her brothers. In fact she was much smaller than most people. She was mid-height, but incredibly petite. Her body frame was narrow and she never gained much weight. She never looked sickly so it only ever brought envious and jealous attention from the girls around her age. It alienated her. She was a pariah.
She may have shared a dorm with four other girls at Hogwarts, but Ginny could count on her hands the number of times theyʼve tried to talk to her. She was nothing, but another occupied bed, desk, or chair. But she anxiously awaited her return.
Ginny tucked her wand behind ear and picked up the sides of her trunk. She walked to the doorway and slipped her boots on. The leathered had formed to her feet, making it soft and comfortable. She treaded lightly through the doorway and hall. She descended the staircase, careful not to drop her trunk.
The Burrow was eerily quiet for a Sunday morning. As she entered the living room, Ginny saw her mother sprawled across the couch, dead asleep. She would be foolish to stick around and wait for her to wake, so Ginny made her way to stairs again, carefully placing her trunk and wand in the corner.
She climbed the six flights of stairs to her brother Ronʼs room. Out of her brothers, Ginny and Ron were probably the most estranged, even though they were the closest in age. When things started to change around their family, Ron never did anything. He just observed from the sidelines. Ginny would never forgive him for that.
But regardless of her feelings towards Ron, Ginny couldnʼt leave for Kings Cross until he was ready. Unfortunately, Ron was probably not even up yet. He slept sounder than a rock most days. He had nothing to worry about.
Ginny opened his door slowly. Ron was sprawled across his bed, face down. His deep breathing made his shoulders rise and fall. Ron way much taller than Ginny was. He had broad shoulders that made him seem like a door or wall. Ginny walked to his bed and quietly began to wake him. She didnʼt want her mother waking up before they were ready to go.
"Ron," she whispered, shaking the bed near him slightly.
Ron groaned into his pillow, burrowing his face farther into the surface.
"Come on, Ron! We need to go," she whispered, pleading with him.
"GINEVRA!" The harsh voice ripped through the house. Ginny involuntarily shuddered.
There was no point avoiding a summons like that. She pushed Ronʼs pillow, saying, "Move your bloominʼ arse, Ronald. I want to leave as soon as possible." And with that, she left her brotherʼs room and trudged down the stairs.
At the bottom of the last flight, Molly Weasley was standing holding a frying pan and a spatula. "Great. Youʼre up," she said, flatlined. She shoved the pan and spatula into Ginnyʼs chest. "Make your brother some breakfast before you leave. I donʼt want him to get hungry too early in the trip."
She then turned and began to mumble something about not having the forethought to prepare her older brother. Ginny shuffled over to the stove. While they were a magical family, they still used the stove and oven because it was sometimes easier to not focus on the spells. And if you're under seventeen, you canʼt use magic anyway. So Ginny set the pan down on the burner. She placed a pad of butter in the pan and started the heat.
She went for the eggs and opened the carton. Four eggs. In a different circumstance, those four eggs could be split between two people. But Molly Weasley was not about to let her youngest son eat only two eggs before leaving for the semester. So Ginny would make the four eggs for her brother and leave her with an empty stomach. But Ginny was used to it. She cracked the eggs above the pan and watched as the eggs sputtered, turning white.
Ron staggered to the bottom of the stairs just as Ginny was plating the eggs. He sat down at the table and Ginny put the steaming plate in front of him. He picked up his fork and started in on his meal. Ginny turned and began to clean up.
"Whereʼs your food?" Ron asked, egg still in his mouth.
Ginny turned to look at him. "Just finish," she said. "I need to leave soon." She then turned back to the pan that had started soaking in the sink.
A few minutes later, Ron had returned to his room to gather his belongings. Ginny was scrubbing his plate in the sink, ridding the glass of the grease.
Suddenly, Molly walked up behind her screaming, "This is just fuckinʼ peachy! Little miss Ginny thinks sheʼs washing. Youʼre doing nothing! Turn on the heat!" She turned the faucet to hot and forced Ginnyʼs hands under the water.
It was blistering. Ginny tried to move her hands, but it was futile. Mollyʼs grip was too tight for Ginny to break. "Do you understand was hot water is now? Do you get it, bitch? This is what you wash with!" Molly was screaming into her daughterʼs ear. She then released Ginnyʼs hands forcefully.
Ginny pulled her hands to her chest, trying to dry them off on her sweater. Her fingers and hands were bright red and they throbbed. Ginny reached for the faucet to turn it to cold, but Molly slapped her hands away.
"This is the temp you use! Clean the damn dishes and be gone with ya!" Molly turned and stormed out of the room, still ranting about her worthless daughter.
Ginny turned on the faucet half way, rinsing off the final dishes. She then turned it colder and let the water run over her quivering hands. Little wisps of steam rose from her hands as the cold water ran over her fingers. Ginny let out a sigh as her hands returned to normal. They were still bright red, but at least they werenʼt blistering.
Ron came down the stairs, carrying his trunk. Ginny went to gather her things. When they were all assembled, they walked out the door.
They were taking a Portkey to London, where they would locate Kingʼs Cross Station and board the Hogwarts Express at Platform 9 3/4. They climbed the hill just outside Ottery St. Catchpole. The Portkey was an old rusty kettle that normal people would avoid for fear of hepatitis.
"Are we supposed to wait for Luna?" Ron asked, placing his trunk on the ground.
Ginny shook her head. "No," she responded. "She was going to spend the weekend in London with her father. Apparently there was hargalump infestation at the Leaky Cauldron."
Ron nodded. It wasnʼt all that weird to hear that the Lovegoods were off searching for little, invisible creatures. The Lovegoods were pureblood, but not your typical breed, but the Weasleyʼs werenʼt in any state to make judgements.
Besides, Luna was one of the few people outside of her family who knew of her home life. She had befriended Ginny as a young girl. When the change began, Luna tried her best to help her, but there wasn't much she could do. When they were at Hogwarts, Luna would always try and find time for Ginny, but as a prefect and president of a number of clubs, she was busy a lot of the time.
Ginny sighed and grabbed ahold of her luggage. "Ready?"
"Yeah," Ron grunted, clearly not completely awake.
As her hand touched the kettle, Ginny felt the uncomfortable tugging in her navel. When she thought the ride was never going to end, her feet landed on the tile floor.
They had arrived in a locker room at King's Cross Station. Ginny dragged her trunk across the floor. She pushed open the door and fell into a mass of people. It was rush hour at the station and it was highly unlikely she would get a trolley, so Ginny hunkered down and plowed her way through the mass.
She passed the platforms, never taking a second glance to see if Ron was following her. Platform 6... 7... 8... 9... Ginny stopped. The wall was simple brick matching the rest of the station. Ginny shoved her trunk up against the wall. As inconspicuously as she could, she leaned into the wall taking her trunk with her.
The smoke from the train billowed through the platform. A sharp whistle rang in the long brick hall. Ginny quickly stepped away from the wall, leaving room for the next witch or wizard to come through.
Seeing that many of the students had already boarded, Ginny began to move forward. Before she could finish her first step, a tall man bumped into her from behind. Ginny turned.
The man was tall and broad. He wore faint pinstriped robes and dark shoes. The lines of his face were sharp and prominent. His hair was long, dark, and if Ginny would have touched it, she was sure it would be soft.
What took her most by surprise, were his eyes. They were the darkest brown she had seen, making them appear black. Around the edge of his irises were silver rings, giving his eyes light and excitement. It was definitely the youngest part of him.
"I'm sorry, miss. I haven't been through this wall in many years." He gave a bark of laughter. "I didn't remember it being that easy!"
Ginny gave a look of acknowledgement that she had heard his words. He was clearly the humorous type and Ginny wasn't in the mood to give encouragement. "It's alright," she said before turning to go.
Behind her, she could hear more footsteps hitting the platform. An unfamiliar voice said, "Padfoot, really? A running start? If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were a first year."
The man sighed, "Oh, Moony. If you keep it up like this, little Prongs will be a stick in the mud just like you."
"If only! He's becoming you more and more each day."
Ginny was beyond confused. Even for the wizarding world, those names were odd. Padfoot? Prongs? Moony? Ginny shook her head and attempted to board the train.
When she found an empty compartment, Ginny opened her trunk. She pulled out the first of two robes and hung it on the post. She then pulled out her book and locked the trunk. After heaving it onto the rack, she sat on the seat and pulled her feet up. She leaned against the wall, her head sitting next to the window. She opened her book to the first page.
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. It was Ginny's favorite book. She found that she related to the character a lot in the beginning. She was cursed with perfect obedience and had a stepmother and sisters who took advantage of her. Her father was her only hope, but he had his hands tied the majority of the time. After the beginning, it was just wishful thinking, but nonetheless, she loved it. Muggles always had interesting ways of using magic and their creativity was refreshing.
She turned the next worn page and began to read. That fool of a fairy Lucinda did not intend to lay a curse on me. She meant to bestow a gift...
Throughout the trip, random people would come through the door of the compartment. A couple of first years who were talking about gardeners and potters. A couple who was looking for a place to snog. A group of 3rd year girls walked in giggling about something hairy. Luna had popped in during her rounds to say hello. She didn't stay long because she had to meet up with her partner at the end of the train. After her visit, Ginny had put the book aside. She hoped to get in a quick nap before they reached Hogsmeade. She laid down and turned towards the seat back.
Not thirty minutes later, Ginny heard the door to the compartment open slowly. It closed again just as slowly. She heard a sudden movement of fabric and the seat as the new member sat down. There was a long sigh paired with a slight knock as their head hit the wall behind.
Ginny laid very still. If she waited long enough, usually the passenger would leave. But the new student just sat there taking deep soothing breaths. It was lulling Ginny into a sense of security. She closed her eyes and let the movement of the train rock her to sleep.
When she opened her eyes again, the windows were dark and the train was still. Laughs and shouts were coming in through the door. Her travel companion groaned as if waking up.
"Hey. We're here. Umm..." It was definitely the voice of a boy. Not like a first year, an older, possibly sixth or seventh year, male. He might be in her year, though she didn't recognize the voice.
"Thank you," she said thickly. Her mind was still groggy from the nap. She heard him grab his things and move to leave the compartment.
Halfway through the door, he turned and said, "Thank you for letting me stay in here."
"No problem," she answered, putting her robe on over her sweater.
With that he left, leaving the door slightly open. Ginny finished gathering her things and made her way to the carriages.
She climbed into an empty one, but soon was joined by a group of chattering and giggling girls. Ginny blocked out most of their conversation. The only thing she picked up on was something about a hairy gardener, whatever that was.
Ginny had her curtains pulled around her bed. It was pretty late, even for her, but her mind was spinning. All through dinner, people couldn't stop talking about the new student coming to Hogwarts. Everyone who had ever heard of magic knew who he was. It was impossible to not know his story. Harry Potter, the boy who lived, was coming to Hogwarts.
AN: Please let me know what you think of this! I'm in the dark. Thank you to Locked Secret Keeper for letting me adopt this story line. Sorry to those of you who have been waiting. I hope to get more out to you soon. Okay, please review! :)