Warning: Mild self-mutilation, only mentioned in passing. Other than that, references to a mental disorder.

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The Girl in the Mirror

Ginny loved to watch the girl in the mirror.

The girl in the mirror was just like her. They could relate so much – both of them had older brothers. Both of them had grown up before their time. They dressed the same, they shared experiences, and they both had a secret obsession: (no, not Harry Potter, but) cherry lip gloss. It tasted so good, and it could be shiny or coloured.

Ginny and the girl in the mirror were best friends.

They loved to chat at night, when no one else was looking. Ginny's housemates had ridiculed her for her friendship with the girl, and their teasing had hurt them both. People thought that it was 'a passing phase', something about 'not being willing to leave her childhood behind'.

They didn't understand.

But then, they couldn't. They had friends. They had people to talk to – and even the loners had someone who made the effort to include them.

Ginny had friends, you say. Well, this is true. But none of them could understand. Nobody knew what it was like – waking up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat that froze on her skin as the air suddenly went cold, and the curtains were pushed open by an icy wind coming from the open window – that hadn't been opened before.

The girl in the mirror knew what it was like to have someone haunting your footsteps. Even when that person had moved on, neither of them could forget him or his influence that had stolen her innocence.

Sometimes Ginny would watch the girl silently – as she undressed, as she showered, as she made each incision on the inside of her arm.

Then her skin would begin to sting, and Ginny would look down and see that she was bleeding. But it wouldn't matter, because she wanted to watch the girl, her best friend.

One day, Hermione had almost discovered the girl. Ginny and the girl were talking when Hermione opened the door uninvited. Quickly the girl hid as Ginny turned away – the girl in the mirror was shy, after all, and only came around when Ginny was there.

"What were you doing?" Hermione had asked, a confused smile playing on her lips. Ginny smiled serenely and shrugged, moving to her dresser to tie her hair back in a braid. "Well, you're going to miss the Quidditch game, if you don't hurry up. I'll meet you down there." Hermione paused before closing the door, and Ginny made sure not to look at her while she still remained.

The door shut. Heavy sigh. "She's a little too smart, you know?" The girl in the mirror smiled back. From that day on, Ginny was much more open with Hermione – about things she wanted her to know. It worked. And the girl aged with Ginny, and they became closer friends.

But their friendship can't last. Ginny knows this, and her conversations with the girl in the mirror become shorter and shorter. She's busy, she has homework, and oh sorry, Loony Luna wants to study Charms with her. Then she'll miss the girl more, and come back.

Ginny always comes back.

They had a fight once, Ginny and the girl in the mirror. The girl in the mirror wants her to stay – why can't they be friends? Nobody knows, and nobody needs to.

"But we can't always be together."

"We can. I go where you go."

"But you're not always around. Just sometimes."

"I'm there when you need me. I'm a good friend. I love you. After all, who else is going to take care of you but you and me?"

Ginny looks after Ginny, and nobody else.

And some day, Ginny will realize that she's just talking to herself in the mirror.

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A/N: Author's Note at the bottom this time. So, what'd you think? Be sure to leave a review and tell me! Yah, I know – no plot whatsoever and an extremely abrupt ending. As with my last piece, I'm not sure what brought this on (although I think my last piece was better – it was also about Ginny, titled 'Six Feet Under'. Care to check it out?) but it just needed to be written. Hope you enjoyed it nevertheless. Leave a review!