Remarkable Tales
…
When she was younger, she hadn't been anything remarkable.
She was the youngest, overshadowed and over stepped upon. She hadn't needed the attention the way Ronald had, nor did she need to seek the spotlight like the twins were forever doing. She grew up quickly, following the steps of Percy.
She was fine. She was fine with the patched knees of her trousers, and she was fine with scuffed shoes that were held together by tape. None of it was highly a concern to her. She was much happier burrowed into a thick Muggle book, rather than the ridiculous tales of the Boy-Who-Lived.
She never quite understood how on Earth the Magical World was so transfixed over a child murdering a murderer, and then casting him away.
It seemed cruel to her, at least.
Ginny Weasley was a strange child, they would all say. Her family and relatives didn't know what to say to her. They hadn't understood her obsession with Shakespeare, nor could they understand what she meant when she said 'V for Vendetta'. But she was fine with that. Because they didn't understand she knew how to pick locks and throw a punch, nor could they understand why she always had a book tucked under her arm, or how she could pick out the liars from the crowd.
She was just fine, living in a world oblivious to her talents.
…
When the hat roared Ravenclaw, the entire castle became quiet. Even the Muggle-Borns fell silent. Every Weasley had been sorted into the House of the brave and the bold for the past twenty-seven generations.
Her family wouldn't be too impressed, but they'd get over it, she supposed.
She slipped into a spot at the table on the far side, Percy giving her a nod from across the room. The Twins were grimacing, shaking their heads, and Ron was sneering from where he sat.
She was fine with that.
She took out a battered copy of Hamlet and began to flip through the well-loved pages as the rest of the sorting was carried out. People eyed her as her fingers played with the blue and bronze tie, but she gave fake little smiles and pretended that she cared.
It was Luna Lovegood who sat across from her with blonde hair pulled back tightly who smiled back at her, showing her teeth.
Ginny smirked.
…
It was the second night when the other girls tried to make living in the dorms difficult for Lovegood, Ginny found out. It was why she held the first one at wand point, eyes flashing dangerously. Several books lay scattered around her feet, revealing the various hexes and spells within.
Luna's eyes watered as she held a shattered frame, a picture slipping out.
"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing? And you best be leaving that wand in your pocket." She demanded hotly, red hair flooding her vision.
The girls flinched, and Ginny scowled. Luna clenched the broken frame.
"She's weird," the short one announced, pointing an angry finger at the blond girl.
Ginny's eyes narrowed. "You're ugly. Does that give me the right to punch your face bloody just because looking at it pisses me off?"
"Hey! Lay off her!" Came a cry from one girl. Ginny hadn't bothered to get names down, because no one really seemed important enough for her to bother with, other than Luna.
Ginny snorted. "You lay off my friend, and I don't hex your guts out."
An instant repairing spell was bestowed upon the shattered glass, repairing the damage. Luna looked up and gave her a watery smile. The others looked in awe at her excellent use of magic, and flinched from her threats.
It was the second night when Ginny made her first friend.
…
She was prodigy at charms. She was excellent at transfiguration. Defense didn't mean a damn when it was taught by such an idiot. Potions were mere passes.
She was lifting her chin up in the hallways, hefting her book load through the corridors. Percy would pass her letters and poems of his own creations. She would smile at him and scrawl out in neat little script that he had taught her for her own replies.
The Twins ignored her existence.
Ron would bump into her in hallways and try to trip her up, but it only took a quick reflex to land an unsettling blow to the crotch to ensure he wouldn't dare to try and play the same tricks twice.
And he didn't. And no other boy dared to come near her.
Ron's friend Hermione breathed down her neck every time she visited the Library. She seemed to want a quiet place to study, and the Ravenclaw common room was legendary for study groups it hosted.
And then the quiet green eyes of Malfoy's best mate would meet her every few times in a while.
…
She would smile, every once in a while. The tiny little Charms teacher wanted to ensure she was safe as she returned home. But she would paste on little smiles and promise she would tell him so. No one ever said a word to Luna when she arrived at school with bruises on her arms and angry welts on her back.
But Ginny would push on.
No one gave her issues. The other Ravenclaws would whisper behind her back, but she could live with a few petty insults. Ron would declare he had no sister, and the Twins just didn't bother to even try to deny her.
And no one ever listened to Percy anyways.
So she grew up.
She grew up learning love was conditional. After all, a father's love could be wiped away after a tragedy, and only a broken little girl was the remainder. She learned that a hero could be transformed into a villain, because the Boy-Who-Lived wearing green and silver could not be tolerated. She learned that turning her back on a house and a code resulted into shunning.
She was proof.
…
There was a diary, hidden in her trunk.
She ignored the words that screamed at her, because everyone knew that a book talking to you was unnatural. She had no use, but figured she could pawn it off in down in Knockturn for a decent price.
Luna would cast worried glances at the trunk, and turn away. She would play old records, and the two would bury themselves in the written world, diving deep within safe, silent books.
Ginny enjoyed those afternoons.
…
Percy would greet her some mornings when their paths collided. He would clasp hands with an older Ravenclaw girl, and he would smile at her. A real smile, like she was still his sister and he still cared.
Because she was and he did.
And the Ravenclaw girl would nod to her, unsure of what to say. Rumors of the Weasley girl holding her dorm mates at wand point and threatening to hex out their guts made an impression on the rest of the dorms.
It was one cold morning where he passed her a heavy present wrapped in thick paper with a blue and bronze bow taped to the top. She handed off a carefully wrapped present of equal proportions.
They both held back a laugh.
"Merry Christmas, Ginny." He would tell her, smiling honestly at her.
And she would use one of the special smiles that actually meant something and give Percy the widest one she could. She would wish him well as she returned home and he stayed within the walls.
She envied him.
…
It was stiff, being home.
Her room was dusty, and the books on her shelves were untouched. She bristled slightly at the lack of care bestowed to it. But she got over it.
"Nice that you're home," Molly would tell her. She would plaster a wide smile on her face, one that would melt away into something honest when she saw one of her boys walking past.
She would shrug.
"Are you thinking about joining the team next year?" Arthur would offer to her, pointing to the broom shed. It lay in the distance, locked and sealed. If she cared enough to bother, she'd pick the lock and steal a ride. But she didn't.
She would say no, because she wasn't fond of flying. And if she did get on a broom, one of the Twins would try and smash her face in with a bludger.
It got quiet after that.
…
Christmas finished slowly.
She was gifted with a sweater from her mother, and a pair of boots with metal patching's on the soles from her father. A wide selection of books was given to her by both Percy and Luna, and she was fine. She didn't want the charity of her family.
She just wanted to be herself.
But she couldn't, so she would pretend.
…
She returned to the castle with snowflakes clinging to her eye lashes and the metal patching's clacking against the floor. Luna greets her warmly, a faded bruise darkening her features. She can make out several more on her arms and Ginny flinches.
She also makes out the Boy-Who-Betrayed standing close to the Malfoy heir, the blonde keeping a close watch over him. She stifles a laugh. The ice prince might just have feelings, she smirks.
She quietly hands over a jar of potions to Luna, nodding mutely. She doesn't need words, nor does she need any form of thankfulness.
She doesn't want any of it.
Instead, she tells her how much she enjoys the books that she was given, and hopes that Luna would be up to comparing theory essays later in the evening.
They're good at changing the subject from what matters.
…
They want to move her up a year.
She says no.
She doesn't want to rush things. She's fine where she is.
They just don't understand that. It's funny how little others can understand.
…
She gets mad, suddenly one day.
Ronald tossed an insult at her, and she slammed a small fist into his face. Her hair escaped its braid, and her books scattered to the ground. Luna was shouting and screaming, and everyone was watching and Ron kneed her in the gut.
She didn't understand why she couldn't stop, but her last punch made his face crunch, and all of a sudden he was bleeding.
And then strong arms were wrapped around her, forcing the air out of her lungs as she struggled. Ronald lashed out at her, and his nails raked against her skin. She cried out and shot her foot out, catching him hard in the knee.
And then things went dark.
…
They stunned her, apparently.
She was a danger to others, they claimed.
They tended to her injuries, and then to her brother's. And they dealt out punishments to suit the crime.
Luna spoke for her, as the Healer stitched together her face. "Ronald started it. He always starts it. He's been taunting her for months now."
Minerva would sigh heavily and shake her head. "I appreciate your concern, Miss. Lovegood, but I'm afraid that this is none of your concern."
Luna would shake her head. "Of course it's my concern. Who's going to give a damn? Her family don't care. They gave her a Howler for bloodying up Ronald's pathetic face."
"Language," the healer called to the girl, while Ginny sat rigid. Her expression was emotionless, hands shaking.
Luna's eyes flashed. "Language? That is all you are going to say? Ginny would be better off disowned, and you're more concerned that she punched Ronald in the face after supressing it, after all this time? How would you like it if someone told you that you were worthless, and the family should have drowned you at birth?"
Ginny felt something break.
Minerva however carried on. "I'm sure you're exaggerating, Miss. Lovegood."
"You know, this school is rubbish." Ginny announced solemnly.
Grey eyes met hazel, and Luna understood.
…
Percy tended his bloody knuckles in silence, and George tended to Fred's face.
Ginny sat with Luna in the library, refusing to enter the Great Hall. Teachers dealt out detentions, burdening her down with the work. Ginny managed in stiff silence, refusing to break.
Ronald paraded his injuries about, encouraging several of the other Gryffindors to try and hex the Boy-Who-Lived in the hallways.
Draco sent twenty older students livid after them all.
The wars began to brew, and rivalries became more violent.
Ginny smiled, because this was started by her.
It was an old system, and she was tearing it apart.
…
They stop with the house cup shortly after the seven Slytherins and the eighteen Gryffindors managed to find themselves staying overnight in the hospital wing. Students still gawked at the faded scars on Ginny's face, a reminder of her brother.
Percy lost his chance at the prefect opening when he broke George's nose.
The entire castle was in uproar, and Ginny would only have to gaze across a corridor to find green eyes regarding her skillfully.
Several howlers were bestowed upon her, six from her mother and one from her father. Each one of them was torn to shreds before it was given an opportunity to screech ungodly words at her.
Students admired her spell work, defeating the original spells crafted into the paper. She taught twenty classmates the spell before she stopped caring.
She wasn't caring about too much now.
…
She burns the diary.
She doesn't know why, but she hates it. It provokes a rage deep within, and she can't calm it until she's grasping hold of the ashes themselves and burning her palms. It's an old spell she discovered, creating a powerful fire that could destroy a book that talked to her.
She knows it's dark and illegal, but it's stunning.
Ginny began to realize that this was a sign of change.
She was changing.
…
You don't really know Ginny Weasley.
This is really just a beginning to a series of beginnings.
…
This is different. I'm interested in the whole 'house' dynamics and family relationships, and I wanted a decent Ginny. No one makes her intelligent. So I decided to overkill, and make her like… really intelligent. I'm debating on the pairing still, though.
Luna has a backbone, by the way. So does Harry. And Draco isn't a jerk. This is something… different for me to write, I guess. I don't do this sort of story, nor do I create multi chapter stories. But, here's to several awesome chapters.
Anyways, updates'll be spotty I guess for a bit. Between work and school and drivers Ed, I think I'm going to crash. But anyways, I felt happy because I finally ordered in for these Firefly comics so I'm waiting, I'm excited. Got space on my bookshelf all ready for 'em.