The Ultimate Payback
Disclaimer; I do not own Harry Potter and I am not getting any payment or royalties from this story. Everyone and everything Harry Potter related belongs to J.K Rowling. Only the plot is mine.
Prologue; The Plan
Ginny Weasley sat on her bed at the burrow. She could see the forest a few feet behind her house. The setting sun cast a pale crimson glow on the tops of the trees.
It was the night before she was to return to Hogwarts and Ginny wished that it would last forever. This summer had gone by far too quickly for Ginny's liking. Ginny wasn't like the other students who didn't want to return to school because of the professors, classes, and work. Those things were actually some of Ginny's favourite things at school. No, it was none of that, the students were the reason for Ginny never wanting to return.
Ginny had only ever had a few good friends at school. Colin Creevey; the mousy haired Gryffindor that used to follow Harry Potter around everywhere. Luna Lovegood; the Ravenclaw student that had always been a little odd and had unfortunately been given the nickname 'Looney Luna'. And then there was Neville Longbottom; the one student that no one had ever, or could ever believe belonged in Gryffindor.
They were the only students that ever spoke to Ginny. Wait... That's a lie. Lots of students spoke to Ginny. Lavender Brown never missed a chance to call her ugly. Padma and Parvati Patil always made fun of Ginny for never having a boyfriend. Millicent Bulstrode always laughed at Ginny's baggy shapeless out of date clothing. Pansy Parkinson would call Ginny fat or chunky. And then there was Draco Malfoy; he was the worst. Draco would make fun of her clothes, her looks, and always call her a 'Bloodtraitor'.
Ginny wished that she never had to return to Hogwarts. But she was only going to be going into her sixth year; she would still have a whole other year after this.
Ginny was getting so sick of always being the butt of everyone's jokes. Luna, Colin, and Neville were always a big help though, everyone would make fun of them too so they always knew what Ginny was going through. Ron, Harry, and Hermione didn't understand, and they definitely did not help anything. Ron was the worst; he always thought that he was helping no matter how embarrassing it was. He had completely convinced himself that everything he did was to protect Ginny. All he was doing though was making things a lot worse and a lot harder. If anyone of the opposite sex ever showed any romantic interest in Ginny he would go nuts and chase them away like an overprotective father. Ginny knew that he was the main reason she had never been able to have a boyfriend.
The crimson glow had disappeared and was replaced with a starry blanket covering the sky. In a mere few hours Ginny would have to wake up and crawl out of bed to face another year of hell. She dreaded the idea of running around the house and fighting her brothers for the bathroom even though her clothes her laid out and she was prepared for it. Even her trunk had been completely packed; Ginny just wanted the morning to go by as quickly and smoothly as possible.
As much as she did not want to return to Hogwarts Ginny did not want to stay home at the burrow any longer either. At Hogwarts she had people she had people she could talk to, even if it was only a few. There was always something to do that could take her mind off other people and things. At Hogwarts there was always the option of an escape if she really needed it. At the burrow however Ginny didn't have these luxuries. She always had to listen to her brother's fight to each other and tell her what's good for her. Was forced to hear her mother cry out 'not my baby' whenever Ron would mention a boy that might like her. And she could never just hideaway in her room to think unless she stayed up all night.
Ginny was tired of living like she was the little baby Weasley that couldn't take care of herself. Tired of being treated like the outcast she was at school. Ginny didn't want to fit in; she didn't want to get lost in the crowd. She wanted to stand out above everyone else and not get made fun of for any of it. She was sick of it and couldn't do it anymore. Ginny wanted to dress whichever way she chose, talk the way she wanted to, and date whoever she pleased. She wanted revenge.
"UP!" Molly Weasley screamed up the stairs.
"EVERYBODY UP!" She yelled again.
"NOW!!" She screeched.
The sound of bodies falling out of bed and hitting the floor could be heard up the stairs. Mrs. Weasley smiled and with a nod of her head she spun on her heel and went to the kitchen to start breakfast.
Ginny Weasley groaned. She did not want to get out of bed this early in the morning. Turning over to look at her clock she saw that it was only 6:30 AM. She had just fallen asleep three hours ago. Ginny had been up all night trying to think up ways to get back at Lavender, Padma and Parvati, Millicent, Pansy, and Draco.
Throwing the blankets off herself Ginny slowly crawled out of bed. As she sluggishly made her way over to where her trunk and clothes sat on the floor Ginny caught a glimpse of her dresser, on top sat a piece of parchment that had all her revenge ideas on it. Laughing to herself as she pulled on her tank top and pair of jeans Ginny grabbed the parchment and stuffed it into her back pocket, knowing that she could never do any of her ideas, before running out of the room and towards the bathroom down the hall.
Two hours later Ginny was crammed into the backseat of one of the Ministry cars her dad had gotten from work. Ginny looked into the front seat where her mother and father sat comfortably while herself, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were stuffed into the back. Wishing that her father still had his own modified car with much more room Ginny watched as they pulled out of the long driveway leaving the burrow behind.
It was 10:30 when they finally pulled into Kings Cross station. Ginny got out of the car and stretched out gracefully. For a moment she thought she saw Harry staring at her from the corner of her eye but she brushed it off. Ginny no longer fancied Harry and she wasn't going to give into him if he suddenly grew a brain; it was too late.
"Ginny!"
Ginny heard her name being called from the other end of the train; she spun around to see Luna Lovegood walking towards her.
"Hey Luna." Ginny said as she continued to pull her trunk down the long isle of the train.
"There is an empty compartment at the end of the train. Colin's in there waiting." Luna said as she grabbed the other end of Ginny's trunk and pulled.
"Thanks Luna. How was your summer?" Ginny asked.
"It was okay. I wanted to go and hunt sea creatures in our pond but dad didn't seem all that enthusiastic about it." Luna said sadly.
"You have sea creatures in your pond?" Ginny asked as she tried to keep a straight face.
"Oh yeah! They're everywhere."
"But you did say they were sea creatures right?"
"Yes...." Luna replied slowly.
"Doesn't that mean that they should live in the sea?"
"Oh no! It's just a general term. Most of them are fine in any body of water. I could list them if you like!"
"That's okay Luna. Have you seen Neville?" Ginny asked as she slid the compartment door open.
"Hello ladies!"
Ginny turned her head to see Colin standing in the compartment. "Hello Colin. Mind giving us a hand with this?" She asked nodding towards her trunk.
"You know I would, but I just gave myself a manicure." Colin said as he looked down at his hands.
Ginny laughed out loud. Colin was more of a girl than she was. She gave Colin a piercing look that told him he didn't have a choice in the matter. Sighing Colin walked over and helped Luna and Ginny with trunk. Looking over at Ginny he saw her smiling triumphantly, Colin scowled.
Colin, Luna, and Ginny were able to get Ginny's trunk up into the rack within minutes. Ginny knew that Luna and herself would have been able to do it easily enough without Colin's help but she liked to see Colin act like a man sometimes; no matter how gay he was. A few minutes after the three of them had all settled into their seats Neville walked into the compartment.
"Hey Neville." Ginny said as he settled himself across from her.
"Hey Ginny, have a good summer?" Neville smiled.
"Nope, you?"
"The usual."
"You two are always such downers!" Colin said.
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Sorry, I had an amazing summer. I love it when I never get a minute to myself. And when I have to listen to my mum obsessing over me thinking I am still a little kid; always my favourite." She said sarcastically. Ginny was about to open her mouth again but Colin cut her off.
"Okay I get it!" he said as he mimicked Ginny and rolled his eyes.
"Not like coming back here is any better." Ginny replied bitterly.
"Sure it is!" Colin said smiling. Ginny just raised an eyebrow in response. "Here you don't have your mother."
"No." Ginny agreed. "Instead I get Lavender Brown, Padma and Parvati Patil, Millicent Bulstrode, Pansy Parkinson, and Draco Malfoy."
"Oh Ginny, I've told you that you can't let them get to you like that. Just act like you don't care and they'll stop." Luna said rationally.
"Tried that, it doesn't work." Ginny sulked.
"How can all of you sit there and act like you don't care? They attack all of us! Colin you constantly get made fun of because you used to be obsessed with Harry at one point and you still like to take pictures of everyone and everything. They'd have a field day they found out you were gay! Luna, you're always getting picked on for talking about and hunting magical creatures and objects that none of them believes exists! And Neville, everyone always says that you are the only Gryffindor with no courage and no brains! They beat on all of us and I am just so sick of it!" Ginny finished her little rant and looked to each of her friends. They all had the same expression; like Ginny had just killed their pet.
"I'm sorry; I just hate them all so much." Ginny said softly.
"We all do Gin, but what are we supposed to do? It's not like there is anything we can make fun of them for." Neville said quietly.
"But what if there was?" Ginny asked. "What if we could make it so there was something that not only we could make fun of them for, but that the rest of the school would too?" Ginny felt a fire in her chest that she was not ready to extinguish yet.
"What? With this you mean?" Colin said holing up a folded piece of parchment. Ginny looked closely at it and saw that it was the same parchment that Ginny had written all her ideas on.
"Where did you get that?" Ginny blushed.
Colin shrugged. "It was sticking out of your back pocket when you bringing in your trunk."
"You little thief!" Ginny exclaimed. Colin just winked.
"Let's see what we have here." He started to unfold the parchment.
"Give it back!" Ginny made a grab for the parchment, Colin dodged it.
"Lavender Brown, ugly." He began.
"Colin please!" Ginny said as she tried and failed again to grab it out of his hands.
"Padma and Parvati, boyfriend-less." He continued.
"Colin I swear if you don't give it back." Ginny started through gritted teeth.
"I'm real scared Gin, Millicent, clothes."
"Fine read it, I don't care." Ginny slumped back and put her arms across her chest.
"Oh you know you do, and that I will. Pansy, fat." Colin went on.
"You're not fat Gin, Pansy's an idiot." Luna said.
"Draco Malfoy.... Oh dear God!" Colin's eyes went wide and his face lit up.
"NO!" Ginny screamed as she lunged and was able to grab the parchment out of Colin's hand while he was still in shock.
"Come on Gin, show them." Colin said nodding towards Luna and Neville.
"No! You saw it, why don't you tell them?"
"Because I can't believe it! It's just so perfect!"
"What?" Neville and Luna asked together.
Colin once again nodded towards Luna and Neville. He was silently begging Ginny to show them the parchment.
"Come on Gin!" Neville said as his curiosity got the better of him. Ginny shot him a glare causing him to shrink back into his seat.
"Please Gin?" Luna smiled.
Ginny looked at her friends. She knew that she would be forced to show them, if she didn't do it now she knew Colin would tell them eventually. Ginny would rather have them hear about it now on the train than later in the Great Hall or somewhere else they would cause a scene.
"Fine." Ginny sighed as she handed the parchment to Neville. "I hate you all."
"You love us." Colin beamed.
Neville took the parchment from Ginny and moved closer to Luna so they could read it together. Ginny looked over at Colin and scowled. He was sitting there with a goofy smile and sparkling eyes.
"Wow." Was all Neville was able to say.
"Oh Merlin!" Luna clapped a hand over her mouth.
"I know! It's brilliant!" Colin said enthusiastically.
"It's stupid!" Ginny spat.
"No, it's amazing!" Luna smiled.
"The ultimate payback!" Neville whispered.
"It won't work!" Ginny was shocked that her friends would think that her plan even had the slightest possibility of succeeding. "I wrote that when I was half asleep. I wasn't thinking." Ginny tried to explain.
"Then you're a genius when you're not thinking." Neville said smiling.
"It won't work." Ginny repeated.
"When I'm done with you honey it will work." Colin said in a very feminine tone.