One Hundred Thoughts
by SoftGray
Chapter 2 - Telephone
The season had turned from a chilly winter to a beautiful spring in Scotland, and throngs of students were outside pretending to study and otherwise shirking their duties. Ginevra Weasley and Hermione Granger were two such students and Hermione could safely say this was the first time she'd shirked anything in her life.
"Sometimes, I feel like my life has no purpose anymore. We fought, we won and I just want to sit on my laurels forevermore. There's always the cliche expectation to pop out children but it's nearly the twenty-first century, surely women can be expected to do something else." Ginny was playing with the grass as the two of them sat by the lake, picking out a blade at a time and tearing it to shreds. Hermione flipped over on her stomach and looked out across the lake and continued in a drawling, almost bored tone.
"And everyone just expects us to have illustrious Ministry careers like the boys, but office work is so boring and honestly, I think I could do better elsewhere, like working on S.P.E.W. or maybe even werewolf rights. Ministry work isn't the end all be all." Ginny silently agreed: she wanted to play for the Holyhead Harpies, but that was an ambition she kept to herself, not even Pig knew. Tryouts were in late July and all Ginny had to do was keep her parents and siblings in the dark until she came home victorious, swathed in Holyhead Harpies green and gold clutching a letter of acceptance from Gwenog Jones herself.
A shriek shattered Ginny's thoughts - a first year who had been playing with her friends on the path closest to the the Forbidden Forest had started screaming and running towards the castle, her short legs carrying her as fast as possible, with all of her yelling playmates following suit. Ginny and Hermione immediately sprang into action mode, and Ginny noted with some remorse that her reflexes were still so sharp after the war.
Hermione was first on the scene and Ginny saw her body at first tense up, wand alight, then slowly relax as she dropped her hands by her side.
"It's nothing! They're just doves." And as if on cue, hundreds of brilliantly white, petite birds poured out from the Forbidden Forest, fanning out across the sky, each one a bright speck in the afternoon sky.
A few of the doves decided to perch on the castle and amongst the tree tops and yet others came down through the throngs of students who had gathered to watch, delighting the older ones and sending shivers of curiosity through the younger ones. Hermione had one mistake her hair for a nest, which she was giggling endlessly over, and one perched on Ginny's shoulder, cooing.
But before Ginny could properly fawn over the delicate bird, it transfigured with a pop! into a beautifully folded origami crane. She plucked it from her shoulder and unfolded it, taking care to fold the creases flat.
It was a snowscape, painted in shades of white and grey and black. The only color was a bright red telephone booth that sat lonely and abandoned. It was lovely, but what was lovelier were the words on the other side.
Pictured, my frosty heart without you. I'll give you a ring when I get back soon, care to warm me up? H
Attempting not to blush at the many layers of entendre Harry had managed to sneak into the seemingly innocent postcard, Ginny folded it back up and tucked it away in her pocket and set off across the lawn, joining her friends and classmates in pure delight.
Author's Note: This chapter was hard for some reason, and still doesn't feel right. Suggestions welcome! Check my profile for the newest addition to the postcard album.