Disclaimer: I am not JK the characters belongs to her

Chapter 2: Ginny's Song

Another long night of Lord's and Ladies twirling their colorful garbs to the music that I played with all my heart and soul, began to come to an end. The night had been very dramatic on the dance floor; what with the prince wooing many a beautiful women and then leaving them to fight over his royal self.
Personally, I sometimes wondered why the prince seemed to enjoy doing this over and over and over again. Don't the Ladies learn after a time? Don't they realize what he's doing? Every ball is the same. Dance with the handsome prince, a blush here, a giggle there, and then a violent cat fight that involves hair pulling and ripped fabric.

"Ginerva!" Carol hissed as we began to rifle through our last pieces to perform. My eyes flew up to her delicately beautiful face. "You have to play the last song alone."
I fumbled more with my music as I felt my heart begin to pound in my rib cage. I forgot for a moment that the entire ball was on hold, as I felt my face turning red staring at Carol desperately.
"What? Why?" My voice, I knew was louder then the invisible tone it should've been.
"I have a headache. I'll play this piece then I have to leave. Randy has to give me some medicine for it and Lawrence is of no use to you after Randy and I have left. A cello solo is better." She answered, well aware of all the unwanted attention we were receiving.
Before I could argue the point anymore, Carol straightened her back and gave a sniff to begin our next piece. The piece was usually my favorite: Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik; but there was little joy in my playing this time. I was too nervous to let myself sink into the music like a hot refreshing bath. Instead it was as though I'd stepped into a steam room and was trying to feel my way around without stumbling. My hands were moist with perspiration, and I could hardly breathe as my hands hit the notes in tune, but without my usual grace. I reluctantly allowed my mind to focus instead on the music, as my stomach clenched in preparation of what I was soon to do.

~HpGw~ ~HpGw~ ~HpGw~

I reluctantly let the last chord ring through my cello, as Carol packed up swiftly and silently with the others. I already knew what I needed to do once they had left me there alone. I shifted my cello to the center of our assigned square where we were to play, and stared at the music in front of me. The notes just looked like a million tiny black dots as my vision began to blur, and instead of hearing the song in front of me in my mind, I recalled a song that lingers in my soul every time I play cello, a song that I wrote.
It was easier for me to close my eyes and to ignore the gleam and glamour of the haughty world I played for, and instead play from the world of music. Some say music is one of this world's joy's. But no. Music has a separate world that is too beautiful for our own. It is one that seems to be made of emotions sung out in all different ways, with different styles. A world of feeling as corny as that sounds . . . not something that can be made clear by reality.
I closed my eyes, and entered that world as soon as I drew my bow across the string. I sensed the movement in the room go still as my fingers began to vibrato slowly on the notes. I entered a whole new state of mind, and in that state, all there was was the strings under my fingers, the bow on the string, and the music that enraptured all senses.

My passion flowed from me through my music until I felt my energy begin to drain, and my muscles ache, yet even then, I didn't wish it to end. Then, I felt the song take the direction towards the end, and I reluctantly played it out. As I ended it with my fingers aching, my heart racing, and my bow dragging across the string, I throw off my bow, and lift my face exhilarated to the world I had left behind. To find them all staring as though hypnotized, or as though I had cast a powerful enchantment over them.

Suddenly I felt my heart racing even faster, so I quickly left to pack up. Even with them all staring at me with their mouths hanging open. The silence pulsed in my ears with my heartbeat, not that I could tell the difference between the two.
I burst into our warm up room, took one heaving sigh before I dropped to my knees and hastily packed up. I tried to stop my hands from shaking so horribly before I stood up with my cello case in hand, and launched myself down the tunnel away from the booming silence that I was still well aware of.

The run home I could barely remember as I lay down in my bed my hands still not quite rid of the tremor that had plagued them not more then an hour ago. I couldn't seem to remember the forest or even being short of breath when I burst into my quiet dark house. I don't know why I just seem to be able to focus on the music that I had played . . . the music I had probably should have kept to myself. I was afraid of losing my job for not playing the repertoire . . . Thing was, was that I couldn't afford to lose my job! My brothers, as numerous as they are, have been all sent to school! My Father trades vessels down at the harbor that is a week's ride away, and he sends most of his paycheck to the school my brothers attend, then a little to us so that we can pay some of the bills, and then tries to support himself amongst it all. My mother is a midwife and does the best she can, but my extra income has made a lot of difference!

Truth is, if I don't have the money, I feel guilty. I have 6 older brothers. All of which are many years older then myself . . . I was a bit of a surprise baby. The sibling closest in age to my 16 year old self is 22! It doesn't take a genius to know I wasn't exactly planned. So I've been well aware of the added stress my mother has felt over the years and me working as a royal musician has helped the pay considerably, but I feel guilty because truth is, I don't feel as though I'm repaying the excess trouble. I feel every time I indulge in my music the way I do, I feel like I'm stealing joys from the world and being paid for it. I still feel as though I'm taking from the world more than giving, but right now I feel more aware then ever that I have money to contribute to the household, and without the job, I can no longer repay my parents for everything they have done for me.

~HpGw~ ~HpGw~ ~HpGw~

AU:

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