A/N: Essentially, what you recognize belongs to the goddess that is J.K. Rowling, and what you don't belongs to lil' ol' me.
•~0~•
Announcements for a Dueling Club has been posted, and Genevieve, always eager to learn, had headed down to the Great Hall for the first meeting. When she saw who was heading it, however, she groaned, much to Katie's amusement.
"Gather round, gather round!" Lockhart proclaimed. "Now Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little dueling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions - for full details, see my published works." Genevieve snorted. Always the arrogant git.
Lockhart introduced Snape as his assistant, something Snape couldn't possibly have been pleased about, Genevieve mused. He promised they'd still have their Potions master afterwards ("I'll bet we will," Genevieve whispered to Katie.) The two demonstrated, Snape easily defeating Lockhart with the Disarming Charm.
When they started assigning partners, much to the girls' relief, Lockhart paired them together. Taking a page from Snape's book, Genevieve yelled, "Expelliarmus!" and, by some miracle, managed to catch Katie's flying wand. Other students hadn't fared so well.
Snape volunteered Harry and Malfoy to demonstrate the Shield Charm, but, as Lockhart failed to actually teach them anything on a regular basis, Harry was left defenseless as Malfoy conjured up a snake.
Then something strange happened. As the snake moved to attack someone, Harry hissed something to it, unintelligible to Genevieve. And it stopped. This was bad. Genevieve knew some already suspected Harry of being Slytherin's heir, and Salazar Slytherin was famously a Parselmouth.
This was bad.
•~0~•
Genevieve had finally managed to corner Ginny, alone in her bunk, scribbling furiously in that godforsaken diary. The first year had been avoiding her; she knew it. Genevieve had been determined to hunt her down and get her to explain herself ever since Fred and George had mentioned her odd behavior. Only Genevieve knew what could have possibly caused it.
"So." She started stiffly, examining the pale remnant of the daring and audacious girl she'd once known. Ginny jumped in surprise. "The twins have informed me that you've been acting odd lately."
"Well, it's kind of hard not to, with people getting Petrified left and right," the younger girl retorted.
She wasn't wrong. Nearly Headless Nick and Justin Finch-Fletchley, a second year had been attacked the day before, to the panic of the other students. Once again, Harry Potter was the first to discover it.
"See, but that's the thing," Genevieve said. "You mysteriously find a diary that writes back to you, and people started getting Petrified. Not the mention the way you've been acting," she added. "This isn't you, Ginny. What happened to the high-spirited, spunky girl that I looked up to? Where'd she go? Do you know? Because I'd sure like to see her again."
"Well, seeing as how you spend half of the time with your head stuffed so far into a book you can't tell left from right, and the other half chasing after so many people you're not really close to anyone, I don't understand how you really thought you could know me at all," Ginny replied stonily.
Genevieve was stunned. Her words smarted. She struggled to compose herself, fighting back tears. "When I agreed not to tell anybody about this diary or Tom Riddle, I promised myself that I'd go to someone if something started happening to you, and I think it has. Can't you see what this accursed book is doing to you? Even your brothers have noticed it! How can you be so blind to the truth?" Her voice fell to a whisper. "I'm only trying to look out for you."
The girl's expression faltered. "Okay."
"Okay?" Genevieve asked, confused.
"I'll get rid of it, I will."
Genevieve nodded, and left her be.
