Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the content and material of Harry Potter. This story takes place in Harry's Sixth Year, with NO horcruxes involved, therefore the events from HBP and DH will not interfere with this plot.
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Chapter Thirty-Five - The Twelve Days of Valentines Poems
Ginny was tired of being Miss Nice Girl.
She was sick of the trepidation and anxiety that had nearly doubled since Draco had proclaimed his Earth shattering desire to win her back. She was tired of walking on eggshells, just waiting for him to be around the next corner or in the next classroom she entered. She was loathe to have to ask Colin or Dean to check the hallways before she could roam freely. But most of all, Ginny Weasley hated that a Malfoy could be the one causing her to act so paranoid and suspicious.
It had been four full days since she had seen the blonde ferret in the dungeon corridor and nearly ninety-six hours since she had run away from her problems. Her male friends had been understanding, some lesser acquaintances even becoming more protective of her since Ron had made it clear that he was not going to defend her this time, and although she was grateful for their concern she really just wanted everyone to leave her alone and quit pestering her with nosy questions about the obnoxious and handsomely arrogant Slytherin.
As if I would really tell them all that I had a torrid romance with that git, she mused as she bounded down the stairs from Gryffindor Tower on Tuesday morning. They just want the thrill of the gossip. As if even that would appease them.
Yes - Ginny was still very much upset about Draco's public confrontation and for her that was just another item to add to the list of his downfalls and shortcomings.
It had been a miracle that she had been able to find her way back to normalcy that Thursday evening past after she had decided to journey to the Quidditch pitch after her stint of invisibility in the library. Figuring that no one would be outside because of the low temperatures, Ginny had transfigured her clothes into thicker layers before she slipped behind a worn tapestry that led out of the school. She had been right and once she saw the pristine snow blanketing the rolling hills of the Hogwarts grounds she grinned to herself despite her ire, knowing that she had found a temporary refuge from the chaos of the student body.
Her Cleansweep was frozen to the touch in the overcrowded broom shed but Ginny pulled it from the stack with the determination of a witch on a mission. The pitch was perfectly manicured, the many spells surrounding the structure keeping the snow off the field and the stands, mostly, clear of white powder. The three, golden goal posts gleamed in the scant sunlight on either end of the pitch and Ginny inhaled deeply, soaking in the peacefulness of the field and the silence of the outdoors. Leveling her broom at the height of her waist, she swung one leg over the wooden handle and gripped one end as her knees pushed together and her body lengthened down the shaft. With the chilly wind blowing the curled ends of her auburn ponytail in her face she kicked off the ground as the broom climbed at a steady pace and she exhaled a sigh for the freedom flight brought her.
Beginning with a slow string of laps around the oval pitch she worked muscles that were sore with unuse but the burn felt good as her body relaxed into the familiar moves and positions. The biting wind kept her alert and by the time she began a series of maneuvering drills, her cheeks felt flushed with windburn where her back would protest that the hordes of sweat were worth the irritation. The repetitive motions took her mind off of Draco while successfully releasing her pent up aggressions and agitations until the only thing she was thinking of was herself on the broom.
Ginny continued with her drills, unaware as of yet that Dean had organized a watch duty to make sure she wouldn't be alone again to be terrorized so openly - once she had been found after her hours of mysterious seclusion. She did not know that he was hidden just inside a stairwell, watching her fly with hungry eyes and shaking hands that ached to have her return his more-than-friends vibe. He stared as she dipped, dived, and twirled into fast spirals, completely content to let her assume that she was alone as she physically vented her frustrations.
What little of the sun that could still be seen was near to setting when Ginny finally brought her broom down to the field, smoothly dismounting as she grabbed the wooden handle and began walking off the pitch. Her strides were long but smoothly slow as she allowed her shoulders to droop and her flaming head to hang, her chocolate eyes on the ground as she walked underneath the stands and out of the Quidditch stadium. She stored her Cleansweep back in the broom shed and for nearly the first time since she had left the castle her thoughts were bombarded with snippets of Draco.
Auburn eyebrows furrowed together as her lips tightened into a firm line, her stare more and more of a frown as she climbed the steep hills around the school. With her hands shoved into the pockets of her robe, she watched where her feet were going without looking up. When she finally reached the castle her teeth were chattering and goose bumps had risen along her skin underneath the many layers of clothing. Ginny had felt the cold but had been unaware of its harshness until the sweat down her back became a quick indicator of both the chilly weather and her poor choice to remain outside so long.
Not wanting to have to explain to one of the Aurors stationed at all of the main entrances why she was out after curfew, Ginny changed direction and hurried down the west side of the castle towards the Black Lake. Nestled behind a vine covered alcove was a mossy wooden door that led down into the dungeons nearest to Gryffindor Tower. With no other choice, she pushed back the long green tendrils and ducked her head as she stepped into a dark, dripping hole in the massive stone structure. Retrieving her wand from her waist Ginny whispered Lumos for a light as she moved towards the short door with a rusty handle in the middle.
She pulled on the metal bar but the door wouldn't budge. Using both hands Ginny yanked and jerked on the handle and still it would not move. Pointing her wand at the wooden surface she flicked the chestnut wood and cast a muffled Alohomora. But instead of hearing the lock click open, she was met with silence.
Ginny growled in frustration and harshly flicked her wand again, forcing more magic into the spell this time which only rendered the same results. Growing irritated and colder by the second, she pursed her lips and tried to think of why she couldn't get in.
Some doors in the castle were bewitched - some to allow you in but not out and others to let in out but leave you locked out without an entrance. Sneaky bastards, Ginny thought with steaming anger. The Founders had made sure the students would be safely protected inside but in turn it meant intruders would find little give in ways of access. Maybe it needs a phrase or keyword she mused, lifting her wand to light the exterior surface of the door to see if there were any engravings or markings.
Seeing none she reasoned that it needed a coded phrase or magical password of some sort. Pushing her eyebrows up her forehead Ginny squared her shoulders and took a moment to compose a truthful statement. She peeled off the glove from her left hand and placed her bare palm just above the iron handle, the wooden surface immediately absorbing her magical signature as she took a calming breath.
"I am the seventh child of a seventh child in the Weasley line. I am a student in the House of Gryffindor and I seek safe passage into the castle." Before I freeze to death.
Ginny held her breath but as her words hung in the dank silence, a slight wind blew through the small space and with a moaning croak the mossy door slid open just an inch. It was enough space for her to slip her fingers around the edge and with an impatient force, she pulled on the wooden surface as the hinges protested but were shoved into motion by her impact.
When there was space enough for her to fit through Ginny shimmied in sideways and the magicked door shut behind her. She flourished her wand again to create a small ball of light as her coffee eyes squinted to see through the darkness of the tight tunnel.
With one hand skimming along the stone wall, she took slow steps into the dank hallway as the drip-drip became fainter with each movement forward. But each motion brought a warmer draft of air, albeit still with a fairly low temperature, and a thicker silence that echoed her pounding heart as she moved down the tunnel. Her wand provided little distance for her to see ahead but Ginny trusted that she would reach the right destination before long.
The question remained though if luck would be on her side once she made it through to the dungeons.
There had been other options for her to take in ways of secret entrances but this one was closest to her dormitory, despite its ill-fitting location. Ginny was mostly weary of happening upon Draco on his House's turf. The timing was right for her to be sneaking through just at the end of the dinner service but her nerves were still aflame with trepidation that she could run into someone that she didn't particularly want to.
Once she finally reached the end of the claustrophobic hallway, she inhaled slowly as her wand revealed another wooden doorway. Testing it Ginny found out that it would open with a simple push but she still waited a moment to gather her courage before shoving her shoulder against the hard surface and wincing at the loud creak that followed.
Sticking her fiery head through a sizable crack, she glanced up and down the dreary corridor and quickly slipped through when she didn't see anyone in the nearby vicinity. Not wishing to push her luck Ginny scurried into the hallway before someone ambled by and noticed the completely hidden doorway that she exiting from.
The dungeons were surprisingly quiet, even for a dull Thursday night, but that did not mean that a Slytherin, or a hoard of them if she was that unfortunate, was not close by. Keeping her sense of direction in place Ginny hurried down the left end of the corridor, swiftly turning the corners as she moved up through the castle. She could not have exhaled any heavier than she did when she came upon the wider, stone archway that revealed low burning torches and a shadowed hallway.
A tentative smile pulled up the corners of her chapped lips a smidgen and without any further encouragement from her panicking conscience, Ginny hightailed it out of the dungeons and back to Gryffindor Tower. Her stomach protested her direct route in favor of a detour to the kitchens but she couldn't be bothered with the issue of hunger when her neck was sore from twisting to look over her shoulder for someone following her. Her nightly meal foregone, she muttered the current password to the Fat Lady and climbed through the portrait with relief at finding the common room empty of any higher Years. Although the Firsties and Second years watched her with wide and curious eyes, Ginny couldn't be bothered with their stares as she trudged through the circular room to take the stairs two at a time before she was pushing open the door to her dorm room.
Throwing herself across her single bed Ginny basked in the silence until her muscles became jittery and she rolled over onto her back to stretch her arms out in front of her. Pulling a pillow over to bunch underneath her head, she stared up at the fraying seams of the canopy of her bed until her eyelids became heavy and drooped shut.
She awoke sometime in the middle of the night to a light snoring coming from across the darkened room. Ginny immediately sat up, rubbing her forehead as a yawn pulled her lips apart. All of her five roommates were nestled peacefully into their beds and without any hesitation she too stripped down to her skivvies and pulled back the garnet and gold covers of her bed to slip underneath the cool sheets as slumber came calling once more.
When Friday morning had come calling she didn't have to peel open her eyes before a groan escaped her dry lips and she turned over onto her stomach with a pouting hmph. This would just be another extremely long day of classes and though she was still half asleep, Ginny already knew that there something she should be dreading. As she remembered the events from the day before, she buried her face in the pillow and prayed to the gods that she had slept later than her roommates.
Not a sound was heard in the dormitory and she poked her flaming head up to look around to double check her assumption. A nasally snore from across the room drew her attention and though the stained glass windows prevented natural light from entering completely, she could tell that it was just after dawn by the discoloration of rays penetrating the bright panes. All of her roommates were still asleep in their beds and without wasting another second, Ginny tore from her own mattresses while they remained ignorant of her waking. Her bare feet hit the cold floor but she ignored the involuntary shiver as she immediately tossed open her trunk in search of a clean uniform.
With a wad of clothes tucked under her arm she tiptoed out of the room and hurried up a half flight of spiral stairs to reach the shared witches bathroom. Hastily she pressed her ear to the wooden door and once she heard nothing, Ginny twisted the brass handle and slipped inside. A hot shower soothed her already tense muscles and left her skin pink but she felt like a filthy layer of dirt had been scrubbed from her body and with the pace of someone being timed, she dressed and exited the bathroom as quietly as she came. Breakfast in the Great Hall still seemed like too much effort so she opted for a trip to the kitchens to snag a sumptuous meal that would appease her growling stomach before her first class of the day.
Dobby was more than delighted to see the youngest Weasley and his eagerness and desire to please caused a flush to rise to her cheeks as Ginny asserted that she could cut her own food and feed it to herself too. The House Elves were almost insulted by the hurried pace with which she ate but the dozens of pairs of eyes watching her did nothing to encourage her to slow her motions. It was not quite eight in the morning when she was finally able to get away from the kitchens with a full belly, which meant that most of the hallways would be crawling with students.
Students who would just be waiting to pounce on an opportunity to whisper and point as she walked by. Teenagers were the cruelest of them all and with the quick decision made, Ginny prayed that her time with these idiots would be short lived.
With little else to do she donned a thick cloak and set out for the greenhouses where she would wait for Herbology to begin in one hour. Not wanting to roam the glass walled building for sixty minutes, Ginny retreated to a secluded pair of benches behind an old weeping willow just behind the greenhouses where she stayed with her nose in a textbook until the first bell chimed for the first class period. Gathering her book bag, she evenly retraced her steps before slipping inside a side door to the glass room where a few Hufflepuffs were already nervously waiting for Professor Sprout to arrive.
That was only the beginning of what seemed like the longest day ever. Ginny spent most of her time, in between, during, and after classes, avoiding questions and dodging pleas from Colin to talk. During History of Magic, Luna was oddly serene but she chalked it up to a hitch in her normal personality and thanked Merlin that she had at least one friend who wasn't badgering her with pointed stares and mouthing demanding orders that they needed to speak. Lunch only brought obvious stares while she was in the Great Hall and when she wasn't ignoring the holes being bored into her back from the other student's gazes, she was hiding behind a curtain of fiery curls to keep from accidentally making eye contact with Ron, Harry, Dean, and a host of other Gryffindors.
Ginny was beyond grateful that her schedule this semester had allowed for her free period to be in the last block of classes on Fridays and the bell was scarcely finished ringing before she was rushing out of Transfigurations to find solitude elsewhere on the grounds. The brisk outdoor air gave her a small piece of comfort but not even a tiring bout of flying could ease the tension between her shoulder blades and Ginny resolved that she needed to iron out the wrinkles in her life or else the stress would be her undoing. Keeping thoughts of Draco at bay was hard enough but now she had to actively avoid him and everyone else while she figured out how to make everything go back to normal.
It took a great effort to find an empty space on the Gryffindor benches during dinner and once she was comfortably tucked away at the far end of the table from the many staring eyes, Ginny eagerly devoured nearly two plates of food. She saw no point in wasting any extra time in the Great Hall when she knew most of the students were more than likely still gossiping about her so she promptly dropped her cloth napkin atop her golden flatware before pulling the folds of her robe tighter around her waist and hurrying out the wide double doors. Filch was nearby to scowl, Mrs. Norris hissing lowly as she weaved through his legs, but before the crotchety Squib could open his mouth to question her hasty pace, Ginny glared at the old caretaker and vanished from sight.
The smirk that played with her lips grew wider as Filch loudly complained about showy and arrogant students and she held her position for a moment as the grouchy man shuffled his feet but soon returned to harassing the other passing teenagers and ghosts. It only took a moment for the happiness to fade as her mind poured thoughts and images of Draco into her mind. It also only took Dean those scant few minutes before he too was hurrying out of the Great Hall, his long neck twisting and turning to look for her. Ginny was glad that she had quickly chosen a Concealment charm as the dark skinned boy began calling her name, jogging a little ways down one end of the hallway before retracing his steps and running down the other end.
She felt a twinge of guilt for avoiding her closest friend as of late but she could hear the frantic edge to his voice and she knew he was not worrying just because he thought his friend had run off again. Dean was thinking about where she might have gone and Ginny easily let him assume she had gone down to the dungeons without speaking up to point out her close location.
With Dean off to search for her again, she was free to do as she pleased but nothing sounded more appealing than curling up in front of the fireplace in her common room and reading a book. Ginny was already jogging her memory to think of where she had left off in her romance novel and by the time she reached the Fat Lady, she was itching to find herself in another reality where the stubborn princess was refusing to be saved by the asshole hunter who had been sent to fetch her from a dragon's nest. The common room was almost empty since it was a Friday night and most of her Housemates were elsewhere in the castle, allowing Ginny her pick of chairs as she tucked her legs underneath her on an overstuffed loveseat to the right of the stone hearth.
Her only interruptions over the next three hours were when Dean and Colin arrived, both coming through the portrait with the intent focus of finding her in their dorm. Both wizards aimed to talk to her about how she was feeling and what had happened and every other minute detail of what she had done since they had seen her last. And each time she curtly dismissed them with a short response about the activity which she was already doing.
Colin pinned her with a pointed stare as he relented to her demand for solitude, turning to go up to his dorm with a repetitive shaking of his blonde head. Dean, on the other hand, stood by her side for several long minutes while she continued to read. He waited for her to respond to his questions and when Ginny kept her attention on her book, he finally took the hint and grumbled as he walked away. By the time the fire had burned down in the grate, she was stifling a string of yawns and she carefully marked her place before trudging up the stairs to find solace in a long night of slumber.
The hours passed too quickly and it seemed like she had just shut her eyes when she was rolling over to see the stained glass window nearest her bed lit up with sunlight. As her caramel gaze unseeingly stared at the growing light, Ginny realized that she had not seen Draco at all the day before. It was a small compensation for his actions but that still did not mean anything as his whispered words replayed over in her head. He won't leave me alone. He'll let me stew in pretentious anxiety but he won't let me go now. If the blonde wizard was anything, he was true to his word and with a childish wiggle under the covers Ginny hoped to bury her problems with her face in the softness of her pillow.
The door opening and closing drew her auditory focus and she listened to three of her roommates prattle on as she pretended to be sleeping still.
"I'm wearing the new coat mummy sent me last week."
"Should I wear a scarf or would that look too dorky with this hat?"
"Lav - do you have that yellow sweater with the scoop neckline?"
"It's sunflower - and yes but I'm going to wear it. It coordinates perfectly with the inseam of my new coat."
Ginny made a stealthy attempt to twist around to lay facing away from the trio but her slight movements were noticed by the ever perceptive Lavender who immediately strutted over to her bed, standing just next to her with one hand on her hip.
"You have been snoring for at least a half hour. I know you're awake, Gin," she admonished with an annoying hint of condescension.
"What do you want, you stupid cow?" She groaned irritably with her face still pressed into the folds of her pillow.
"I was going to ask if you wanted to borrow something to wear for the Quidditch game," Lavender replied, her tone dripping with bitchy agitation. "Since you so clearly don't know how to keep a bloke around for longer than a month," she added under her breath but their closeness permitted Ginny to hear the snide remark and the prickling ire in her belly sent her flaming nerves into overdrive as she gritted her teeth and clenched one fist in the crimson sheets.
And we can't all be whoring sluts.
The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff Quidditch match was the first of the spring semester. It had been scheduled for two weeks prior but back-to-back, horrible weekends of weather had caused Madam Hooch to push back the sporting match, much to the student's dismay. The first game always had a packed stadium and most everyone showed up just for the distraction of watching two teams fly around for several hours.
"I'm not going."
Lavender must have walked away without her noticing because her response came from across the room where she was bent over her designer trunk.
"Pity. And here we all thought you were such a sports enthusiast. Too bad too - Loony's commentating - everyone's favorite person."
Refraining from making a comment that would surely put most of her roommates in an alliance against her, Ginny rolled her chocolate eyes, exhaled slowly and pushed her face further into the mountain of her pillow, pulling the covers up with one hand so that she was able to better block out their incessant droning. With a determined concentration she was able to lull herself into a half-consciousness so that their voices were a low buzz. When a complete silence finally fell over the room after they left for breakfast then the match, Ginny dozed back into a drifting slumber as her legs kicked and twisted around the scratchy sheets.
She ended up making the right decision because although it was blue skies and sunshine when the match started, the clouds soon rolled in and a downpour of sleet-like rain caused the entire game to be post-poned. Several of the less than averaging bright players got lost in the thick storm and it was almost a full hour before everyone from the stadium was corralled into the castle. With a black cloud of icy rain hovering over the school, Ginny took to the Astronomy Tower once she had awoken again. Romance novel in hand, the flame haired witch alternated between reading and staring out past the low guard rails atop the spire. The sun set through a haze of fog and a sprinkling of rain, leaving a creeping darkness to cover the grounds as the last day of the weekend drew closer.
It had been a handful of weeks since she had spoken to anyone for any length of time who wasn't Dean but Ginny was only mildly surprised when Luna found her at breakfast on Sunday morning and asked if they could spend the day together. Both Colin and Dean had looked put out when she eagerly responded yes but the youngest Weasley had had enough of wizards coercing her into things she didn't want to do. She ignored their incredulous gazes and left the Great Hall with the blonde witch, praying to Merlin that she hadn't just agreed to go along with some scheme that Romilda had coaxed Luna into.
But Luna had plans of her own and she merely smiled serenely after leading Ginny to a virtually unknown atrium tucked away behind the greenhouses. When asked how she knew about the private nook, the blonde tilted her head and stated that Ravenclaw's had secrets of their own.
Not wanting to overshadow the well-conceived surprise by showing her own paranoid suspicions, Ginny nodded in acceptance of the answer and took a short walk around the dusty room before settling down on a bench beside the windowed south wall and pulling out another romance novel. Luna protested, stating that she needed to sweep the room for Triangular Ghost Worms first, but relented when Ginny raised an eyebrow that clearly said that she was not going to move. The pair spent multiple hours alternating between evasively talking and attending to their own interests before their stomachs growled in unison and Luna dreamily suggested they called for a House Elf.
Unsure if she had heard her right, Ginny opened her mouth to confirm her idea just as the blonde witch clapped her hands twice, almost instantly bringing a wide-eyed creature to stand before them. The small elf introduced herself as Maddie and repeated her appreciation of being called on to help another pair of students. Ginny mentally questioned what the elf had meant - the students weren't usually permitted to summon an elf - but Luna was already politely asking for a tray of food to be brought to them before she could think to inquire about the meaning of Maddie's inauspicious words.
With a steaming plate of chicken and potatoes set before her within a minute, Ginny forgot to question the House elf and was instead shoving forkfuls of delicious food into her mouth. She was tired of second guessing everything and what everyone else did because of how Draco had treated her. Her friends knew nothing of the past few months and they had no reason to treat her differently. Shaking her fiery curls as she chewed a bite of breaded chicken, Ginny smiled tightly as Luna meticulously separated all of her food then took a small bit of each with every spoonful. She was the one who was acting strange and with a large gulp of ice water, she began speaking as if nothing weird had ever happened.
As she lay down for bed that night, her thoughts were still swirling with the infinite possibilities of what Draco could have meant when he implied that he would chase her if she ran from him. Did he expect her to just give up, bow down, and tell him that all was forgiven simply because he had decided that he had made the wrong choice by turning away from her that night in the dungeons? Was he really thinking that she would just come running back to him if he inadvertently apologized and demanded that she did?
With her fury towards the blonde Slytherin multiplying with each thought and her hatred for the ferret returning with every day that passed, Ginny fell into a restless sleep that kept her dreams swirling with images of Draco that morphed into a handsome, young Tom Riddle as both beckoned her into their arms.
Mondays are a loathsome day and when she awoke the next morning even the youngest Weasley knew that this was going to be another tedious week of dodging and avoiding the issues that were plaguing her life. Lavender had made use of Ginny's biting comment on Saturday before the Quidditch match and had convinced their other roommates that she had become unstable since her breakup with Harry. Even the always sweet and loving Annabelle kept her distance, leaving Lavender to smirk self-righteously when Ginny rolled her eyes and stormed out of the dorm room before breakfast.
Luckily Luna caught her on the way down to the Great Hall and despite her nondescript comments about letting happiness find her and letting her worries float away, Ginny was able to cool her temper slightly and get through the meal without boring a hole into her Housemate's head with her burning stare. It helped slightly that she had chosen to eat at the Ravenclaw table but once she realized her closer proximity to the Slytherin table, and Blaise's keen watch on her, Ginny rushed through her small plate of food. Her anxious nerves had peeked when her glance strayed to the emerald robed teenagers at the next table over but a steady, wandering gaze eased her worry when she failed to spot Draco anywhere in the room.
She took to staring at the hundreds of floating candles but their brightness only served as a reminder that her mood matched the torrential storm outside instead of the lightness of the Hall and the overall cheeriness of the students. With nothing but Luna's airy rambling and Romilda's stony silence to keep her company, Ginny eagerly jumped from the wooden bench when the bell rang for the start of classes. If she had to endure a whole day of the eccentric blonde witch prattling on about the most random topics, she was surely going to be mad by the end of it.
It was difficult to be angry with Luna though after she repeatedly flustered their Professors with inane answers and offbeat questions. She kept going on about the importance of that day being the first of the month of February, easily deterring Ginny from paying attention in all of her classes once she noticed that Luna would unfold a scribbled on piece of parchment at the beginning of every period from which she read off a string of obscure facts and references. A majority of the other Fifth years were annoyed with her antics after the first class but Ginny laughed every time and before long the thought occurred that maybe she was doing it in an effort to keep her spirits up.
Ginny was fitfully distracted and as the blonde and redheaded duo parted ways for their respective dorms after dinner, she was glad that the day hadn't turned out too horribly. But that didn't stop her from waking up in a sour mood on Tuesday as her back ached where she had slept on it wrong. Lavender made sure she was whispering behind the cover of her manicured hand whenever Ginny was nearby and she suppressed the shiver of fury that usually preceded one of her famous Weasley tantrums. She didn't want any part in the curly haired witch's petty antics and silently excused herself from her roommate's company to leave for the Great Hall.
Thoughts of Draco, and his prolonged absence since their run-in, tugged at the edges of her consciousness but Ginny pushed them back with the hope that the Muggle phrase was true - out of mind, out of sight. As long as she didn't think she would see him, then she wouldn't.
But the unrelenting stares and unmistakable whispers followed her down the moving staircases and through the hallways. Everyone was still murmuring about her and Draco's little show and the rumors only fueled her ire as Ginny began glaring at anyone she saw staring at her. It seemed even the staff was talking about her personal business as Professor Snape stopped his conversation with McGonagall to look up when she walked into the Great Hall. She could feel everyone eyeing her but Ginny kept her head up and steadily walked to the Gryffindor table where Luna was talking animatedly at Colin.
"Morning Gin," he greeted his friend with relief for not having to listen to Luna ramble any longer.
"Hmph," she responded and wordlessly sat down and began filling a plate.
"Tonight's a full moon, Ginny. Have you noticed your brain going fuzzy yet?" Luna asked with complete sincerity. "Wrackspurts thrive under the new cycle of the moon and anyone could be susceptible to their affects."
"Nope," she replied shortly, shoving a spoonful of eggs into her mouth.
"Oh - well you better be careful. You should let me know though if you start to feel lightheaded or dizzy."
"I'll keep that in mind," Ginny bit out around another bite, ending the short lived conversation as Luna began rattling on about the possible infestation of wood fleas in the library.
A light gust of wind breezed through the Hall as a window high up near the ceiling opened for the morning post to be delivered. Dozens of owls descended with packages or letters, some baring the Daily Prophet and others bringing Quidditch magazines. Ginny ignored the birds, knowing there was nothing for her to be expecting, but after a moment a medium sized chestnut owl with a beige underbelly swooped down in front of her next to a plate with leftover scraps.
Glancing behind the bird to see if maybe the scroll was for the person on her other side, she felt a bubble of overtly anxious trepidation when she saw no one within a close distance. The owl cocked its head, its rich golden eyes staring back at her with patience.
Very slowly Ginny placed her fork beside her plate and reached out for the owl's tiny leg. He immediately stuck the claw out, balancing perfectly as her trembling fingers untied the thin twine surrounding the parchment scroll. She glanced up to see Luna and Colin watching her movements with acute attention. The owl pecked at a pile of potatoes and took off in a flutter of wings as Ginny felt the color drain from her face as she looked down to the paper that was burning in her touch.
Her chocolate eyes ran up and down the yellowed parchment and when she did not immediately recognize the handwriting, she began to read what it said.
Twelve will be our number, just you and I
It carries so many meanings and this is why
There are twelve things that I love about you
Number one - I remember the first time you flew
You left me breathless when I saw you in the sky
And every time since - until I could no longer just standby
You keep my heart racing - you are unlike anyone else I know
But after these inane rhymes, your mind may be on overflow
This is how I will show you that I care - even if you may not know it just yet
These Valentine's Day poems will do the trick, on that I would bet
For the next eleven days - expect a limerick or a rhyme
Can you figure out who I am - before you run out of time?
Ginny read and reread the slanted script and as her heart raced with each freshly memorized line, her mind puzzled over who could have sent this. There was no signature, no greeting - nothing but twelve stanza poem that left her with more questions than answers. But she guessed that's what the sender wanted.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she thought that maybe she had a mysterious stalker. Not like Draco had been - someone of darker intentions. As hard as that would be.
Her eyes were wide with silent hesitation as both of her blonde friends looked ready to ask a million questions. Ginny held up a finger to signal that she needed a moment and with as much casualness as she could muster, she dropped the poem as if it were unimportant and twisted at her waist as if she were stretching.
Surely whoever had sent the missive would be in the Great Hall to see her reaction. To see who she would accuse of sending it.
First her brown gaze fell down the Gryffindor table to where Dean was arguing with Seamus about Quidditch rules. He was so preoccupied with defending his point that there was no way he would have seen her open the scroll. There was no one in Hufflepuff who had ever even thought to show her any personality and Ginny overlooked the blue and gold table as she turned further to look at the Ravenclaws.
Justin Finch-Fletchly had shown her interest just after the Yule Ball two years before but now it was rumored that he swung the other way. She doubted that was untrue as she saw him run his fingers up and down the silky tie of another wizard and Ginny checked the blue and silver House off her list.
With her eyes still slightly wide she rotated back towards Luna and Colin, both with one or both of their eyebrows raised at her suspicious actions. Bracing her hands on the edge of the wooden table Ginny twisted to her left and hesitantly let her gaze wander down the length of the Slytherin table as her gut dropped in nervous anticipation.
There was not a single spot of platinum blonde hair and she did a quick double take to make sure she was right in assuming that Draco was not there. He would have been the first person to be watching her once the post arrived to gauge her reaction but the slippery ferret was nowhere in sight. Instead Ginny's knitted eyebrows and lined, mocha eyes caught sight of Blaise sitting near the middle of the table with his rounded chin placed neatly in the palm of his hand, his weight leaning forward onto his elbow that was swaying lightly with his bobbing head. At first glance she thought he was staring at her but when she waggled her head in question, he didn't even seem to see her.
Then she realized that Blaise wasn't staring at her. He was watching Luna.
Ginny twisted all the way around to her left to look at the blonde's face and she was wearing the same, carefree expression as always. If she had noticed the dark skinned wizard across the room, she did not acknowledge him. Chocolate, almond shaped eyes squinted at Blaise once more but he ignored her still and Ginny decided that maybe he wasn't working onto behalf of Draco. His dreamy but focused eye on Luna was proof of that.
Staggering an exhalation, she rotated her torso back to sit straight and the bottom of her stomach fell out again when she was immediately bombarded with questions from Colin and Luna.
"Who's that from?"
"Who is he?"
"If it's from him and you've been lying to us this whole time - saying you weren't seeing him -"
"You should check it for Nilly Wocks. They enjoy a snack on the bacteria on owls."
"I - er - I don't know - " Ginny stumbled, her fingers fidgeting with the rolled up parchment as Colin looked fit to be tied while Luna's ashen eyebrows were arched slightly in assessment as she quickly worked to get the fiery witch away from so many questions. She was tied to this little operation and Merlin knew what Ginny would do to her if she found out about her involvement.
With perfect timing the bell to end breakfast, and announce five minutes until classes begun, sounded and both were saved from finding a rapid excuse to get away from the nosy wizard. Colin was immediately flushed with splotchy redness from irritation with Ginny's blatant avoidance and he huffed loudly as she and Luna scrambled from opposite benches.
"What did that letter say, Ginny?" Colin asked sternly, his squeaky voice dropping considerably as he scrutinized her frantic movements.
"I'll tell you later," she replied hastily, her panicked eyes darting to his blue gaze for a half a moment before she pulled back and hurried down the aisle. "We'll talk later," she called over her shoulder and her brisk departure pushed him to his feet as he rushed to follow.
"We're going to the same class! Wait up!" Colin yelled but that only encouraged Ginny to move faster as Luna was suddenly by her side as she rounded the end of the table and shot through the double doors.
"We'll see you there!" She shouted, her words nearly lost in the shuffle of the crowd as Colin slowed his pace and angrily kicked his shoes against the stone floor, frustrated with the evasive behavior his friend was showing him.
Something was happening and Ginny was going to make sure no one knew what it was until she was good and ready.
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