International Wizarding School Championship
Season 2, Round 5
School and Theme: Beauxbatons, The Three Broomsticks
Main Prompt: [Emotion] Anticipation
Additional Prompts: [Word] Revenge, [Setting] An empty classroom
Special Rule: Incorporate the colour purple and the meaning behind it in your story: Power
Year: 5
Word Count: 3211
[Year One]
Walking out of her Charms class, Ginny Weasley felt thoroughly confused. It seemed like she had missed out on the past few lessons. Apparently, she had attended every class, according to Kyla—her roommate—who had looked at her puzzledly. Ginny's heart started hammering as this wasn't the only time she'd forgotten things—rather—incidents, as a whole. It wasn't just forgetting. It was simply that there were blank spaces in her memory.
"Ginny!" a voice snapped her back to reality.
"Y-yes?" Ginny asked.
"Transfiguration is this way," Kyla said. "You're going the wrong way."
Since when had she become so absent-minded? It wasn't like her. Had anything unusual happened to her? Something new, maybe? The only strange thing that she could think of was the diary. Interacting with talking objects? Hadn't her father warned her against that?
What was she supposed to do? Tell her teachers? What would they say? What if she told McGonagall? No, she might take away house points. She could imagine how that scene would go—McGonagall's mouth thinning as Ginny confessed to her, and the diary would probably get confiscated. She might get punished for doing something so stupid—
"I'm sorry," Ginny said. She still wasn't used to the routes. She stopped. No, that wasn't it. She had memorised the routes before. She was forgetting them. This set her mind into more panic. Would she forget everything? What should she do? Should she confront the diary? No, not the diary. Tom. Would Tom stop replying and be mad that she suspected him? But then again, he was suspicious, right?
Mulling over her thoughts, she took a seat in the classroom and turned her attention to the professor. She couldn't afford to miss more lessons.
The first thought she had when she woke up was, 'Thank Merlin it was just a dream!'
That was how she knew she'd had a nightmare. She couldn't remember the details, but that first thought and the lingering feelings remained the same. She felt like she was being controlled; she could see herself writing those very words with red paint—memories that were forgotten and suppressed resurfaced in dreams. In dreams, they were free.
Free to torture her.
She had woken up screaming too many times to count. One of those times, her roommates woke with a start and stared at her with mixed emotions—concern and fear.
"Are you okay?" Sam whispered.
In a shaky voice, Ginny replied, "I-I can't feel myself."
What she said made no sense. Yet it was the best way to explain how she felt in one sentence. She couldn't feel herself. Her thoughts and emotions were occupied not by her own free will, but by someone else. Someone was controlling her; someone had power over her. That was how she had felt.
It wasn't normal.
"What?" Skyler asked, puzzled. "What d'you mean, you can't feel yourself?"
No one felt like this. Ginny was not normal. Something was wrong with her. With her. Was it the stress? Didn't they say keeping everything in wasn't good?
"I-I don't know." Ginny hung her head. "I'm sorry."
Talk to them.
"Don't apologise," Sam said. "I'm sorry we can't understand."
See? They're nice people.
"It's not your fault." Ginny's voice dropped to a whisper.
Why can't you talk to them?
Wouldn't her roommates judge her? They always judged people, after all. They looked down on those who appeared too girly and those who seemed too nerdy. They mocked everyone. Who was to say they wouldn't mock her?
Ginny needed to talk to someone who wouldn't judge her.
"Even I can't understand myself," Ginny said, battling the thoughts in her head.
Talk to me, then.
Ginny flinched. That was a different voice. A soothing one. The kind of voice she needed to hear.
You can talk to me, Gin.
Her heart skipped a beat. He used her nickname. She needed comfort from a human. Or at least something close to a human. She waited till everyone else was asleep, slowly opened her bag, and tiptoed out.
She was holding a diary and a quill.
Once it was out that she was responsible for everything, she couldn't bear to face anyone. Luckily, it was the end of the school year, and she could put away that problem for two months.
Showing up to school for her second year was such a terrifying thought, though. Every now and then during the summer, she'd lie awake thinking of what people would say to her when she showed up. Wouldn't they talk and gossip about her? How would she deal with all that drama? She had heard stories about how rumours ruined lives.
As she tossed and turned, she made one determined promise to herself: that no matter what, she was not going to let other people's opinions get to her.
[Year Two]
"What happened?" everyone would ask, and she would succumb to deadly thoughts.
She wouldn't reply—scratch that, she couldn't reply, because she would shiver and she'd have flashbacks and she'd start breathing so rapidly that they would back away. They never comforted her. Maybe they were scared of her, but more than that, they thought Ginny Weasley was weak.
Even though she had anticipated that. She had practised in the mirror so many times what she'd say to them. Except that when the time actually came, her brain would freeze.
Even though Dumbledore had explained everything that had happened to her to the other students during the end of year feast in a way that shifted all the blame onto You-Know-Who, gossip still spread, each time more twisted till it ended up sounding almost nothing like the truth.
Which obviously did not work in her favour.
The rumours had ruined everything. When she was younger, she had expected that she'd have so much fun at Hogwarts, and while she'd been nervous, she hadn't been too worried, because if her dragon dung-brained brothers could survive Hogwarts wearing bright smiles, then so could she!
And yet… why did it have to be her? Why couldn't it be someone else?
Stop being so selfish.
If it had been someone who deserved it, then it wouldn't have been so bad.
Then wouldn't they have done so much worse? Because it was someone who had straight morals, You-Know-Who was stopped.
It was Harry who had stopped him, not her.
Harry, the hero. Once again, he had the world on his side. He had rescued her and impressed the school. On the other hand, she was the villain—the reason why everything had been so scary the previous year.
No.
She shouldn't be discouraged.
She had made a promise to herself, and she was determined not to break it.
The biggest rumour going around was about Sirius Black and how he escaped Azkaban. The students talked about the Dementors, but that didn't mean that they forgot everything that had happened last year.
People tended to not forget things like that easily, and there was one person in particular who wouldn't let this opportunity slip by. Someone had been gossiping about Ginny. Rumours didn't spread by themselves. It didn't just happen. It happened because people talked and gossiped and made problems out of nothing.
Ginny could pin it down to one person who'd had it out for her since day one—Eden Lee. Lee was the kind of person who felt she was better than anyone. She'd gossip and go out of her way to make others miserable. Ginny would stand up for others, and that's how she became a personal nuisance.
Oops.
As much as Lee loved to make it clear that she was the best, Ginny loved to retort back with words that would impress even Fred and George. It was humiliating for Lee.
"Hey!"
Ginny was brought back to reality. She looked back to see Eden Lee glaring at her. Speak of the devil.
"Yes, Edna?" Ginny smirked.
Lee growled. "The name's Eden."
"What is it?" Ginny scowled back. "And is there going to be a day when you won't glare at me?"
"I asked you to apologise," Lee said icily.
"Why?" Ginny asked, noticing some older students getting annoyed at both of them blocking the corridor. She had to end this conversation immediately.
"You bumped into me, sweetie," Lee said, tucking some of her dark hair behind her ears.
"Well, you must've deserved it." Ginny turned to follow her classmates.
"Weasley." Lee raised her voice. "Brace yourself."
Ginny turned back. "For what?"
Lee smirked. "You'll see."
Ginny frowned and walked away. What was she talking about? Was she going to take revenge for everything Ginny had done to her so far? Ginny rolled her eyes. Revenge, all right. Revenge from Lee was the least of her concerns at the moment. Even if she did spread gossip against her…
Ginny stopped. To be truthful, she was afraid of what Lee would do. Lee had a sharp tongue, knew lots of people, and could easily isolate Ginny using rumours.
But then again, Ginny had been through worse. It was true that she wasn't too afraid of Lee's revenge.
It was the thought of revenge from him that made her freeze in fear, blood running cold and heart stopping. She was thoroughly and utterly frightened of him.
Calm down. You're okay. You're free. Ginny closed her eyes. He's not near you. He's not anywhere close to you. You'll be okay. Dumbledore will make sure of that.
But how was she sure the Headmaster could protect her? After all, it's not like Dumbledore had come to her rescue last year. Ginny shook her head. She couldn't spend her time worrying. She shouldn't. She should stop letting him occupy all her thoughts. She had more important things to do, like getting to her dorm.
Ginny was a bit afraid to see her roommates again. In the first week of term, it had become obvious that her attempts to reconnect with her roommates hadn't gone as well as she had anticipated. They were wary of her. Except maybe Sam. They had a close relationship, and it hadn't changed much even after the truth had come out. Ginny was grateful for that.
As she stepped into the common room, she noticed that none of her roommates were there. That meant they were most likely in the dorm.
What would they do this time? Would they flinch when she addressed them? Or leave the room the moment she entered? The air was getting really awkward between them, and she knew she had to confront them about it. But how? Wouldn't they refuse to listen to her? Would they worry that she was being controlled again?
Controlled by him.
That monster.
As she climbed the stairs, she couldn't help feeling that he was still lurking somewhere, out to get her for disappointing him. Out to take revenge on her.
No, don't think of that.
Revenge.
But she couldn't help but think of it.
She shivered. She had always been afraid of him, but a head-on-head confrontation with You-Know-Who made her feel paranoid. Even after she was freed and finally had herself back, she felt incomplete. It was like the feeling of losing something important. He had been such a big part of her that she felt strange being free.
Would he come for revenge? No, he wouldn't. He wouldn't care. She was just a toy, something to use and control. That's all she was. He had manipulated her, controlled her, and left her to die when he felt he had used her enough.
So she shouldn't feel so incomplete. Rather, she should feel like a burden had been lifted off her shoulders.
He's out to get you.
Stop, don't think that. She battled the voices in her head as she realised she had already reached the dorm room. She hesitated before knocking on the door. Technically, she didn't have to knock since she shared the room too, but after everything, she felt like she didn't belong there.
The whispers stopped as soon as she entered the dorm, and she gave a rueful smile. Two of her roommates were there—Valerie and Skyler. They looked uncomfortable, but they smiled back hesitantly.
Feeling like she was suffocating under their watchful eyes, Ginny took out some of her books and left the dorm.
The whispers continued as soon as she closed the door.
It took everything for Ginny to not break down then and there. She needed to find a place to cry, but the washrooms were usually so crowded, and the last thing she needed to hear was more people gossiping. Gossiping about her. So she exited the girls' dormitories, and, without a glance at the crowded common room, she left for the nearest empty classroom.
Do not cry. Do not break that promise. Don't give under all the pressure. Stop. You promised you'd be okay.
You promised.
Several thoughts intertwined in her head as she rushed to an empty classroom. She couldn't do it! She couldn't keep that promise! She had tried so hard, yet—
"...about Ginny…"
Ginny stopped in her tracks. She'd heard her name, and it was coming from inside one of the empty classrooms that lined the hall. Heart hammering, she hesitated before leaning against the door to hear.
"How d'you know all this?"
"It's simple: I keep an eye on my enemies," came Eden Lee's voice.
Ginny rolled her eyes. If it was her, then it was not worth listening to, and she almost left before she heard another voice.
"You told this to everyone?" It was Kyla. Ginny's heart fell. What was Kyla doing with Eden? Didn't she hate Eden? Or maybe Ginny was wrong, and Kyla actually hated her? Ginny remembered how uncomfortable Kyla had looked on the first night of term—unable to make eye contact with her. But Kyla had still gone out of her way to talk to Ginny, even though their conversations never lasted more than a couple of minutes.
"Yes, I did tell everyone," Eden said, and Ginny could imagine her smirking.
"And they all believed it?" That was Sam. At that point, all Ginny could think of was that even Sam had ditched her—Sam who had made jokes with her in first year; Sam, who had helped with her notes and homework; Sam who had teased her about Harry. Sam, who had simply given her a smile and asked, "You okay?", on the first day back after summer. Sam, who couldn't give two hoots that Ginny had opened the Chamber of Secret. Sam, who was so important to her.
Ginny couldn't stop herself from flinging open the classroom door and looking at all of them in rage.
"Ginny—?" Sam asked, looking at her, puzzled. Next to her, Kyla and Eden looked just as surprised.
"You!" Ginny marched up to Lee, gritting her teeth, and grabbed her by the collar. Lee looked shocked at the sudden violence, but before she could say anything, the door opened.
"There you are!" Valerie said as she and Skyler entered the classroom.
"Ginny, we were looking—" Skyler started, but stopped as she saw Ginny holding up a scared Lee. "What's going on?"
"She—she was spreading rumours about me, about what happened last year"—Ginny stopped and turned her attention to Sam and Kyla—"and you were siding with her," she spat. She released Lee's collar and yelled at the awful girl, "CAN'T YOU JUST SHUT IT? WAS THIS THE REVENGE YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT? HOW PATHETIC CAN YOU BE? HOW COULD YOU STOOP SO LOW THAT YOU WERE TRYING TO BRING MY ROOMMA—"
"SHUT UP!" Lee yelled back and slapped Ginny's face. Ginny staggered back and looked at her in shock. Lee continued, "You—what's wrong with you? You're the one who opened the Chamber! Do you even know how terrifying it was? To be locked in. And to know it was you, all along—"
"SO WHAT?" Ginny yelled back, her voice cracking. "DO YOU KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO BE CONTROLLED—TO HEAR HIS VOICE INSIDE YOUR HEAD—IT'S THE BLOODY DARK LORD WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, AND ALL YOU CAN THINK OF IS GOSSIPING ABOUT IT, JUST BECAUSE YOU WERE SCARED, JUST BECAUSE YOU HATE ME SO MUCH—"
"Ginny!" Sam said as she tried to restrain Ginny.
Ginny broke free and whirled on Sam. "YOU DON'T JUST GET TO STOP ME WHEN YOU'VE SIDED WITH HER AS WELL—"
"I WASN'T SIDING WITH HER!" Sam yelled. "You think I'm stupid enough to believe any of that crap she talked about?"
Ginny quietened down in shock. "You—you didn't?"
"No." Sam shook her head. "Never. None of us. We know you better than Lee does."
Ginny couldn't stop the tears from falling. That was when she noticed how stricken all her roommates looked.
"Still…" Ginny shook. "Y-you don't know. You don't know what it feels like. To have him control you."
"Ginny," Kyla said softly. "We never believed Lee. And no one cares too much about it anymore—"
"Then why did you guys avoid me?" Ginny hissed. "Like I was still dangerous."
"We-we didn't—" Valerie started, but Skyler interrupted her.
"We don't have a reason for that," Skyler said truthfully. "And we're sorry. We didn't mean to make you feel so terrible. We just had a hard time believing that—"
"—that some part of You-Know-Who wasn't still in me?" Ginny completed.
There was an uncomfortable silence.
Ginny gave a hollow smile. "Damn you."
They flinched and looked down in guilt.
"But you're probably right," Ginny muttered. "I've been so bloody paranoid about him randomly appearing out of nowhere to get revenge on me. It's like he still has power over me."
There was another silence.
Then Sam spoke, "Hey, where's Lee?"
Ginny looked around to see that Lee was indeed not there in the classroom, and the door was slightly open. "I reckon she just slithered away, that snake."
"Hey, listen," Valerie said, looking uncomfortable. "Are we okay?" It was just another way of saying, "Can we go back to being friends?"
Ginny looked down and took a breath. Friends? She wouldn't mind that. After all, wasn't that what she was hoping for, all that while? She smiled at them, and the tension in the room lightened considerably. "We're fine. Let's start again."
Maybe she'd be able to make good on her promise after all.
I don't know if it was clear, but throughout the whole story, the first prompt (anticipation) was incorporated. Ginny was always anticipating something—mainly negative anticipation, worrying about confronting others, worrying about revenge, all that stuff.
And um, about the special rule: The power thing—with the way it was stated, it seemed like it was implying political power. Here, I'm using power in a different sort of sense. With the way Voldemort still occupies her thoughts, her life, her actions, her decisions—in a way—he still has power over her. Ginny will truly be freed if he still didn't hold that much power over her. It's not direct manipulation or control that he had in first year, but I'm including that too.
Hopefully I've gotten it all right.