A/N: Hey guys! I hope that you enjoyed the last chapter. I hope all of you are staying safe and healthy during this pandemic. To me, fanfiction is one of the things that tends to lift my spirits. Thank you to natalieeannee for reviewing on my story. I'm trying to make my chapters free of any grammatical errors, so if you see one, do not be afraid to point it out in the comments/reviews. Enough of my useless ranting, let's dive into the next chapter! :D
The following days proceeded in the same hazy manner. Ginny spent most of her time in the attic, either rereading every book in the house or arguing with Terry Boot. She was pleasantly surprised when Neville ended up sending her a letter, and could almost feel his awkwardness as Neville fumbled through the words, contrasting from Terry's harsh words and eloquent passages. It was refreshing since Ginny didn't need to craft up a clever response. Neville was smart, but Ginny was afraid that his lack of articulacy made him an easy target for people like Snape or Draco.
Ginny didn't interact much with anyone else. She shared brief conversations with Hermione and Tonks from time to time, but other than that, she was mostly isolated. Though everything seemed pretty normal from the outside, Ginny could feel the foreboding cloud that filtered through their activities. It wasn't that noticeable, just a slight dark tinge in every laugh or conversation. Harry's trial was coming up with great speed, and he did his best to be cheery and lighthearted, it mostly came across painfully forced.
Mrs. Weasley was also like that too. She gave everyone much more rigorous chores, hoping to keep them distracted when it really made everyone go mad. Sirius in particular. The battles between him and Molly entertained Ginny much more than wiping the floors. They mostly started with Sirius joking around with Harry and then Mrs. Weasley coming over and assigning them to different tasks. Then Sirius would bring up the fact that they were all in HIS house, and then Mrs. Weasley would retaliate with a jab that made Sirius even more irritated. The two would go from strained voices to unbearable shrieks echoing through the house. The pandemonium from Mrs. Weasley and Sirius would often wake Mrs. Black as well, and then she would start screaming too. Then Fred and George would think that it was the perfect time to test out their product, and it almost always ended with Mr. Weasley or Lupin or somebody else breaking up the fight. Those were the highlights of Ginny's summer, where the perturbation of Harry's trial would fade and all that remained was the complete and utter bedlam of Ginny's family.
"Ginny, be a dear and pass the butter," Mrs. Weasley said with a frown on her normally cheerful face. It was the day of Harry's trial and even the weather matched the tense atmosphere in the small kitchen.
She passed the butter dish wordlessly as she looked outside at the stormy rain clouds. A flutter of whispers whirled around the table as Harry came downstairs wearing her father's blazer. Though Ginny didn't know Harry that well, she couldn't help but feel empathetic toward him. He lost his parents, faced Voldemort too many times to count, and risked his life to save his cousin all for the possibility of being expelled from Hogwarts. Harry wore a solemn look on his face as he listened intently to her father explaining what he had to do.
Ron and Hermione both wore the same forlorn look, and even Fred and George didn't bother to lighten up the mood. Sirius looked outraged as he whispered rapidly to Harry.
Ginny observed everyone silently. Every meal remained untouched, including her own, and for the first time, Mrs. Weasley didn't comment on it.
Harry and Mr. Weasley soon left, an uncomfortable silence ringing throughout the kitchen. "All right then," Mrs. Weasley inhaled and turned toward them.
"Fred, George, I want you two to clear out the beehive in the guest room upstairs. Ron, Hermione, there is still a significant amount of mold in the downstairs restroom, and Ginny, uh, go… mop the floors," Mrs. Weasley said hurriedly before handing her a mop.
Everyone departed with solemnity; even Sirius and Molly didn't argue. Ginny sighed as she climbed up the stairs. It was going to be a long day.
If breakfast was uncomfortable, lunch was an entirely different story. Nobody said a word nor did they try to mask their anxiety for Harry. It was at the same time incredibly awkward and refreshingly liberating. Nobody was trying to hide behind a facade and change the mood.
The group departed once again and Ginny went up into the attic. She was expecting another letter from Terry Boot soon.
Ginny seemed to be just in time, because by the time she had opened the door, an owl was already perched on the windowsill, waiting for Ginny to open the window. Although the owl was carrying the same newspaper and letter, it wasn't Terry's owl. Ginny frowned and ran up to open the window.
The strangest part about it was the fact that this time, the newspaper wasn't from the Daily Prophet. She looked at the title.
"The Quibbler?" She muttered to herself before tearing open the envelope. Now she was curious about what Terry had up his sleeve. But the letter wasn't from Terry.
Dear Ginevra Weasley,
You don't know me, so let me introduce myself. My name is Luna Lovegood, editor of the Quibbler and a classmate of yours. My friend, Terry Boot, told me about you and how you believe that Voldemort was back.
The strange part is, not many people seem to believe that, besides you and me. I would like to interview you and have you share your thoughts on the subject. I am looking forward to becoming friends with you.
-Luna Lovegood
Ginny sat on the bed, looking bewildered at what she had just read. The letter was short in words but displayed so much dauntless madness. It was ridiculously concise yet so ridiculously worded at the same time. She tossed the letter aside and skimmed through the Quibbler. She had heard about the Quibbler from Hermione, who had ranted to her about the absurd newspaper.
And Hermione was right. The articles were so audaciously provocative, talking about nargles and crumple-horned snorkacks. But beneath all the insanity that this 'Luna Lovegood' exhibited, she knew that Terry wouldn't be friends with her if she was just some dim lunatic.
Even Ginny could see the sagacity between her sentences. Yeah, they were bizarre, but they were interesting as well. Nothing like the Daily Prophet, that was for sure. Ginny knew that this girl was loony, but then again, so was Terry, and so was herself. Although she couldn't interview because it would feel like she would be betraying Harry and her family, she was open to the idea of writing an anonymous letter for the Quibbler on why Voldemort is still alive.
For the first time, Ginny felt excited. Though she had grown up with a house full of barmy people, none of them served to be as interesting as Luna Lovegood.
Ginny Weasley scrambled for a pen and paper as she drafted out her response in her head. Something told her that this was going to be an interesting year…
"HE GOT OFF! HE GOT OFF!" Fred and George chanted as they jumped around, pulling Ginny into a three-person circle as they all bellowed at the top of their lungs.
"SHUT UP!" Mrs. Weasley yelled over them, leaving the three of them collapsing in a fit of laughter on the carpet.
The rest of the evening was surprisingly delightful. The party was half for Harry's clearance by the ministry and the other half was for Ron and Hermione's accomplishment as prefects. Ginny listened amusedly as Fred and George made fun of Ron while half tuning into Hermione's rant on the importance of studying.
Mrs. Weasley and Bill were in a heated argument about the latter's hair, which was also quite funny to hear. "But Bill, you would look so handsome if you just cut your hair, don't you think Harry?"
Harry dropped his spoon and stared directly at Mrs. Weasley. "Uhh…"
Meanwhile, Lupin and Sirius seemed to be conversing about the past events.
"Remember that one time when James decided that it would be funny to…"
The ominous filter was completely removed, making the vibrant colors stand out even more. Even the food tasted better, which was hard since Mrs. Weasley already cooked good food, to begin with. Overall, it was a nice night with the threat of Voldemort and the Death Eaters being completely forgotten.
The days passed significantly easier after Harry's trial with the heavyweight being lifted off of everyone's backs. Fred and George were more troublesome than ever, and Ginny never completely realized just how loud her mum's voice could be.
Luna had responded to Ginny's letter, her excitement shining through her writing. The debates with Terry still raged on as usual, but Ginny could tell that Terry was getting tired of this subject, which didn't phase her because she was tired of it too.
The words "utter bedlam" were an understatement for exactly how chaotic the Grimmauld Place was on the morning of September 1st. "Ginny, Ginny wake up!" Hermione all but yelled, hovering over the redhead.
"W-What?" Ginny rubbed her eyes, pushing the covers away. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Honestly, sometimes you could be just like your brother. We have to catch the train, now hurry up!" She whispered rapidly, leaving Ginny to tend to her luggage.
Ginny's eyes widened in realization and she scrambled to the bathroom, not bothering to check the time. Thank god she had packed her luggage ahead of time…
She hastily got ready and grabbed her luggage before running downstairs, though it wasn't long before she was hit with Fred and George's suitcases, consequently leading her tumbling down the stairs.
"FRED, GEORGE, MUST I ALWAYS TELL YOU NOT TO PULL OUT YOUR WANDS FOR EVERY LITTLE THING!? GINNY COULD'VE BEEN HURT!"
Fred and George mumbled sheepish apologies to Ginny as her mum fixed her injuries. The shouting from Mrs. Weasley had unfortunately woken up the monstrous portrait, who started a chorus of incessant yelling along with Mrs. Weasley.
"FILTHY MUDBLOODS, SCOUNDREL HALF-BREEDS, SHAMEFUL BLOOD-TRAITORS IN THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS!"
"Shut up!" Sirius growled as he tried desperately to close the curtains. But everything only got worse when Ginny arrived downstairs. Sirius had given up trying to tame Mrs. Black and instead had taken to arguing with Mrs. Weasley about going to the train station with Harry, which only added to the pandemonium. Hermione was looking desperately for Crookshanks while Harry and Ginny were trying to close the curtains of Mrs. Black's portrait. Ron was just trying to get some more breakfast.
The two had eventually succeeded in closing the wretched portrait, but that didn't stop the screaming of Sirius and Mrs. Weasley. "FINE! FINE! YOU CAN GO TO THE TRAIN STATION!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. The bear-like dog wagged his tail in excitement and Harry went down to pet him.
Ginny had now taken to reading Hermione's copy of Advanced Potions. It had always been one of her weakest subjects, but she was planning on changing that this year. "Fred, George, get over here! Harry, Hermione, would you please come - Ron, stop eating! Ginny, I appreciate you trying to focus on your studies, but would you pay attention for goodness sake!? Sirius, just- whatever. Alright, Alastor will be handling the luggage, and-" She was cut off by a loud crash from the kitchen.
"Crookshanks!" Hermione exclaimed as the irritated cat ran out of the kitchen.
"What in heaven's name is-" Mrs. Weasley started, before being interrupted by the appearance of a certain pink-haired auror.
"Wotcher everyone!" She said lightly. She turned to Molly. "Sorry Molly, I think someone spilled butter on the floor, and then there was this spatula and then…" Mrs. Weasley put a hand up to stop her.
"It's all right Tonks, now everyone, line up right here and..." Mrs. Weasley started her long monologue of instruction right before one of the stink bombs from Fred's suitcase went off.
It was a wonder that they had gotten to the train station on time. It had taken around twenty to walk there, with frequent interruptions either Fred or George.
Ginny took a deep breath as she looked around. The place was packed with both wizards and muggles alike, everyone scrambling around to get to their destinations.
Mad-Eye came limping through the archway. "All okay, don't reckon we're being followed," he said gruffly as he straightened himself out. The goodbyes were brief and almost fretful.
"Well, take care of yourselves," Lupin said, shaking hands all around. "You guys are going to need it, from who I hear the new defense teacher is…" Ginny inwardly groaned, the last thing she needed was a bad DADA teacher.
"Bye Mum," Ginny muttered as she was led into a bone-crushing hug.
"Take care of yourself, Ginny," Mr. Weasley muttered briskly as they hugged briefly. She threw a wink at the dog as her mother was reprimanding him for putting his paws on Harry's shoulders and climbed aboard the train. Ginny waved goodbye along with everyone else, feeling a strange sense of excitement wash over her.
Fred clapped his hands. "Right, well, I wish we could stick around for more, but we got some… business we need to attend to," he said slyly and George threw them a wink before they strode out of the compartment in perpetual motion.
Suddenly, Ron and Hermione exchanged awkward glances. "Oh, er, Harry, me and Hermione have to go for Prefect duties…" Ron said, looking down.
"But… it won't be for long though, I don't think," Hermione added optimistically. Harry's face fell but faked a smile not long after that.
"Right, well, see you later I guess…" Ron and Hermione slowly walked to the door, before Ron stopped and turned around.
"Well, it's not like I want to do this - I'm not Percy or anything!" Harry grinned at this, before responding.
"Yeah mate, see you later." Harry left a couple of seconds after Ron and Hermione, leaving Ginny alone, as usual. She was a little upset that he didn't ask her if she wanted to come, but it didn't matter since she would've declined anyway. She needed to find Terry he has a new topic of controversy that he was just "dying to discuss."
"What the bloody hell took you so long!?" Terry Boot exclaimed as Ginny walked through the compartment. She almost rolled her eyes.
"I was admiring the lovely tapestry. Did you know that the last time the Hogwarts Express was renovated was five-hundred years ago?" She said in a sickly-sweet tone, hoping to get a reaction out of him. But before Terry could reply with another irritable remark, a whimsical voice had cut him off.
"Hello there," Ginny looked over Terry's shoulder to find three other people. Much to her surprise, Neville was in the compartment, sitting nervously with Trevor resting on his lap. Ginny always thought that Terry didn't like Neville, seeing as they were both polar opposites.
The second person was a girl, with dreamy blue eyes and straggly blond hair. She wore mismatched clothing and carried a Quibbler magazine. Ginny reckoned that she must be Luna.
The last one was probably the least surprising. Blaise Zabini sat in the corner of the room, staring out the window with a neutral expression on his face. Though Ginny didn't really associate with Slytherins too much, she recognized him from Potions, him being one of Snape's favorites and her being one of Snape's least. It was a strange group of people, that was for certain. Two Ravenclaws, a Gryffindor, and a Slytherin. Terry really was unpredictable.
"Er, hey," Ginny responded with a little wave to the girl. Neville looked up from his toad.
"Oh! Ginny, hey! Didn't see you ther-" But before Neville could finish his sentence, Trevor jumped from his lap and Neville, trying to get a hold of him, also jumped from his seat only to end up crashing to the ground. Blaise Zabini chuckled dryly, his gaze not wavering from the window.
"Are you alright Neville?" Ginny said, helping him off the floor. Neville nodded, his face turning red.
"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks." The girl, Luna, picked up the toad effortlessly and handed it to Neville, who then blushed again before sitting back down. Terry cleared his throat.
"Right, well, this is Luna," Terry said, indicating to the girl. Ginny smiled.
"You're the one who sent me the letter, right? Well, I have a rough draft of the anonymous article." Ginny drew a letter from her jacket-pocket, before handing it to Luna. The two of them had agreed that instead of an interview, Ginny could just write an article explaining her viewpoint.
"Thank you very much, Daddy will be very happy with this," Luna said, sticking the draft in a page of the article. She resumed reading swiftly, and it wasn't until this point that Ginny noticed she was holding the magazine upside down.
Terry continued his introductions. "Since you already know Neville, I see no reason to be introducing him," Neville still wore the same ruddy complexion as earlier and Ginny sent him a weak smile. "This is Blaise Zabini," Terry said, indicating toward Blaise.
The Slytherin turned his head, his cool gaze now shifting toward Ginny. "Hello," she said pleasantly, not wanting to show prejudice.
Blaise's face remained unmoving, making Ginny slightly uncomfortable. "Hello," he replied curtly, shifting his attention back to the window. Terry looked unfazed by Zabini's behavior as if it was expected. Ginny didn't know what kind of game Terry was playing. Blaise and Luna, she could understand, but why Neville? It made no sense, none of this made no sense.
"Anyways," Terry interrupted her thoughts as he pulled out a heavy book from his backpack. "I discovered…"
The rest of the first half of the train ride was spent by Terry and Ginny discussing the studies of the findings of a Roman Arithmatist, with Luna or Neville making either an absurd comment about Nargles or asking a question with a quivering voice. Blaise didn't bother speaking and spent most of the ride looking out the window, not that anybody minded.
Ginny had concluded that she liked Luna Lovegood. Despite her random and cryptic comments, she had come to appreciate Luna's sense of style and originality. It was very interesting to watch.
"You know, you have many wrackspurts in your brain," Ginny met Luna's wistful gaze as the blonde closed her book.
"That's interesting, thanks Luna," Ginny said thoughtfully, not entirely sure what a wrackspurt was. Luna smiled and resumed her reading. Something told Ginny that this was going to be an interesting year…
The rest of the train ride was spent in comfortable silence. Terry soon decided that more research was needed to decipher the arithmancy and had retired to reading about the parallels between muggle physics and arithmancy.
Blaise was still staring out the window, and Neville sat nervously on the seat, looking around. Ginny felt bad for him; Neville was a smart bloke, he just needed more self-confidence. Luna was still reading 'The Quibbler' upside down, and Ginny eventually pulled out Hermione's Copy of Advanced Potions. She'll return it when she's done.
"Potions, huh?" A smooth voice startled Ginny, causing her to look up rapidly and meet the Slytherin's gaze.
"Oh, yeah," she said, looking at the cover. "Always been one of my weakest subjects." Blaise nodded slowly and turned back to the window. There was something very odd about that boy, that was for sure.
A/N: Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed that chapter, PLEASE review if you would like to see more, I NEED a reason to keep writing this. ;) Thank you all for reading and I'll see you peeps next time!