A/N: I don't own Harry Potter
Word Count: 884
"Hey, you alright?"
Ginny looked up, her face stained with tears and mud. Her hair plastered to her skin. She hadn't thought anyone else would be out here. It was storming and there was a cold wind that just made everything worse.
"I'm fine," she muttered, not even bothering to see who was calling to her. She just wanted to be alone. Was that too much to ask?
"Only those who aren't fine say that, you know. It's one of those lies everyone knows. Just like how everyone's always saying everything's going to be alright."
"They're right. That is a lie. Nothing's ever alright," Ginny replied, wrapping her arms around her knees. She heard the person sit down next to her.
"Just like time makes things better?"
"And everything happens for a reason," Ginny added, finally turning to face the person who had decided sitting on the muddy ground in a storm was something worth doing. She blinked when she recognized Oliver Wood.
"Why are you out here anyway? Kind of hard to play in this kind of weather, isn't it?" she asked. She didn't really know Oliver. She knew he was in Percy's year, about four years older than her. He loved Quidditch, so did she. He was the captain of the team. Fred and George said he took Quidditch super seriously.
"Wasn't looking to play, well, maybe I was, but then I saw you. No one who's not hurting would be out here in this weather. Rain's great for hiding the tears, bit cold though."
"At least I can feel the cold," Ginny whispered. Oliver nodded.
"Ahh, numb inside and out, trying to pretend it's alright, that whatever happened is over and done, that it doesn't affect you now. It's a lie and we both know it. I'd ask if you wanted to talk about it, but since you're fine..."
"You know what happened last year?"
"Parts of it, everyone does. I don't know much more than the chamber was opened, people were petrified, you almost died, and Lockhart was found out a fraud."
"That's pretty much the gist of it, the only part that you missed is that I was the one who opened the chamber, I was being controlled. I don't remember most of my actions. I don't remember much of what happened, just waking up confused a lot. I was missing a lot of time."
"Controlled by who?" Oliver asked.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Try me, I mean, I believed we could win the house cup three years ago and look, we did!"
Ginny smiled slightly.
"True, and it was You Know Who, well a ghost of him somehow... I don't quite understand it all," Ginny admitted, her body shaking as she thought about Tom, about who he had been, who he had become.
"Yipes, wow, that's really bad. I do believe you, that's too much to make up."
"That's not even the worst part. I thought he was my friend at first, I was so desperate to find someone, you know."
"That's not crazy. We're all looking for someone who will be there for us, someone who sees all of us, not just the part we show the world."
"Does that mean you're hiding a deep dark secret then?" Ginny asked, turning and looking at Oliver.
"Maybe, it's not important."
"That's a lie. I told you mine, give me a try?"
"I like... I don't like girls."
"So? What's wrong with that?"
"It's just, there's this boy and I like him. I really like him, but I don't think he likes me and I'm too scared to ask him because what if he doesn't like boys like that?" Oliver asked. Ginny burst out laughing just as the sky started to clear.
"Oliver, I don't really know you. I know my brothers talk about you all the time, but I think any boy, or girl, or whatever, would be happy to have you. I mean, you're funny, and a great listener, and if you were a bit closer to my age... maybe?" Ginny shrugged.
"Wait, your brothers talk about me?"
"Sure, they said you almost killed them at practice the other day. And Percy was whining about the fact your side of the room is totally covered in posters and they're super distracting when he's trying to study because they keep moving and he wants to watch them."
"Percy said that?"
"Yup. I'm going to guess he's the one you're crushing on?" Ginny asked, looking at the sky. She smirked seeing a rainbow slowly forming in the clouds.
"Maybe."
"Then you should ask him."
"But..."
"He's distracted by the bloody Quidditch posters on your wall. I know Percy doesn't give a flying fig about Quidditch... so what do you think he's looking at?" Ginny asked. "Besides, the weather agrees with me," she added, pointing out the rainbow. Oliver looked up at it and smiled.
"Thanks, Ginny. And if you ever need someone to listen to you, or tell you that you're lying..."
"I know where to find you. And Oliver,"
"Yes?"
"Percy's in the library," she added, watching Oliver scramble to his feet and head that direction. Ginny sighed, looking at the sky and wondered if solving her own problems would ever be that easy.
