Black Stained

Chapter 5: Crumbled Paper

The next day, Ginny finally succeeded into forcing Hermione and Aral to Diagon Alley for a 'girl's day' out. They all needed to buy presents for the next day and walked from store to store. Ginny enthusiastically ran around, seeking presents for her family and Harry. Hermione and Aral on the other hand dragged themselves behind her, less enthusiastic. They still had fun, but their feet were tired and they tried to stop Ginny, but she didn't halt or slowed down.

'Can we just take a break and drink something?' Hermione asked, trying to convince their friend.

But Ginny shook no and said: 'It's christmas tomorrow! We need gifts! What is christmas without a gift?' And she walked into the next store.

Hermione looked at Aral searching support in her desperate attempt. Aral shrugged. 'You can't stop her, and believe me if you could I would have helped you, but you can't. Sorry. And besides she is right, we haven't found any presents yet.' And she walked into the store, following her friend, who was already examining every possible present in the store.

Behind her she heard Hermione exclaim: 'I already have a book for Harry!'

Aral rolled her eyes and turned around. 'Oh yes, I totally forgot '100 most interesting species in the wizarding world and how to cope with them', he will absolutely love it and probably read it the next day.' She said with a thick layer of sarcasm. Aral already started looking for gifts and didn't notice Hermione's hurted eyes.

-Line-

She looked down at the book in her hands and her heart ached. Sometimes Aral could be so mean, she probably didn't mean it, but this time it did hurt her. She felt her eyes get watery, oh no! She didn't want to cry. Besides Aral didn't mean it, she can just be a little harsh sometimes. Hermione tried to calm herself with those thoughts, but none worked. The tears started to drip from her eyes onto the book, she made no sound. She just stood there in the opening of the store, frozen and hurt. Hurted by stupid, little words, from her friend. She had enough of it, she realized. Aral had done this to many times to her! She only tolerated it because of the fact she did it to everyone and her best friend ,Harry, was her brother. But now she wanted it to stop really. She had always considered her a friend, but now she really thought about it, there had been many times Aral was mean to her. They had been close friends as the only two females smart enough to read any books beside the school books they were forced to read. But ever since Ginny came along she started turning into not only smart, but also witty and Fred and George had liked that of course, stimulating the process. If you had asked anyone from school to describe the black haired girl, they would describe her as beatiful, smart and kind, witty and sarcastic to the highest level. She never understood how anyone could include 'Kind' in her description. She still there stood in the opening of the store, with trembling hands clutching her book, tears dripping on it. Ginny nor Aral seemed to have noticed the busy haired girl in pain, for they were to occupied in their mission to find gifts.

-Line-

Aral walked into the next aisle of the huge store. The store sign said: 'Greggy's gift shop, all kinds of gifts.' 'All kinds of gifts' did describe the store well. The sizes went from the size of your pinky to the size of a full-grown centaur. The colours were various and divercity enormous. Aral walked in an aisle of shelves filled with small and simple gifts. She always found the simplest gifts the prettiest. Her eyes fell on a small, silver statue of a flower. She picked it up and read the tag dangling from the leaf. 'The flower blossoms and closes, depending on the emotions in the air of the room you place it in.' Aral raised one eyebrow, looking at the flower, waited for it to show anything. It stayed closed and Aral figured it would only work after you bought it. The silver reminded her of fleur and decided to give it to her. She held it in her hand and continued to walk through the aisle, scanning every present and examining them closely, trying to figure out what to give the rest of the family. After not looking for too long she found gifts for almost everyone; A new set of self cooking and washing pans for Molly, a book about almost everything in the world for Bill, the flower for Fleur, for Percy she found a clock that would tell you to get some sleep or drink or eat (considering he was always totally consumed in his work), George she got two notebooks, which were connected if he wrote in one of them it would apear in the other and vice versa so he could talk to a friend, Ron she got a piece of paper which gave advice if needed and Harry a mug chanting the words 'Best sister ever'. She smirked at the last one, considering it to be the best one. Smiling she walked over to Ginny and watched her choose between two different gifts.

'But this one is practically better...' She wishpered to herself, not noticing Aral. 'But this one is funnier.' She frowned at the gifts.

'You could always take both, christmas won't die with an extra gift under the tree.' Aral joked leaning against the wall opposite.

Ginny turned around eyes widened, opening her mouth and closing it again. She considered the possibility and frowned again. Aral cocked her head slightly smirking a bit. She knew she was right and watched Ginny change.

'You're right!' She smiled at the solution of her problem.

'Who are those all for?' She gestured with her head at the pile in Aral's arms.

Aral presented the gifts and it's uses, she didn't however tell her who does were for. Aral looked around, noticing Hermione wasn't around.

'Were is Hermione?' She asked Ginny.

Ginny looked around too, holding the gifts in her hands. 'Don't know...' They searched through the store, even behind the counter, but Hermione was nowhere to be seen. They looked at each other, frowning. They quickly payed for their presents and walked outside. They stopped, looked at each other, nodded and together they sighed: 'Library.'

-Line-

After looking through the small library on the end of Diagon Alley for ten minutes they found her in a corner. Curled up in a chair by the window, book on her lap and her hair covering her face. Ginny and Aral both frowned again, curiosity boiling their insides, because of two reasons: Yes, Hermione was a huge geek and would probably move into the library if the opportunity presented itself, but she wouldn't just leave and not tell them. Second, she would have to be upset because she was reading her book, the book she always read when upset; Hogwarts a History.

Ginny slowly approached the young witch, carefully, Hermione could hex anyone when upset. 'Hermione?'

She was just about to turn a page, but froze in her movement. For a moment she stayed like this, then she slowly closed the book and placed it on the desk next to her. She lifted her head, showing the red and puffy eyes. Ginny and Aral, both shocked by the sight of their friend in distress, approached her quickly.

But before they could reach her she stood up and said, coldly and stern: 'Stop!'

They both stood still, not moving a muscle.

Aral was concerned for her friend, she never acted like this. She tried to think of a reason or cause why this happened, what could have happened to her in such a short time?

Aral had no idea, neither did Ginny.

Hermione held out her hand to Ginny. 'Could you, please, pull me up?'

Ginny immediately gripped her hand and pulled her up. Aral stepped forwards, wanting to help her.

'NO!' Hermione shouted at her. Shocked Aral froze.

'What's wrong?' Ginny asked quickly exchanging looks with Aral, who still stood completely frozen.

Hermione angrily stared at Aral, confusing her.

'You know,' Hermione started, calmed down a bit, but still harsh. 'You were my friend, but after all those stupid comments of you and your stupid shit... I'm done!' She waved her hand through the air in a horizontal move, making her point clear.

Aral felt herself melt from a frozen statue to a boiling vulcano, all her feelings left her only leaving behind anger. 'What shit? You mean those jokes I make?'

She raised an eyebrow. 'Is this about the comment about your book?' Her eyes stared down the other woman, who stared back, but less intense.

'The comments you've had about me all our time together!' Hermione spat.

'You really think I meant those?' Aral spat back. 'You're getting more stupid by the second.'

Hermione's jaw dropped, her eyes widened, nobody called her stupid. 'You just never realized how much you have hurted people with them.' She stated.

Aral's feelings started flooding back. If she thought about hurting people she... She started to tremble. She hurted people, not just with what she had done, but with what she had said too. There was truth in Hermione's words. And those words hurted her in return. She wanted to collaps to the ground and cry, she wanted to tell her friends about the pain she had been living with, she couldn't keep up her façade. But she didn't do anything instead she just stared, stared at the books infront of her behind Hermione. She felt hollowed and allone, even with her friends standing right next to her. Hermione was againts her and she could see Ginny sided with her, her eyes betraying her. She stood there she didn't know how long, all sense of feeling and touch gone. She didn't smell the books and old paper and dust anymore, she didn't feel the warm light of the candles around them and didn't hear any breathing. She was pulled into a black hole. After a moment she felt something familiar and nice. The feeling spread from her stomach and reached the tips of her fingers. Spread across her whole body, a good feeling. She didn't move, didn't express anything. She thought for a moment the feeling meant it was going to be okay, that she would say to Hermione she was sorry and make up for it all. But she realized it wasn't what she thought it was.

-Line-

Aral had started to stare at something behind her, clearly she had hid a nerve. Hermione considered it a good thing. Aral kept starring and she considered breaking the sudden silence, but waited instead when Ginny shook her head at her. After a moment she noticed Aral's expression changed, it went from angry and confused to blank. It scared her, how could Aral go to blank? She felt the air tremble, first softly then it increased. She looked at Ginny, she had the same expression on her face; scared. Aral still stared and still looked blankly. The trembly stopped suddenly and Hermione thought it was over, but made a big mistake to take a step. Books, unexpectedly started to tremble heavily, falling from the shelves. Hermione shrieked and Ginny jumped backwards, almost falling over the chair. Hermione tried to stop the books from falling and waved her wand, but the trembling air simply swiped it from her hands. Hermione shrieked again, jumping after her wand. Ginny slowly turned and knew where this sudden magic tornado came from; Aral. She looked at her still staring eyes, obviously not aware of what happened around her. Ginny tried to make her way over to her, but the books started to circle around and hit her everywhere on her body.

'Aral!' She screamed, trying to get the attantion of the witch. She covered her head with her hands as the books fell down from the air.

She heard a gasp and looked up, directly in Aral's eyes. Which were supposed to be green, but now where black.

Ginny was startled at the sight, she was shocked on how much she resembled...

Hermione screamed, covering her mouth with her hands. Memories of the evil Black witch flooding back. She grabbed her arm with her hand unconsciously, where her scar was still imprinted.

Aral blinked rapidly a few times. Ginny stared at her eyes as they slowly turned from the dark appalling black to the green, everyone was used to.

-Line-

They stared at her, their eyes filled with fear and disgust. She looked at the window opposite her, seeing two black eyes staring directly at her. She was shocked, but was accustomed to this appearance of her. She blinked trying to remove the colour, she had tried to keep away. Those eyes weren't hers, hers were green! Like her brothers...

She looked at Ginny who looked right back at her, fear flowing through her eyes. She was helding her breath, probably waiting for her to move. Hermione had regained her wand again, and was now pointing it rigth at her. She was afraid, she understood. She had made them afraid, she was scary... She was dangerous! She had told this to herself all the time and now she had the truth presented to herself once again, she had promised never to cross the line of using magic anymore after the war and she had crossed it! She failed againg... The dark lord's words entered her head again, telling her she was weak and stupid. She wanted to cry, but couldn't. She had to get away.

She ran out of the library, taking away the tansion that hung in the air with her. Hermione and Ginny once again were able to breath, shocked.