A/n Well, here goes with chapter 2. Please review and maybe I'll try to work a little faster, though I can't promise thatJ Thanks for being patient.
A glimmer through the darkness
Part
2: Walls
"I think we lost her again," Liberty said, sighing as she grabbed the map away from Sirius. It seemed like every time Lanie began to appear on the map, they would lose her right away.
"I was sure she went this way. The branches were broke leading out to this trail," Sirius protested.
"So she outsmarted you. It will only be the fifth time this week."
"Well, if she was anywhere near here, you two just scared her away with your bickering. Come on, let's go back to where we last saw her on the map," Remus said, turning around.
"She couldn't have gotten too far," Lanie reassured Remus. She felt sorry for the poor guy. They finally found Lanie after all those years, and she ran out. It was the hardest on Remus because he still had feelings for the girl. Although he didn't mention his feelings to anybody, Liberty knew. She could tell by the way his eyes lit up when he found out Lanie wasn't dead, and by his determination to find her.
When Remus suggested forming a search party to find her, she and Sirius quickly agreed to go with him. Shelby would have liked to gone, but they excused her since she was newly wed.
"I'm coming with you guys," Shelby had said. "We'll just postpone the honeymoon until we find her, that's all."
"This is the time for you to focus on your life. Don't worry, we'll find Lanie, and when we do you'll be the first one to know," Liberty assured her. Now Liberty wasn't so sure if they would find Lanie. Lanie was certainly determined to lead them off her trail.
They backtracked in silence for about an hour until they got back to the spot where they found Lanie on the map earlier. The spot in the grass where she slept was still flattened from her body. Liberty saw two sets of tracks from there, a bunch of tracks went to the trail they just came from, the other tracks followed a tiny stream.
"She went that way," Liberty said.
"Nice observation," Sirius answered, already headed towards the stream. "Way to point out the obvious."
"Well, I was only…"
"I am just kidding," he said, grabbing her hand and leading her onward. Liberty loved it when Sirius made small gestures like that. Sirius was her more-than-friend, but less-than-boyfriend. Shelby liked to call them 'friends with French benefits'. Liberty didn't care that their relationship, if you could even call it a relationship, was going slow. She wasn't ready for a deep commitment yet, and she was sure Sirius felt the same way. And besides, slow relationships are usually the ones that work out, and she would love for her and Sirius' relationship to work.
"Look, she must have stopped there for a while," Remus said, pointed to flattened grass by the stream. "Maybe we'll find her today."
"I hope so Remus," Liberty said, giving him a small smile.
"Hi Harry. How was Potions," Ginny asked as she set next to him in the Great Hall for lunch.
"Fine," he said in a slight harsh tone.
"That's good. Anything interesting happen?"
"No," he muttered, turning to his food.
"What's wrong with him," she mouthed to Hermione, seated at the other side of the table.
"Give the poor guy a break Ginny," Ron said, seated next to Hermione. Apparently he caught Ginny's question. "He was partnered up with Malfoy today. Who knows what kind of crap Malfoy fed him."
"Come on Ginny, let's go talk to Bridgett for awhile," Kimberly suggested. "We can give Harry some time to cool off."
Ginny nodded, and followed behind Kimberly to the Hufflepuff table, where their friend sat. Bridgett helped them a lot the previous year, and she was the reason Wormtail was now locked up in Azkaban and Sirius was free. She wasn't the sole reason though; things were looking down when Sirius got to trial because evidence was lacking in the fact that Sirius did not kill Lily and James. If Lanie had not shown up…but Lanie didn't stay for long. Ginny hoped they found Lanie soon.
On their way to the Hufflepuff table, they had to pass by the Slytherin table. More specific, they had to pass by Malfoy, who started spatting something at her the moment she passed by. Ginny tried to ignore him and continue on her way, but he threw a piece of food at her to get her attention. Ginny held back her temper; Ginny did have the Weasley temper, but she was different in the way that she could generally calm herself before confronting anyone, and hold her temper back from them.
"What do you want," she asked, trying to stop her head from steaming.
"I heard your little Potty is mad at you."
"And I'm sure you had something to do with that," she said, flipping her head up and making another attempt at walking right by him.
"He's just using you anyway."
"What," Ginny said, turning back around.
"He's using you, just to get to her," Malfoy said, pointing at the Gryffindor table, where Harry and Hermione were leaning into each other, laughing at something that was apparently very funny.
"That's stupid, why would Harry need me to get to Hermione? They're friends, Malfoy. Maybe if you get one, you'll know what I mean."
Ginny walked over to Bridgett's table, where Kimberly was already standing. The things that Malfoy told her were left far behind, forgotten.
Lanie's stomach started to sound like an incoming thunderstorm. She needed to get something to eat soon in order to keep her strength. However, she hadn't seen anything edible since she strolled away from the stream, and that was a couple hours ago at least. In order to survive in the forest, she had to learn fast which fruits and berries were safe to eat and which ones caused drastic side effects. Lanie suspected she was close to the Dark Spot of the forest, where most of the creepy creatures roam. She hoped to get out to a lighter spot before nightfall, and then she would maybe be able to find food.
'The cabin may not be much,' she thought, 'but I would give anything to be safe inside those walls again.'
Walls. That is all Lanie knew. She walled herself away from society, away from her friends, and away from the man she loved. She did it because she couldn't face her past. Something bad happened, and she ran. Friends are supposed to be there for other friends when things got bad, not run. Lanie should have convicted Wormtail years ago, but instead she just let Sirius take the blame for James and Lily's death so she didn't have to face it. She placed the biggest wall around her heart. She tried to pretend it didn't happen. She denied who she was. For years she wasn't Lanie, she was just some poor old woman, shunned from society.
But a little bit of Lanie came back when ten guests arrived at her cabin a few months ago. Now she's trying to deal with her past, and run away to build her wall at the same time. Something was going to have to give.
"Ginny, I'm so sorry about earlier," Harry said as he walked in the common room. Ginny was sitting on a small wood chair, attempting her Charms homework. "I don't know what got into me."
"I heard Malfoy got to you in Potions."
"Yes, I can't believe I actually worried over something he said."
"What did he say?"
"Well…" he contemplated, "Nothing. Nothing important. He was just feeding me one of his little stories, and I about fell for it."
"It must have been important if it got you that upset," Ginny stated.
"Don't worry about it, I'm fine now. Am I forgiven?"
"Well…Let's see…" Ginny tried hard not to crack a smile, but it wasn't working. She kept stealing glances into his bright green eyes, and every time she looked in them, she couldn't help but smile. "Fine," she said, unable to hold it back any longer. "You're forgiven."
"Thanks," he said, sitting down next to her in the tiny chair.
"Harry, I don't think this is such a good idea…" But it was too late. The legs were already giving way to a loud crack, as Ginny and Harry tumbled down in a tangled mess. The room was quickly dissolved in laughter from the two. Soon, all the Gryffindors in the common room were giggling and pointing at the broken chair.
"You know, I think you're right," Harry said between laughs. He kissed Ginny on the nose, which was the closest thing to his lips at the moment.
"I know I'm right," Ginny giggled. "You shouldn't underestimate me."
A/n Thanks for reading (and hopefully reviewing). I hope to work more on it soon.
