"Lost"
by Dorthey Star
Chapter Three
***
"Have you noticed a change in Ginny?" Hermione asked that night as they were sitting in the common room, not planning for once.
"What change?" Ron asked, blinking in surprise. It was a huge change not to be talking about Voldemort, but he suspected that it would be a good change…just not a permanent one.
"She's more like…me in a way," Hermione said, twisting her fingers in her lap. She recounted the meeting in the library to them, leaving out the part where Draco had confronted her the night of the feast.
"Weird…I hadn't really thought that we'd been ignoring her…I mean, she usually didn't hang out with us, you know?" Ron said sadly, knowing that he'd been neglecting his sister and he shouldn't have.
"I don't want her involved," Harry said flatly.
"Neither do I. She'd be too much of a responsibility. You know how she gets when she's around you, Harry, and she'd probably be all clumsy like that," Ron said. "You have to admit that she's right," Hermione said quietly.
"What do you mean?" Harry and Ron asked together.
"We have been ignoring her and she didn't even notice it. She changed so dramatically that we should have noticed it right off the bat, but we didn't. We're horrible friends to her," Hermione moaned and put her head in her hands. Harry and Ron sat speechless, both staring at each other, none of them knowing what to do.
***
Ginny knocked on the door of the 6th year's dorm. She no longer felt welcome there since she was still a prefect.
"Come in!" Hope called out cheerfully. Ginny opened the door. Hope, Barbara, Wendy, and Linda, the other 6th year girl Gryffindors, were all sitting together, giggling. They immediately stopped when they saw it was Ginny.
"Um, I need to, uh, talk to you Hope," Ginny said quietly, not making eye contact with anyone.
"Sure," Hope said, bouncing up cheerfully and following Ginny up to her room. "What'd you want to talk about?" Hope asked as she sat down in a chair while Ginny laid on the bed.
"I owe you an apology for ignoring you for so long…I want to explain everything." And so, Ginny started to learn to trust again as she told Hope everything, starting with the Chamber of Secrets and ending with Draco.
"No wonder you've been keeping to yourself so much recently. I would too if I was in your position," Hope said gently, handing Ginny a tissue.
"I'm sorry. I really, really need a friend right now and you're the only one I can trust," Ginny said.
"So tell me about Mal- I mean, Draco. What's he really like?" Hope asked eagerly. It had been so long since she'd had a close heart-to-heart talk with Ginny.
"Well, he hates his father," Ginny said slowly, "and he still sleeps with a teddy bear. Its name is Bill, though I don't know why." They both giggled at this point before Ginny continued. "He told me he loved me, then he went off and didn't tell me when he'd be back. I mean, he hasn't even talked to me this year!" Ginny exploded.
"We're only three days into the term. Did you love him, Ginny?" Hope asked.
"I love him, yes, but I don't know if I love him like boyfriend-love, or like best friend who is like a brother-love," Ginny sighed heavily.
"I'm still here for you, Gin," Hope said. They talked for a little bit longer before Ginny fell asleep. Hope slipped quietly out of the room, smiling to herself. Ginny was coming back.
***
Draco sat at his desk, staring at the wall in front of him. He didn't know what to do. Ginny hated him, the Slytherins couldn't care less about him, and his father hated him. The day after he and Ginny had been together, his father had called him home and had home schooled him for the rest of the year. He was supposed to take a loyalty induction to be a Death Eater, but he had refused. His father had attacked him, but he was rescued somehow.
A year ago if you had asked him if he wanted to be a Death Eater he would have replied that he would do anything to please his father. When he became friends with Ginny, she taught him that Muggles were good, and the Dark Lord was bad. He loved her, he really did. He wanted to explain everything to her, but he knew that she wouldn't speak to him. He knew he had to do something, but he didn't know what.
They're obsessed with him. With You-Know-Who
The voice came floating to him. He suddenly realized what he had to do. He had to help defeat Voldemort.
***
Disclaimer: everything belongs to JKR except Hope who belongs to herself. Oh yeah, and the other Gryffindor girls belong to me, I guess.
Author's Note: Ginny has a friend again! Yay! Midnight meetings, changes, and cheerful people coming soon in Chapter four (to a theater near you)