Chapter Two: The Quarrel
Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all in this story. It all belongs to J. K. Rowling, so don't sue me!
Don't forget to review!
Ginny awoke with a start by the sound of a big bang.
"How many times have I told you, Mary?" raged a high, squeaky voice. "Don't leave your broomstick case where I can run into it!"
"Sorry, Jane," Mary replied.
Ginny sat up in bed. A wide variety of scrolls, quills, schoolbooks, and other things were floating in the air throughout the room. Mary was a forgetful girl who enjoyed casting a Floating Charm on everything she owned. The only problem was that she hadn't figured out how to keep it in one spot yet.
Glancing at her clock, which read 6:03, Ginny climbed out of her warm bed and started to get ready for the day.
When she was finished, she grabbed her book bag and trotted down the stairs to the common room. As she had expected, few people were there, so she went to her corner near the fire, took out her book, and read a while.
~*~
"Wake up Harry, it's quarter past seven!" said Ron.
"Oh great, it's the first day of term, and I'm already sleeping in," moaned Harry. He turned around in bed and decided to go back to sleep.
Ron, however, wouldn't have it. A few seconds later, he threw the covers off of Harry's four-poster. He literally rolled out of bed and onto the floor. Immediately Ron lifted him up and made him get ready (why he was being like this, Harry didn't know).
Twenty minutes later Harry headed down to the common room with Ron. There he found Hermione staring at the fire, obviously having been up for an hour or so already waiting for them.
He also noticed Ginny sitting near the fire in a corner, reading a book. There was something about her – the she looked when she was reading was something Harry had never seen before. She looked so content, and yet she seemed excited to be sitting in one spot for a long period of time. Well, one thing was certain to Harry - she really, really loved to read.
Harry continued looking at her while Ron and Hermione exchanged curious glances.
"Coming, Harry?" asked Ron.
"Uh… yeah. Wait a sec," said Harry. "What about you, Ginny? Are you coming?"
Ginny looked up from her book as if someone had dropped a bucket of ice cold water over her head. "Um, yeah, sure." She put her book away and left with them to the Great Hall.
Warily, Ginny sat at the Gryffindor table next to Ron, instead of at the end. She didn't know what she was thinking, but se did it anyway. Not very hungry, she began to pick at her food. She was about to get her book out until someone sat down next to her. It was so sudden that half the food on her plate fell off and her orange juice spilled all over the table cloth.
"Oh my God. I'm so sorry," said a Scottish voice.
Ginny almost felt like laughing at how worried he sounded. "That's okay," she said. It wasn't like she was going to eat the rest of her food anyway.
"Are you sure?" Seamus asked.
She nodded. Pretending she didn't notice him looking at her, she began to read her book.
"Bacon?" he asked, holding up a plate.
She shook her head.
Five minutes later, he asked, "Watcha reading?"
Ginny showed the cover of the book to him.
He nodded. "Oh, I see. Heard it's good."
She ignored him and continued reading.
As if the constant questions weren't enough, Seamus began to rhythmically tap his fingers on the table. Shortly after, his foot joined in. Ginny felt as if she was going to burst with annoyance.
Suddenly, he stopped. "You don't talk much, do you?"
Resisting the urge to give him a long, murderous glare, she shook her head no.
"I'm sorry," he apologized. "It's just that, well… I'm a talkative, person, and I want to talk, but you're not saying anything, so… I'm just ancy.
She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, shrugged, then turned her attention back to her book.
"Sooo… what's your favorite thing to do?"
Ginny looked pointedly at her book, then at Seamus, and said, "…read."
"Oh, I see. Well, I love to play Quidditch." At this, Ginny almost snorted, because he was the Keeper for the house team. "How 'bout you?"
"I don't like Quidditch."
"Oh my God!" Seamus fell onto the floor and put a hand on his chest.
Dean noticed. "Are you okay, Seamus?"
Parvati looked down. "What is it, Seamus?"
Regaining his composure, Seamus got back to his seat, still breathing hard. Many nearby Ravenclaws were looking worried, too.
"It's just that…" he gasped. "… Ginny… that's the longest strin of words I've ever heard her say."
Dean laughed while Parvati rolled her eyes so far, Ginny was surprised they hadn't rolled back into her head and stayed there. The Ravenclaws seemed to have lost interest.
She looked at him and grinned, and he beamed back.
"Don't scare me like that again, Ginny, or I might have to go see Madame Pomfrey."
~*~
Ginny's first class of the day was Transfiguration, which, to her, was a bore. She usually read during this class, and was never caught, because she was so good at trying not to be noticed. Besides, she was good enough in this class anyways, and already knew half of what McGonagall was teaching.
"Miss Weasley," said the professor sternly.
Ginny looked up from her book, frightened.
"Put your book away. It's already a half hour into the class, and I hope you're taking notes. Two points from Gryffindor, " said McGonagall. It was a strict, but kind order, and Ginny was no longer scared.
"Sorry, Proffesor. It won't happen again," she said quietly. She put her book away, brought out a scroll of parchment, and began to jot down notes.
Smiling to herself, McGonagall continued on with the lesson. "AS I was saying, the smaller the object, the harder it is to Transfigure. I will hand each of you a small bag of marbles, which you are to turn into grapes. Higher marks should be awarded to the student by the change of color and the softness of the grape. I would like you to work in partners, grade each other's results, and tell me your score. I beg of you to be honest ad fair, because, mark my words, if you aren't your grade in this class will be affected."
As usual, Ginny sat in her seat and waited for Colin Creevey to ask her to be his partner. He always did, every year, which, you might imagine, would be quite a nuisance.
"Hey, Gin. Mind if I'm your partner?"
"Not at all," she answered. She loathed the nickname "Gin".
"Hmmm, looks like you better copy down the formulas on the board, Gin, or else you can't do the spell."
She nodded and began to write down the formulas on the chalkboard. Professor McGonagall walked by and dropped two bags of marbles on their table.
"Lovely book, Ginny. I've read it myself." McGonagall whispered.
Ginny smiled. She loved how the professor could be so stern and strict, but still gave out a warmness so that no one would hate her (save the Slytherins).
McGonagall winked and walked away.
Ginny finished copying the notes and brought out her wand. With a few swished, the marbles became a sprig of grapes you've ever seen.
Colin plucked one off and popped it into his mouth. "Mmmmmmm. Best grapes I've ever had. Full marks."
Ginny smiled and put down her wand to watch Colin do the spell.
Squinting his eyes and starting to sweat from excessive concentration, he held his wand steadily, swished a few times, and watched for the result.
Ginny picked up a grape and squeezed it. Little juice came out, and she couldn't squish it entirely. "Very good, Colin," said Ginny.
Colin grinned as if he was just told he won a million Galleons.
~*~
Dear Journal,
Back at Hogwarts. Things are pretty much the same as they are every year; waking up to Jane throwing daggers at Mary in the morning and whatnot.
I know that I don't have any friends, journal, unless you count Hermione, but there is one boy who seems nice, oddly enough.
Also, Harry has been giving me a tad bit more attention than he usually does. I find it rather startling sometimes.
Well, that's all. Later.
P.S. You don't have a brain, do you? Good. Can't be too sure.
Luckily, no one had approached Ginny as she was writing. Frankly, she didn't think anyone would. AS long as she was in her corner, no one would care to notice if she was balancing a spoon on her nose. She put her journal away and started on her Transfiguration homework.
Nearby, Harry was stuck on Herbology.
"How the hell does she expect us to know about Bundimuns?" he asked Hermione.
She rolled her eyes. "How many times have I told you? It's in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them!"
"I don't believe you," said Ron. "This is Herbology. We're looking up plants, not beasts."
"But Bundimun is a beast," said Hermione, leafing through the pages of her book for the answer.
"Then why does she even BOTHER?" Ron yelled. A few people in the common room turned heads.
Harry cringed. He knew this might get ugly. Lately, his best friends tensions were high, but he didn't know why.
Enraged, Hermione slammed the book on the table with a bang, violently pointed her finger on a page, and gave Ron a look that clearly stated: go to hell.
He picked up the book and read aloud:
"'The Bundimun at rest resembles a patch of greenish fungus with eyes, though when alarmed it will scuttle away on its numerous spindly legs.' So what?"
"Keep reading," she hissed. The look on her face seemed that she would like to add "you filthy maggot."
"'It feeds on dirt,'" Harry read when Ron had refused to do so. "Oh. That's why." He wanted to add a witty remark but decided that now was not a good time. So, instead, he jotted the answer down with his quill.
Ron muttered something under his breath, which made her head snap in his direction.
"What did you say?" she flared. "You better hope that was something you won't regret, Ronald Weasley."
Fed up with the bickering, Harry left the argument, which continued, but only a lot quieter. He looked around the room for people he could talk to. Dean was drawing something, and he looked like he didn't want to be disturbed. Fred, George, and Lee were laughing near the fire, but he didn't want to move because of the massive amount of stunts they had been pulling lately. Seamus was sleeping in a large armchair, and Ginny was in a corner doing homework.
"'Lo, Ginny," Harry said as eh sat down next to her. He knew he was breaking an unwritten law, but that didn't matter to him.
Ginny turned scarlet within two seconds. It had to be a record. Face still turned towards her homework, she was stupid enough to forget that she had to answer his question.
"Ah, Transfiguration, I see," he looked over her shoulder. "Need any help?"
She shook her head. At least her wasn't as annoying as Seamus.
"Did you hear that fight?" asked Harry.
Regretfully, Ginny turned around so he could see her face. There was no point in hiding anymore, she had just finished her homework.
She nodded. Just because she totally blanke out while she was reading didn't mean she was enthralled in her homework. Besides, students in the Hufflepuff Tower probably heard the fight as well.
"I don't know what's gotten into them lately… Imean, they haven't even fought this bad before… and, well… I feel different, too. Like I'm really distant…" he now seemed to be interested in the window, lost in his thoughts.
Ginny cleared her throat.
Harry jumped. "Oh. I'm sorry, I'm probably not making any sense, am I?"
All Ginny could do was smile and shrug.
"What about One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi? Why not look in THERE?" boomed Ron.
"It's not an herb or a fungus, Ron, but I think that's besides the point…"
"What IS it, then?" said Ron in exasperation.
But Hermione couldn't take it anymore. She burst into tears, grabbed her books, and ran up to the girls' dormitories. Ron plopped into the armchair next to Seamus, who was now awake, his mouth wide open.
"See what I mean?" said Harry. "I don't know what's happening, but it's not good."
Ginny suddenly felt horrible; she didn't know what to say. After all, she wasn't used to this sort of thing.
Harry sighed. "Well, I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow."
Ginny watched him leave and looked at the clock. It was only seven- thirty.
Before going to bed herself, she wrote another entry.
Journal,
Things are getting weirder. Ron and Hermione are fighting brutally; Harry had a one-sided conversation with me. What is going on? Whatever it is, I want nothing to do with it. Later.
Holy cricket! Seven pages! I think that's the longest chapter I've ever written for any of my fics! Okay, then, don't forget to review!
P.S. Read Erin Potter's and A13TAT's stories, too. They're great! No, those pen names aren't me, I just want you to read them. (
Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all in this story. It all belongs to J. K. Rowling, so don't sue me!
Don't forget to review!
Ginny awoke with a start by the sound of a big bang.
"How many times have I told you, Mary?" raged a high, squeaky voice. "Don't leave your broomstick case where I can run into it!"
"Sorry, Jane," Mary replied.
Ginny sat up in bed. A wide variety of scrolls, quills, schoolbooks, and other things were floating in the air throughout the room. Mary was a forgetful girl who enjoyed casting a Floating Charm on everything she owned. The only problem was that she hadn't figured out how to keep it in one spot yet.
Glancing at her clock, which read 6:03, Ginny climbed out of her warm bed and started to get ready for the day.
When she was finished, she grabbed her book bag and trotted down the stairs to the common room. As she had expected, few people were there, so she went to her corner near the fire, took out her book, and read a while.
~*~
"Wake up Harry, it's quarter past seven!" said Ron.
"Oh great, it's the first day of term, and I'm already sleeping in," moaned Harry. He turned around in bed and decided to go back to sleep.
Ron, however, wouldn't have it. A few seconds later, he threw the covers off of Harry's four-poster. He literally rolled out of bed and onto the floor. Immediately Ron lifted him up and made him get ready (why he was being like this, Harry didn't know).
Twenty minutes later Harry headed down to the common room with Ron. There he found Hermione staring at the fire, obviously having been up for an hour or so already waiting for them.
He also noticed Ginny sitting near the fire in a corner, reading a book. There was something about her – the she looked when she was reading was something Harry had never seen before. She looked so content, and yet she seemed excited to be sitting in one spot for a long period of time. Well, one thing was certain to Harry - she really, really loved to read.
Harry continued looking at her while Ron and Hermione exchanged curious glances.
"Coming, Harry?" asked Ron.
"Uh… yeah. Wait a sec," said Harry. "What about you, Ginny? Are you coming?"
Ginny looked up from her book as if someone had dropped a bucket of ice cold water over her head. "Um, yeah, sure." She put her book away and left with them to the Great Hall.
Warily, Ginny sat at the Gryffindor table next to Ron, instead of at the end. She didn't know what she was thinking, but se did it anyway. Not very hungry, she began to pick at her food. She was about to get her book out until someone sat down next to her. It was so sudden that half the food on her plate fell off and her orange juice spilled all over the table cloth.
"Oh my God. I'm so sorry," said a Scottish voice.
Ginny almost felt like laughing at how worried he sounded. "That's okay," she said. It wasn't like she was going to eat the rest of her food anyway.
"Are you sure?" Seamus asked.
She nodded. Pretending she didn't notice him looking at her, she began to read her book.
"Bacon?" he asked, holding up a plate.
She shook her head.
Five minutes later, he asked, "Watcha reading?"
Ginny showed the cover of the book to him.
He nodded. "Oh, I see. Heard it's good."
She ignored him and continued reading.
As if the constant questions weren't enough, Seamus began to rhythmically tap his fingers on the table. Shortly after, his foot joined in. Ginny felt as if she was going to burst with annoyance.
Suddenly, he stopped. "You don't talk much, do you?"
Resisting the urge to give him a long, murderous glare, she shook her head no.
"I'm sorry," he apologized. "It's just that, well… I'm a talkative, person, and I want to talk, but you're not saying anything, so… I'm just ancy.
She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, shrugged, then turned her attention back to her book.
"Sooo… what's your favorite thing to do?"
Ginny looked pointedly at her book, then at Seamus, and said, "…read."
"Oh, I see. Well, I love to play Quidditch." At this, Ginny almost snorted, because he was the Keeper for the house team. "How 'bout you?"
"I don't like Quidditch."
"Oh my God!" Seamus fell onto the floor and put a hand on his chest.
Dean noticed. "Are you okay, Seamus?"
Parvati looked down. "What is it, Seamus?"
Regaining his composure, Seamus got back to his seat, still breathing hard. Many nearby Ravenclaws were looking worried, too.
"It's just that…" he gasped. "… Ginny… that's the longest strin of words I've ever heard her say."
Dean laughed while Parvati rolled her eyes so far, Ginny was surprised they hadn't rolled back into her head and stayed there. The Ravenclaws seemed to have lost interest.
She looked at him and grinned, and he beamed back.
"Don't scare me like that again, Ginny, or I might have to go see Madame Pomfrey."
~*~
Ginny's first class of the day was Transfiguration, which, to her, was a bore. She usually read during this class, and was never caught, because she was so good at trying not to be noticed. Besides, she was good enough in this class anyways, and already knew half of what McGonagall was teaching.
"Miss Weasley," said the professor sternly.
Ginny looked up from her book, frightened.
"Put your book away. It's already a half hour into the class, and I hope you're taking notes. Two points from Gryffindor, " said McGonagall. It was a strict, but kind order, and Ginny was no longer scared.
"Sorry, Proffesor. It won't happen again," she said quietly. She put her book away, brought out a scroll of parchment, and began to jot down notes.
Smiling to herself, McGonagall continued on with the lesson. "AS I was saying, the smaller the object, the harder it is to Transfigure. I will hand each of you a small bag of marbles, which you are to turn into grapes. Higher marks should be awarded to the student by the change of color and the softness of the grape. I would like you to work in partners, grade each other's results, and tell me your score. I beg of you to be honest ad fair, because, mark my words, if you aren't your grade in this class will be affected."
As usual, Ginny sat in her seat and waited for Colin Creevey to ask her to be his partner. He always did, every year, which, you might imagine, would be quite a nuisance.
"Hey, Gin. Mind if I'm your partner?"
"Not at all," she answered. She loathed the nickname "Gin".
"Hmmm, looks like you better copy down the formulas on the board, Gin, or else you can't do the spell."
She nodded and began to write down the formulas on the chalkboard. Professor McGonagall walked by and dropped two bags of marbles on their table.
"Lovely book, Ginny. I've read it myself." McGonagall whispered.
Ginny smiled. She loved how the professor could be so stern and strict, but still gave out a warmness so that no one would hate her (save the Slytherins).
McGonagall winked and walked away.
Ginny finished copying the notes and brought out her wand. With a few swished, the marbles became a sprig of grapes you've ever seen.
Colin plucked one off and popped it into his mouth. "Mmmmmmm. Best grapes I've ever had. Full marks."
Ginny smiled and put down her wand to watch Colin do the spell.
Squinting his eyes and starting to sweat from excessive concentration, he held his wand steadily, swished a few times, and watched for the result.
Ginny picked up a grape and squeezed it. Little juice came out, and she couldn't squish it entirely. "Very good, Colin," said Ginny.
Colin grinned as if he was just told he won a million Galleons.
~*~
Dear Journal,
Back at Hogwarts. Things are pretty much the same as they are every year; waking up to Jane throwing daggers at Mary in the morning and whatnot.
I know that I don't have any friends, journal, unless you count Hermione, but there is one boy who seems nice, oddly enough.
Also, Harry has been giving me a tad bit more attention than he usually does. I find it rather startling sometimes.
Well, that's all. Later.
P.S. You don't have a brain, do you? Good. Can't be too sure.
Luckily, no one had approached Ginny as she was writing. Frankly, she didn't think anyone would. AS long as she was in her corner, no one would care to notice if she was balancing a spoon on her nose. She put her journal away and started on her Transfiguration homework.
Nearby, Harry was stuck on Herbology.
"How the hell does she expect us to know about Bundimuns?" he asked Hermione.
She rolled her eyes. "How many times have I told you? It's in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them!"
"I don't believe you," said Ron. "This is Herbology. We're looking up plants, not beasts."
"But Bundimun is a beast," said Hermione, leafing through the pages of her book for the answer.
"Then why does she even BOTHER?" Ron yelled. A few people in the common room turned heads.
Harry cringed. He knew this might get ugly. Lately, his best friends tensions were high, but he didn't know why.
Enraged, Hermione slammed the book on the table with a bang, violently pointed her finger on a page, and gave Ron a look that clearly stated: go to hell.
He picked up the book and read aloud:
"'The Bundimun at rest resembles a patch of greenish fungus with eyes, though when alarmed it will scuttle away on its numerous spindly legs.' So what?"
"Keep reading," she hissed. The look on her face seemed that she would like to add "you filthy maggot."
"'It feeds on dirt,'" Harry read when Ron had refused to do so. "Oh. That's why." He wanted to add a witty remark but decided that now was not a good time. So, instead, he jotted the answer down with his quill.
Ron muttered something under his breath, which made her head snap in his direction.
"What did you say?" she flared. "You better hope that was something you won't regret, Ronald Weasley."
Fed up with the bickering, Harry left the argument, which continued, but only a lot quieter. He looked around the room for people he could talk to. Dean was drawing something, and he looked like he didn't want to be disturbed. Fred, George, and Lee were laughing near the fire, but he didn't want to move because of the massive amount of stunts they had been pulling lately. Seamus was sleeping in a large armchair, and Ginny was in a corner doing homework.
"'Lo, Ginny," Harry said as eh sat down next to her. He knew he was breaking an unwritten law, but that didn't matter to him.
Ginny turned scarlet within two seconds. It had to be a record. Face still turned towards her homework, she was stupid enough to forget that she had to answer his question.
"Ah, Transfiguration, I see," he looked over her shoulder. "Need any help?"
She shook her head. At least her wasn't as annoying as Seamus.
"Did you hear that fight?" asked Harry.
Regretfully, Ginny turned around so he could see her face. There was no point in hiding anymore, she had just finished her homework.
She nodded. Just because she totally blanke out while she was reading didn't mean she was enthralled in her homework. Besides, students in the Hufflepuff Tower probably heard the fight as well.
"I don't know what's gotten into them lately… Imean, they haven't even fought this bad before… and, well… I feel different, too. Like I'm really distant…" he now seemed to be interested in the window, lost in his thoughts.
Ginny cleared her throat.
Harry jumped. "Oh. I'm sorry, I'm probably not making any sense, am I?"
All Ginny could do was smile and shrug.
"What about One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi? Why not look in THERE?" boomed Ron.
"It's not an herb or a fungus, Ron, but I think that's besides the point…"
"What IS it, then?" said Ron in exasperation.
But Hermione couldn't take it anymore. She burst into tears, grabbed her books, and ran up to the girls' dormitories. Ron plopped into the armchair next to Seamus, who was now awake, his mouth wide open.
"See what I mean?" said Harry. "I don't know what's happening, but it's not good."
Ginny suddenly felt horrible; she didn't know what to say. After all, she wasn't used to this sort of thing.
Harry sighed. "Well, I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow."
Ginny watched him leave and looked at the clock. It was only seven- thirty.
Before going to bed herself, she wrote another entry.
Journal,
Things are getting weirder. Ron and Hermione are fighting brutally; Harry had a one-sided conversation with me. What is going on? Whatever it is, I want nothing to do with it. Later.
Holy cricket! Seven pages! I think that's the longest chapter I've ever written for any of my fics! Okay, then, don't forget to review!
P.S. Read Erin Potter's and A13TAT's stories, too. They're great! No, those pen names aren't me, I just want you to read them. (
