Disclaimer--Still the property of JK Rowling, Steve Kloves, Scholastic and WB...darn it. Also still intended only as flattery...Dialogue concerning V-day is taken from CoS text, but no copyright infrigement is intended, and no profit is being made. Trust me, I have NOTHING, please don't sue.
Author's Notes--
Strawberries and Blueberries--Happy to do what I can. ;-) Glad to see you're still hanging in there with us.
EEDOE--Everyone else seems to take it for granted that Harry doesn't miss his family too much because he deals with it so well (of course, appearances may be deceiving...they may notice and try not to make a big deal of it because Harry wouldn't appreciate being so vulnerable). I think Ginny's ability to see how he might be feeling and willingness to deal with it are traits that make her very special...and that Harry will need very much later in the war with Voldemort. It is too bad she's about to be horribly embarrassed by seeing her plan go awry, but...such is adolescence...*sighs*
Bill--Got it in one. Ginny's smart, she's intuitive, she's competent...but she's only eleven...she's bound to do something stupid once in a while. Actually, it's kind of nice to know that when she does, it's concern for someone else that gets her into trouble, and not selfishness (that stuff Dumbledore is always saying about a person's choices). I think Harry hasn't quite grown into appreciating just how nice Ginny's emotional observations can be...but by OotP, there are some signs (scene in the library anyone?) he's starting to catch on. Harry's got a great heart, and it almost always leads him right...but I think Ginny may end up teaching him a lot about how to use it...(now watch, Ginny will go back to relative obscurity and I'll look silly *rolls eyes* I guess that will teach me to embarrass her this way...)
*********************
Ginny found it nearly impossible to concentrate the rest of the day, wondering if Harry had received her valentine yet and what he thought. On the way to their last class, Tempest critiqued the Transfiguration lesson at length, while Ginny struggled to pay attention.
"Oy, you! Harry Potter!" shouted a surly voice Ginny recognized with a sinking feeling. Beside her, Tempest stood on tiptoe craning her neck in an effort to see what was going on. Ginny's cheeks began to burn. She hadn't noticed before, but Harry was standing almost directly in front of them, and he was no more comfortable than she was at this new development if the look on his face was any indication. The dwarf cleared a path through the gathering crowd of curious students-shouts of pain and indignation as he passed giving rise to curiousity about his methods.
"I've got a musical message to deliver to 'Arry Potter in person," the dwarf announced. His harp made a dangerous noise. Several students edged nervously back.
"In private, you prat," Ginny muttered. "You're supposed to deliver it in private." She didn't dare speak up for fear of aggravating the situation. She was so irritated at the dwarf's stupid mistake, it took her a minute to ask, "Since when is a note musical?" louder than she'd intended.
"How'dya know it's a note?" Tempest asked, eyeing her avidly.
Ginny shrugged, and feigned interest in the dwarf's exchange with Harry.
Harry hissed something, low meaningless sounds reminiscent of his use of Parseltongue at the Dueling Club. Of course, she'd understood that, but she didn't have to be able to make out the words to guess what he was saying this time. "Not here," Ginny mumbled.
"Stay still," the dwarf ordered in a manner that would make a troll proud. Harry ignored him, trying to push past him to freedom, but the dwarf caught him by the bag. Ginny groaned.
"Let me go!" Harry shouted, jerking back with a loud rip. Books thudded against the stones, and his ink bottle joined them in a tinkle and a splash. Ginny would have helped him gather it all up, but having caused his dilemma, she couldn't bring herself to look him in the face. She snorted bitterly, annoyed at her own cowardice, and stayed where she was, stomach aching with sympathy.
"What's going on here?" Malfoy drawled.
"Great," Ginny muttered, rolling her eyes. /Just what we needed./
"What's going on here?" Percy seconded stuffily.
Apparently giving up all hope of dignity, Harry tried to run, only to have the dwarf tackle him. Ginny winced as he hit the floor, hard-it sounded like hurt.
"Right," the dwarf trilled, sounding almost cheerful as he perched on Harry's ankles. "Here's your singing valentine.
His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad,
His hair is as dark as a blackboard.
I wish he were mine, He's really divine,
The hero who conquered the Dark Lord."
Harry struggled to his feet, kicking-Ginny suspected not quite accidentally-at the dwarf several times in the process, and choked out several big, fake laughs without looking at anyone.
Most of the crowd was laughing so hard, they could barely move even with Percy herding them off in various directions. For once, Ginny could have kissed him for his constant interference. "Off you go, off you go, the bell rang five minutes ago, off to class now," stiff with importance, made beautiful music. "And you, Malfoy--" Ginny looked round at the tone in Percy's voice, and froze.
A leering Malfoy held Tom's diary in his hand.
Her diary.
"Give it back, Malfoy," Harry demanded softly, his eyes dangerous, before Ginny had time to question how Malfoy had gotten ahold of it.
"When I've had a look," Malfoy taunted, brandishing his prize. Ginny's stomach knotted a little more tightly with every wave and flourish.
"As a school Prefect--" Percy began to interject, but Harry didn't wait for him to finish. "Expelliarmus!"
The diary catapulted through the air and landed neatly in Ron's grasp as Ginny fought to swallow the bitter taste of bile. Even her heart seemed to be holding its breath.
Her brother had Tom Riddle's diary.
Ginny didn't know whether to be more concerned about what Ron might hear about her from Tom, or about what Tom might end up doing to Ron-what if Tom drove her brother crazy? It would be her fault...Mum would never forgive her...
And it wasn't just Ron...it was-
"Harry!" Percy objected, "no magic in the corridors. I'll have to report this, you know."
She was going to fall down any second. She couldn't stop shaking. She had to get away. She had to think.
Belatedly, Ginny started to join the rest of her class.
"I don't think Potter liked your valentine too much!" Malfoy shouted as she passed.
Wishing for death before madness, Ginny buried her face in her hands.
She had banished that diary to the pits of the school plumbing herself...how had it ended up with Harry and Ron? Were they following her? Did they know? Had Tom talked to them? What had he said? Was he mad? Did he miss her? She missed him...
She would have sat in the classroom all night, her mind chasing itself in increasingly frantic circles, if Tempest had poked her in the shoulder so insistently she nearly fell out of her chair. The others went to dinner, but she went straight to bed and pulled the curtains shut around her, as if locking out the world. She lay there, staring at the waving shadows all around her, almost in a trance, until she had no idea how long she'd been there.
She could hear Fred and George in the Common Room, belting off-key renditions of her ill-judged valentine, pushing her deeper and deeper into her own unthinking shell...a place where she didn't have to feel anything because she felt too much, a place where she didn't have to know what to do because she had no idea...at last, she knew-Ginny Weasley was lost.
Author's Notes--
Strawberries and Blueberries--Happy to do what I can. ;-) Glad to see you're still hanging in there with us.
EEDOE--Everyone else seems to take it for granted that Harry doesn't miss his family too much because he deals with it so well (of course, appearances may be deceiving...they may notice and try not to make a big deal of it because Harry wouldn't appreciate being so vulnerable). I think Ginny's ability to see how he might be feeling and willingness to deal with it are traits that make her very special...and that Harry will need very much later in the war with Voldemort. It is too bad she's about to be horribly embarrassed by seeing her plan go awry, but...such is adolescence...*sighs*
Bill--Got it in one. Ginny's smart, she's intuitive, she's competent...but she's only eleven...she's bound to do something stupid once in a while. Actually, it's kind of nice to know that when she does, it's concern for someone else that gets her into trouble, and not selfishness (that stuff Dumbledore is always saying about a person's choices). I think Harry hasn't quite grown into appreciating just how nice Ginny's emotional observations can be...but by OotP, there are some signs (scene in the library anyone?) he's starting to catch on. Harry's got a great heart, and it almost always leads him right...but I think Ginny may end up teaching him a lot about how to use it...(now watch, Ginny will go back to relative obscurity and I'll look silly *rolls eyes* I guess that will teach me to embarrass her this way...)
*********************
Ginny found it nearly impossible to concentrate the rest of the day, wondering if Harry had received her valentine yet and what he thought. On the way to their last class, Tempest critiqued the Transfiguration lesson at length, while Ginny struggled to pay attention.
"Oy, you! Harry Potter!" shouted a surly voice Ginny recognized with a sinking feeling. Beside her, Tempest stood on tiptoe craning her neck in an effort to see what was going on. Ginny's cheeks began to burn. She hadn't noticed before, but Harry was standing almost directly in front of them, and he was no more comfortable than she was at this new development if the look on his face was any indication. The dwarf cleared a path through the gathering crowd of curious students-shouts of pain and indignation as he passed giving rise to curiousity about his methods.
"I've got a musical message to deliver to 'Arry Potter in person," the dwarf announced. His harp made a dangerous noise. Several students edged nervously back.
"In private, you prat," Ginny muttered. "You're supposed to deliver it in private." She didn't dare speak up for fear of aggravating the situation. She was so irritated at the dwarf's stupid mistake, it took her a minute to ask, "Since when is a note musical?" louder than she'd intended.
"How'dya know it's a note?" Tempest asked, eyeing her avidly.
Ginny shrugged, and feigned interest in the dwarf's exchange with Harry.
Harry hissed something, low meaningless sounds reminiscent of his use of Parseltongue at the Dueling Club. Of course, she'd understood that, but she didn't have to be able to make out the words to guess what he was saying this time. "Not here," Ginny mumbled.
"Stay still," the dwarf ordered in a manner that would make a troll proud. Harry ignored him, trying to push past him to freedom, but the dwarf caught him by the bag. Ginny groaned.
"Let me go!" Harry shouted, jerking back with a loud rip. Books thudded against the stones, and his ink bottle joined them in a tinkle and a splash. Ginny would have helped him gather it all up, but having caused his dilemma, she couldn't bring herself to look him in the face. She snorted bitterly, annoyed at her own cowardice, and stayed where she was, stomach aching with sympathy.
"What's going on here?" Malfoy drawled.
"Great," Ginny muttered, rolling her eyes. /Just what we needed./
"What's going on here?" Percy seconded stuffily.
Apparently giving up all hope of dignity, Harry tried to run, only to have the dwarf tackle him. Ginny winced as he hit the floor, hard-it sounded like hurt.
"Right," the dwarf trilled, sounding almost cheerful as he perched on Harry's ankles. "Here's your singing valentine.
His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad,
His hair is as dark as a blackboard.
I wish he were mine, He's really divine,
The hero who conquered the Dark Lord."
Harry struggled to his feet, kicking-Ginny suspected not quite accidentally-at the dwarf several times in the process, and choked out several big, fake laughs without looking at anyone.
Most of the crowd was laughing so hard, they could barely move even with Percy herding them off in various directions. For once, Ginny could have kissed him for his constant interference. "Off you go, off you go, the bell rang five minutes ago, off to class now," stiff with importance, made beautiful music. "And you, Malfoy--" Ginny looked round at the tone in Percy's voice, and froze.
A leering Malfoy held Tom's diary in his hand.
Her diary.
"Give it back, Malfoy," Harry demanded softly, his eyes dangerous, before Ginny had time to question how Malfoy had gotten ahold of it.
"When I've had a look," Malfoy taunted, brandishing his prize. Ginny's stomach knotted a little more tightly with every wave and flourish.
"As a school Prefect--" Percy began to interject, but Harry didn't wait for him to finish. "Expelliarmus!"
The diary catapulted through the air and landed neatly in Ron's grasp as Ginny fought to swallow the bitter taste of bile. Even her heart seemed to be holding its breath.
Her brother had Tom Riddle's diary.
Ginny didn't know whether to be more concerned about what Ron might hear about her from Tom, or about what Tom might end up doing to Ron-what if Tom drove her brother crazy? It would be her fault...Mum would never forgive her...
And it wasn't just Ron...it was-
"Harry!" Percy objected, "no magic in the corridors. I'll have to report this, you know."
She was going to fall down any second. She couldn't stop shaking. She had to get away. She had to think.
Belatedly, Ginny started to join the rest of her class.
"I don't think Potter liked your valentine too much!" Malfoy shouted as she passed.
Wishing for death before madness, Ginny buried her face in her hands.
She had banished that diary to the pits of the school plumbing herself...how had it ended up with Harry and Ron? Were they following her? Did they know? Had Tom talked to them? What had he said? Was he mad? Did he miss her? She missed him...
She would have sat in the classroom all night, her mind chasing itself in increasingly frantic circles, if Tempest had poked her in the shoulder so insistently she nearly fell out of her chair. The others went to dinner, but she went straight to bed and pulled the curtains shut around her, as if locking out the world. She lay there, staring at the waving shadows all around her, almost in a trance, until she had no idea how long she'd been there.
She could hear Fred and George in the Common Room, belting off-key renditions of her ill-judged valentine, pushing her deeper and deeper into her own unthinking shell...a place where she didn't have to feel anything because she felt too much, a place where she didn't have to know what to do because she had no idea...at last, she knew-Ginny Weasley was lost.
