Disclaimer--Much as I wish it did, nothing here belongs to me.
Author's Notes--
Strawberries and Blueberries--Enjoy! :-)
Pauline--I've never been toasted before! Thanks! :-D Thinking someone actually enjoyed my story enough to read it again is making me a bit giddy! Cheers! *winks and waves*
EEDOE--Aren't boys great? THEY know what's important. *winks* I don't know that the anything I write is too terribly profound, but thanks for the thought! *grins* Ron's so cute...constantly obsessing over Hermione and not even noticing, isn't he? *hugs*
Bill--Thinking about what I've written so far, it looks bad for Ginny and that stress-free week...still, we know she wouldn't change it, really. *winks* Ron's attitude on the train in POA bothered me, too, but...he is only a kid...*sighs and shrugs* It is ironic that Ginny is right to mistrust Scabbers, and even more darkly ironic she doesn't even know it. Ginny's train of thought was deliberate, so I'm glad you noticed...after all, not being under Tom's direct influence doesn't mean she didn't learn anything from her friendship with him...and I do think it might be useful to her. I'd LOVE to write a book, and you make it sound so EASY--too bad I have to have a nice, detailed plot first...*sighs* *hugs*
**************
Diagon Alley was comfortably familiar as a pair of broken-in old shoes...but, returning from Egypt, it felt alien and exotic as well. Ginny wasn't sure if she liked or hated the feeling. Four rooms were waiting for them at the Leaky Cauldron-somewhere Ginny and her brothers had never been in spite of their many trips to Diagon Alley-one for Mum and Dad, one for Ron and Percy, one for the twins, and one for Ginny to share with Ron and Harry's friend Hermione. Ginny investigated hers, actually prowling around it, pacing nervously.
Hermione, like Ginny, like Harry, had nearly been killed because of Ginny's involvement with Tom Riddle's diary the year before. Hermione had made a point of telling Ginny she didn't blame her... "She's had a whole summer to change her mind," Ginny muttered aloud, and immediately wished she hadn't. /How do you face someone you nearly killed? Does it ever get any easier?/ Somehow, Ginny doubted it. And if facing someone you'd nearly killed who knew and forgave you was bad ...facing someone you couldn't tell was bound to be worse...
All summer, Ginny had avoided thinking about this moment...and now it was here and she had no idea what to do...
"Hey, Ginny!" Hermione bounded into the room, followed by a widely-grinning Ron wrestling an unwieldly trunk. "How was your summer?"
Ginny struggled to form words around the swelling lump of nausea in her throat. "Egypt was...incredible. I still can't believe we were there. I was there."
"I know what you mean," Hermione said, apparently not noticing Ginny's discomfort. "France was like an entirely different world. I didn't get to see much of the magical community, but I did learn enough to add a bit to my essay for Professor Binns, and it was nice to share the experience with my parents-they hardly ever get to relax, it's very responsible work, being a dentist."
As Ginny began to take all this in, one fact was becoming obvious-Hermione hadn't changed her mind. In fact, listening to her was disconcertingly as if the year before had never even happened.
Maybe she should have felt grateful for the reprieve but instead she felt almost insulted. How can something so monumental, so life-altering, just disappear?
"Man, Hermione," Ron groaned, letting the trunk go with a resounding bang, "what do you have in here-a giant troll?"
Hermione sniffed. "The same thing you have in your trunk, Ronald Weasley. Clothes and school supplies."
"That's it?" Ron asked, disbelieving.
"Well...except for a few extra books I brought along for reference," Hermione said as if this were so typical it shouldn't have to be explained.
Ginny felt her internal conflict ease as she receded back into the sidelines where she was beginning to feel most comfortable. /Maybe the way to deal with being part of a life-changing event for someone else is to pretend it doesn't exist, and neither do you.../
"Which reminds me," Hermione said crisply, walking over and throwing open the trunk. She rummaged around for a few seconds, and pulled out a thick tome with a satisfied grunt. "I've promised myself I'll never again leave home without it-"Hogwarts: a History". Still interested in borrowing it?"
Or not...Ginny frowned in thought.
"Oh," Hermione said, sounding a little hurt, "If you'd rather not--"
"No!" Ginny said quickly, reaching out to take the book. "I'm just...surprised you remembered."
Hermione beamed.
"Hermione never forgets anything," Ron said, sounding almost disgusted.
Ginny snickered in spite of herself.
"Where's Harry?" Hermione asked after a few moments during which her mental debate over whether or not to let the remark go was fully visible.
Ron shrugged. "Dunno. Haven't seen him yet...wandering the alley, I s'pose."
There was an awkward pause.
"Ron! Ginny!" Mum called from down the hall. "We best get started if we're going to finish your shopping for school."
They all went to Flourish and Blott's together to buy books for school. Ginny was pleased to find that while it was anything but quiet with the large display of fighting green books in the window, it was considerably less crowded without Gilderoy Lockhart signing books. She wandered the bookstacks with Hermione, investigating such books as "Arcane Arcanum", "Ten Days to More Effective Charms", "Completely Useless Hexes", and "Death Omens: What to Do When You Know the Worst is Coming". Ginny knew the huge black dog on the cover was a Grim-the very thought of it ought to frighten her...but it didn't.
She actually thought the dog looked rather protective...or maybe, having nearly died, she didn't see much in death left to frighten her. She wasn't sure she really wanted to think about that...especially as she knew what Mum would say if she ever heard such an idea had occurred to her daughter...Ginny sighed.
Ginny had scarcely grown at all, but her brothers-especially Ron-had made up for it. She and Hermione tagged along after them to the used clothing store to browse aimlessly among the dress robes as they bought new school clothes. To Ginny's surprise, they had similar taste, and actually enjoyed picking out the prettiest outfits...as well as they ones they would never-on pain of death-be willing to wear.
She was starting to feel more herself and less what she had done around Hermione...starting to remember when she wished she could get to know the friendly-looking brunette her brother spoke of so often and so highly...She greeted the development with a mixture of uneasy alarm and happy relief, and tried not to think about, as not thinking seemed to make it easier.
Author's Notes--
Strawberries and Blueberries--Enjoy! :-)
Pauline--I've never been toasted before! Thanks! :-D Thinking someone actually enjoyed my story enough to read it again is making me a bit giddy! Cheers! *winks and waves*
EEDOE--Aren't boys great? THEY know what's important. *winks* I don't know that the anything I write is too terribly profound, but thanks for the thought! *grins* Ron's so cute...constantly obsessing over Hermione and not even noticing, isn't he? *hugs*
Bill--Thinking about what I've written so far, it looks bad for Ginny and that stress-free week...still, we know she wouldn't change it, really. *winks* Ron's attitude on the train in POA bothered me, too, but...he is only a kid...*sighs and shrugs* It is ironic that Ginny is right to mistrust Scabbers, and even more darkly ironic she doesn't even know it. Ginny's train of thought was deliberate, so I'm glad you noticed...after all, not being under Tom's direct influence doesn't mean she didn't learn anything from her friendship with him...and I do think it might be useful to her. I'd LOVE to write a book, and you make it sound so EASY--too bad I have to have a nice, detailed plot first...*sighs* *hugs*
**************
Diagon Alley was comfortably familiar as a pair of broken-in old shoes...but, returning from Egypt, it felt alien and exotic as well. Ginny wasn't sure if she liked or hated the feeling. Four rooms were waiting for them at the Leaky Cauldron-somewhere Ginny and her brothers had never been in spite of their many trips to Diagon Alley-one for Mum and Dad, one for Ron and Percy, one for the twins, and one for Ginny to share with Ron and Harry's friend Hermione. Ginny investigated hers, actually prowling around it, pacing nervously.
Hermione, like Ginny, like Harry, had nearly been killed because of Ginny's involvement with Tom Riddle's diary the year before. Hermione had made a point of telling Ginny she didn't blame her... "She's had a whole summer to change her mind," Ginny muttered aloud, and immediately wished she hadn't. /How do you face someone you nearly killed? Does it ever get any easier?/ Somehow, Ginny doubted it. And if facing someone you'd nearly killed who knew and forgave you was bad ...facing someone you couldn't tell was bound to be worse...
All summer, Ginny had avoided thinking about this moment...and now it was here and she had no idea what to do...
"Hey, Ginny!" Hermione bounded into the room, followed by a widely-grinning Ron wrestling an unwieldly trunk. "How was your summer?"
Ginny struggled to form words around the swelling lump of nausea in her throat. "Egypt was...incredible. I still can't believe we were there. I was there."
"I know what you mean," Hermione said, apparently not noticing Ginny's discomfort. "France was like an entirely different world. I didn't get to see much of the magical community, but I did learn enough to add a bit to my essay for Professor Binns, and it was nice to share the experience with my parents-they hardly ever get to relax, it's very responsible work, being a dentist."
As Ginny began to take all this in, one fact was becoming obvious-Hermione hadn't changed her mind. In fact, listening to her was disconcertingly as if the year before had never even happened.
Maybe she should have felt grateful for the reprieve but instead she felt almost insulted. How can something so monumental, so life-altering, just disappear?
"Man, Hermione," Ron groaned, letting the trunk go with a resounding bang, "what do you have in here-a giant troll?"
Hermione sniffed. "The same thing you have in your trunk, Ronald Weasley. Clothes and school supplies."
"That's it?" Ron asked, disbelieving.
"Well...except for a few extra books I brought along for reference," Hermione said as if this were so typical it shouldn't have to be explained.
Ginny felt her internal conflict ease as she receded back into the sidelines where she was beginning to feel most comfortable. /Maybe the way to deal with being part of a life-changing event for someone else is to pretend it doesn't exist, and neither do you.../
"Which reminds me," Hermione said crisply, walking over and throwing open the trunk. She rummaged around for a few seconds, and pulled out a thick tome with a satisfied grunt. "I've promised myself I'll never again leave home without it-"Hogwarts: a History". Still interested in borrowing it?"
Or not...Ginny frowned in thought.
"Oh," Hermione said, sounding a little hurt, "If you'd rather not--"
"No!" Ginny said quickly, reaching out to take the book. "I'm just...surprised you remembered."
Hermione beamed.
"Hermione never forgets anything," Ron said, sounding almost disgusted.
Ginny snickered in spite of herself.
"Where's Harry?" Hermione asked after a few moments during which her mental debate over whether or not to let the remark go was fully visible.
Ron shrugged. "Dunno. Haven't seen him yet...wandering the alley, I s'pose."
There was an awkward pause.
"Ron! Ginny!" Mum called from down the hall. "We best get started if we're going to finish your shopping for school."
They all went to Flourish and Blott's together to buy books for school. Ginny was pleased to find that while it was anything but quiet with the large display of fighting green books in the window, it was considerably less crowded without Gilderoy Lockhart signing books. She wandered the bookstacks with Hermione, investigating such books as "Arcane Arcanum", "Ten Days to More Effective Charms", "Completely Useless Hexes", and "Death Omens: What to Do When You Know the Worst is Coming". Ginny knew the huge black dog on the cover was a Grim-the very thought of it ought to frighten her...but it didn't.
She actually thought the dog looked rather protective...or maybe, having nearly died, she didn't see much in death left to frighten her. She wasn't sure she really wanted to think about that...especially as she knew what Mum would say if she ever heard such an idea had occurred to her daughter...Ginny sighed.
Ginny had scarcely grown at all, but her brothers-especially Ron-had made up for it. She and Hermione tagged along after them to the used clothing store to browse aimlessly among the dress robes as they bought new school clothes. To Ginny's surprise, they had similar taste, and actually enjoyed picking out the prettiest outfits...as well as they ones they would never-on pain of death-be willing to wear.
She was starting to feel more herself and less what she had done around Hermione...starting to remember when she wished she could get to know the friendly-looking brunette her brother spoke of so often and so highly...She greeted the development with a mixture of uneasy alarm and happy relief, and tried not to think about, as not thinking seemed to make it easier.