Disclaimer--Nothing here belongs to me. Most of this scene is from PoA and belongs to JKR, who is a MUCH more accomplished writer than me. They're for the love of the craft and intended only as flattery.
Author's Notes--
EEDOE--Wow--major points to you for being so patient!! Maybe I should take some lessons! *hugs* Maybe Hermione and Luna aren't as different as they appear at first...*muses* One thing I miss about being that age is definitely the excitability--although you have a point about being that excited even now...a Firebolt is a pretty awesome thing! I'm glad you liked my little explanation for why Hermione was in the common room *winks* I liked the banter between Ginny and Lee, too. *grins* Exactly--men and their toys! Yup...I saw much the same thing when George said that line...*hugs*
Bill--I hadn't really thought about Bill's look...but the makeover is definitely a fun idea. *winks* I've had trouble maintaining sympathy with Harry and Ron as well...but, as you say, perhaps it was needed to give Ginny a realistic view of them, just as Hermione received one their first year...*hugs*
**************
It didn't take long for things to progress from worse to worse yet.
Ginny woke from a late afternoon nap to the faint sound of shouting coming from the direction of the Common Room. Swearing, she tried to straighten her hopelessly rumpled uniform. By the time she thrust her arms back through the slightly tattered sleeves of her soft-worn, she was running.
"-Obvious, Hermione!" Ron was bellowing. "But you've never taken that-that-that cat's attempts to eat Scabbers seriously-he's been trying ever since he nearly beheaded me in the Magical Menagerie, but you just let him wander about wherever he pleased, with nary a thought for what he might be doing--"
"Honestly, Ron!" Hermione's shout was much more of a wail. "What was I supposed to do? I couldn't just keep him cooped up-it's cruel! He's a cat...he's supposed to wander! And it's not as if you have any proof, is it? For all you know, Scabbers is just sulking somewhere under a bed or something!"
"What? Are you blind? I found that cat's hair on the floor!"
"Those don't prove anything-they could have been there since Christmas! You're just blaming Crookshanks because he jumped on you!"
"ARRGH!" Ron retorted intelligently. "You're...just...I can't...Harry?"
Standing off to the side, Harry looked taken aback at Ron's sudden appeal for his support. Ginny wondered if anyone else thought he looked as though Ron and Hermione had actually taken ahold of either side of him and pulled him tight enough to bounce a knut off of.
"Don't say anything," she said almost silently, willing him to show a little sense.
"I...well..."
"Well?" Hermione said a bit dangerously, turning on Harry. "Let's hear it-what do you think, Harry?"
"Well...there isn't really any proof..." Harry began. Hermione harrumphed, flashing Ron a triumphant look. "But..." Harry continued. "Crookshanks has been after Scabbers from the start--" Ron made a face at Hermione. "And-with the blood on the sheets and Scabbers missing-it really does look like Crookshanks ate him," he finished with an apologetic look in Hermione's direction.
Ginny saw it and was touched, as Hermione might be later...when she wasn't so distraught...but now, already hurting, in the middle of a fight with her pride at stake, of course, she couldn't see...
"Okay, side with Ron!" she shrilled, her voice so high Ginny and Harry both winced. "First the Firebolt, and now Scabbers, everything's my fault, isn't it! Just leave me alone, Harry, I've got a lot of work to do!" She gestured almost violently at the books and papers still spread across the long, low table in front of her.
"C'mon, Ron," Fred interjected from the front of the crowd that was beginning to gather. "You were always saying how boring Scabbers was. And he's been off-color for ages, he was wasting away. It was probably better for him to snuff it quickly-one swallow-he probably didn't feel a thing."
"Fred!" Ginny knew he'd been hoping to smooth things over, but treating Scabbers loss so callously-even if you secretly considered a bit of a blessing-wasn't exactly likely to soothe Ron's feelings.
"All he did was eat and sleep, Ron, you said it yourself." George said, exacerbating the problem.
"He bit Goyle for us once!" Ron retorted. "Remember Harry?"
"Yeah," Harry admitted, with a glance at Hermione, who had subsided to the floor behind the table to alternately scratch at her papers and sniffle. "That's true."
"His finest hour," Fred said-and to his credit, he tried to be serious. "Let the scar of Goyle's finger stand as lasting tribute to his memory." Apparently he was beginning to catch on to what Ginny had already decided-if he was trying to make peace, excessive sympathy was probably the most expedient route. "Oh, come on, Ron. Get yourself down to Hogsmeade and buy a new rat, what's the point of moaning?"
Maybe not. Ginny rolled her eyes in exasperation.
Harry's eyes met hers across the room almost like a sigh.
"Uh...Ron...I've got Practice...why don't you come with me?"
"Thanks, Harry, but I'm not sure I really feel like doing anything, you understand?"
"Course. But you might have fun if you come-you could have a go on the Firebolt when we're done."
"Great!" Ron said, momentarily distracted. Ginny's quelling look was barely fast enough to stop Hermione's irritated snort. Lips thinning, Hermione jabbed her quill viciously across her parchment. Luckily the sound was muffled by Ron's voice. "Can I try and shoot a few goals on it?"
"Why not?" Harry shrugged.
Ginny waited until the Portrait Hole swung shut behind them, and snatched the quill from her hand. "No more studying."
"But--" Hermione gasped, reaching for the quill.
"You need a break," Ginny said in a tone that made it clear it wasn't up for discussion. "And we're going to see Hagrid."
"I don't...but we do need to coach him on Buckbeak's defense...but maybe you could...and--"
Hermione broke off when she realized they were halfway down the first staircase.
In no time at all, Ginny was making tea while Hermione told everything to a very sympathetic Hagrid, and after an intensive discussion on the best way to present Buckbeak's case to the Committee for the Disposal of Magical Creatures, Hermione looked almost calm. Ginny could only hope the improvement would last...
Author's Notes--
EEDOE--Wow--major points to you for being so patient!! Maybe I should take some lessons! *hugs* Maybe Hermione and Luna aren't as different as they appear at first...*muses* One thing I miss about being that age is definitely the excitability--although you have a point about being that excited even now...a Firebolt is a pretty awesome thing! I'm glad you liked my little explanation for why Hermione was in the common room *winks* I liked the banter between Ginny and Lee, too. *grins* Exactly--men and their toys! Yup...I saw much the same thing when George said that line...*hugs*
Bill--I hadn't really thought about Bill's look...but the makeover is definitely a fun idea. *winks* I've had trouble maintaining sympathy with Harry and Ron as well...but, as you say, perhaps it was needed to give Ginny a realistic view of them, just as Hermione received one their first year...*hugs*
**************
It didn't take long for things to progress from worse to worse yet.
Ginny woke from a late afternoon nap to the faint sound of shouting coming from the direction of the Common Room. Swearing, she tried to straighten her hopelessly rumpled uniform. By the time she thrust her arms back through the slightly tattered sleeves of her soft-worn, she was running.
"-Obvious, Hermione!" Ron was bellowing. "But you've never taken that-that-that cat's attempts to eat Scabbers seriously-he's been trying ever since he nearly beheaded me in the Magical Menagerie, but you just let him wander about wherever he pleased, with nary a thought for what he might be doing--"
"Honestly, Ron!" Hermione's shout was much more of a wail. "What was I supposed to do? I couldn't just keep him cooped up-it's cruel! He's a cat...he's supposed to wander! And it's not as if you have any proof, is it? For all you know, Scabbers is just sulking somewhere under a bed or something!"
"What? Are you blind? I found that cat's hair on the floor!"
"Those don't prove anything-they could have been there since Christmas! You're just blaming Crookshanks because he jumped on you!"
"ARRGH!" Ron retorted intelligently. "You're...just...I can't...Harry?"
Standing off to the side, Harry looked taken aback at Ron's sudden appeal for his support. Ginny wondered if anyone else thought he looked as though Ron and Hermione had actually taken ahold of either side of him and pulled him tight enough to bounce a knut off of.
"Don't say anything," she said almost silently, willing him to show a little sense.
"I...well..."
"Well?" Hermione said a bit dangerously, turning on Harry. "Let's hear it-what do you think, Harry?"
"Well...there isn't really any proof..." Harry began. Hermione harrumphed, flashing Ron a triumphant look. "But..." Harry continued. "Crookshanks has been after Scabbers from the start--" Ron made a face at Hermione. "And-with the blood on the sheets and Scabbers missing-it really does look like Crookshanks ate him," he finished with an apologetic look in Hermione's direction.
Ginny saw it and was touched, as Hermione might be later...when she wasn't so distraught...but now, already hurting, in the middle of a fight with her pride at stake, of course, she couldn't see...
"Okay, side with Ron!" she shrilled, her voice so high Ginny and Harry both winced. "First the Firebolt, and now Scabbers, everything's my fault, isn't it! Just leave me alone, Harry, I've got a lot of work to do!" She gestured almost violently at the books and papers still spread across the long, low table in front of her.
"C'mon, Ron," Fred interjected from the front of the crowd that was beginning to gather. "You were always saying how boring Scabbers was. And he's been off-color for ages, he was wasting away. It was probably better for him to snuff it quickly-one swallow-he probably didn't feel a thing."
"Fred!" Ginny knew he'd been hoping to smooth things over, but treating Scabbers loss so callously-even if you secretly considered a bit of a blessing-wasn't exactly likely to soothe Ron's feelings.
"All he did was eat and sleep, Ron, you said it yourself." George said, exacerbating the problem.
"He bit Goyle for us once!" Ron retorted. "Remember Harry?"
"Yeah," Harry admitted, with a glance at Hermione, who had subsided to the floor behind the table to alternately scratch at her papers and sniffle. "That's true."
"His finest hour," Fred said-and to his credit, he tried to be serious. "Let the scar of Goyle's finger stand as lasting tribute to his memory." Apparently he was beginning to catch on to what Ginny had already decided-if he was trying to make peace, excessive sympathy was probably the most expedient route. "Oh, come on, Ron. Get yourself down to Hogsmeade and buy a new rat, what's the point of moaning?"
Maybe not. Ginny rolled her eyes in exasperation.
Harry's eyes met hers across the room almost like a sigh.
"Uh...Ron...I've got Practice...why don't you come with me?"
"Thanks, Harry, but I'm not sure I really feel like doing anything, you understand?"
"Course. But you might have fun if you come-you could have a go on the Firebolt when we're done."
"Great!" Ron said, momentarily distracted. Ginny's quelling look was barely fast enough to stop Hermione's irritated snort. Lips thinning, Hermione jabbed her quill viciously across her parchment. Luckily the sound was muffled by Ron's voice. "Can I try and shoot a few goals on it?"
"Why not?" Harry shrugged.
Ginny waited until the Portrait Hole swung shut behind them, and snatched the quill from her hand. "No more studying."
"But--" Hermione gasped, reaching for the quill.
"You need a break," Ginny said in a tone that made it clear it wasn't up for discussion. "And we're going to see Hagrid."
"I don't...but we do need to coach him on Buckbeak's defense...but maybe you could...and--"
Hermione broke off when she realized they were halfway down the first staircase.
In no time at all, Ginny was making tea while Hermione told everything to a very sympathetic Hagrid, and after an intensive discussion on the best way to present Buckbeak's case to the Committee for the Disposal of Magical Creatures, Hermione looked almost calm. Ginny could only hope the improvement would last...