Title: Being Nice Doesn't Always Pay Off…
Author: Cactuskitty
Chapter: Four
Summary: Ginny gets mad at a friend and decides that it's time for her to change. In this chapter, Ginny feels guilty…

A/N: When Ginny is writing in her journal, everything she writes in bold is her yelling. If you are the type who skips the author notes, then please just read the last paragraph of my a/n if you read any of it.

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from the Harry Potter book series, they belong to J. K. Rowling, so please don't sue. All I own is the little plot there is, Hillary, and Ryan… But that's not muck to brag about.

Chapter Three: Misfits

           Ginny wasted no time in jumping out of the carriage once it arrived at the entrance of Hogwarts and sped towards the Great Hall. Taking a seat at the Gryffindor table next to Fred and George she pretended to ignore the outlandish looks and comments she was getting from the people walking in. She just heard the same questions over and over again, "Who is she?", "Is that really Ginny?", "What did she do to herself?", etc… The only person whose reaction that was important to her was Malfoy, she could hardly wait to see his appalled expression when he found out her identity. Though, she never got to see it. Draco never entered the great hall that evening, nor did Harry or Ron, because, as she had heard, they had gotten in to a huge brawl in front of the school. Ginny figured she would find out about his reaction at breakfast tomorrow, Virginia was sure someone in his house would tell him about the little Weasley who became a nonconformist over summer break. The thought of it made her laugh, causing the number weird looks to increase, but she didn't mind. She was starting to enjoy being noticed.

            Virginia left the great hall after persuading one of the perfects to tell her the password, Jarvey, and started towards Gryffindor Tower. Half way to her destination she noticed that she was being stalked, and had a hunch that she would have to eventually turn and face this shadow or face the consequences. She came to the decision that if they had the nerve to stalk her the least she could do in return was lead them on a wild goose chase first. She eventually ended her hike in an abandoned corridor on the fifth floor, a million miles away from Gryffindor Tower, where Ginny was sure it would be the ideal place to confront her tail since no one in there right mind would be in this side of the school this close to curfew when passwords hadn't been given out yet.

            She halted and without turning, said in a voice as cold as Snape's heart, "If you continue following me I fear I will be forced to stupefy you; unless, of course, you wouldn't mind informing me. . ."

            "You wouldn't do that Gin," Virginia managed to stop herself from jumping when she hear the low pensive voice of Harry Potter, "And I'm only following you because I think we need to chat."

            "Well, that's a first." She spat back still towards him. She didn't want to face him. She may not like him anymore, but she still felt a little uneasy around "the boy who lives."

            "Gin, I said I wanted to talk, not argue." She could feel his glare cutting into her back; he was more riled than she had seen in months, "What's with this new attitude? What happened to you that caused you to become so indifferent?"

           "It isn't really a 'what happened' situation Harry, it's more of about what didn't." She said with a sardonic laugh that made her blood run cold, and Harry to cringe. Such coldness was not natural from someone with as much life as Virginia Weasley who usually glowed with positive energy.

            "Look Ginny, I'm sorry I that I don't always acknowledge you, it's just I have other things on my mind."

            "You know everything isn't about you, Harry Potter. I didn't change just so I could get your attention, and I'm surprised you're that conceited…" Harry and Ginny were both equally stunned that this was coming from her mouth.

            "I'm sorry Harry, I didn't mean it that way." Ginny turned around and looked at him with an almost sympathetic face. She wanted to eat her words, but Harry would have none of it.

            "You said what you meant, you don't need to take it back…" He said to his feet.

            "I know that you're trying to get over Cedric's passing away. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound so heartless…"

            "But you did." He snarled his green eyes full of fury.

            "Look Harry! I'm going through a lot of changes right now…"

            "That's obvious, Gin, I just want to know why. Why do you have to change? The old Ginny was just fine." His voice lost it's luster once again, and his voice became soft.

            "Like you would grasp it," She mumbled, as she turned to him with a glare fixed on her face, "Now I am going to ask you something Mr. Potter, and you are going to respond honestly. Do you even really know me? Now be truthful, Harry, you know of me, right, but do you really know me?"

            Harry thought about it for a while and was sorry to say that he had to shake his head 'no'.

            "Now, you can't honestly say that my change was for the worst, can you? That's right you can't, because you don't know me at all, Mr. Potter."

            "But I would like to." He mumbled earnestly, like those lines from a crap film.

            "Awe, how nice, after four years you finally give a damn about me!" He cringed at her sarcastic tone; and she continued,

            "Well, I'm sorry Harry, but no tonight. I've had a full day, and I'm tired; maybe another time, okay."

            Then, she gave him a smirk, turned around, and continued her trip back towards Gryffindor Tower, leaving Harry yet again, stunned. She knew, that he couldn't believe that he had just been told of by Ginny. Little, quiet Ginny, who use to not be able to talk to him with out stuttering? She, had grown up into someone much more confidant than he, and she was sure it disturbed him. She had completed her goal, almost. The problem was, even if she only told people the truth, she still felt guilty about what she had done. So she decided that she should write, something that always helped her release her feelings. . .

Monday September 1

Dear Journal,

I have made the change, but now I'm not sure if it was the right choice. I think I might have hurt some people's feelings and really angered my brother. Earlier I didn't care, but now I do. Well I guess the new me isn't too bad, I mean I did get lots of pleasure from messing with Malfoy's mind. I can't wait to see what will happen when he find out I'm a Weasley! God, that's going entertaining! Well, it's too late to go back now, and if I did, I'd be chickening out like usual. And I am sick of being a coward!

So that's it, I'm not going back. That's my final decision. It's so nice to say that, and have enough confidence in myself to believe that what I'm saying is true. It's almost good to be me… now if only I could get rid of this filthy feeling of guilt. I wonder how Malfoy does it…

~Virginia Weasley

A/N: Sorry that it's such a short chapter; I'm going to really try to make the next chapter longer. Oh and thanks to all of my wonderful reviewers. They always make me feel so loved! *Cactuskitty wipes away a tear* And if everyone would just do it, I would be the happiest teenaged girl in the world! That's kind of an oxymoron, happy teenaged girl, HA! Just joking, but please do review.