A/N: ok you may hex me. NO NOT REALLY!!! *blocks face as you raise your wand* I've been very bad this weekend. I've put off everything. I haven't done any homework, and its piled up to my ears! And its 8:40 pm Saturday, and I'm just starting to type chapter 9! So I'll stop wasting time with this a/n and move on to the chapter.
~@~@~@~@~@~@~
Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine. They belong to JK Rowling. If they were mine, I would let Harry have much less angst and lots more snogging! J :Þ
Rating: G
Dedicated to: Jenn. She won't ever see this, but its nice. She runs a website I found with really awesome Harry/Ginny desktop wallpapers! I downloaded a bunch of them. If you'd like to see them/download them (it only takes like 3 seconds) the site is: . you can also check out fafiction, and other spiffy stuff.
Title: Ginny's Journal
Harry couldn't believe his luck. This was the key to everything he wanted to know about Ginny Weasley (and more!) Suddenly his heart sank. He couldn't read it. This was Ginny's Personal Property. She would be furious if she ever found out he read it, and Ron had warned him early on in their friendship not to cross either of the Weasley women. Harry placed the book in his own bag and took the passage back to his room, but stopping at Ginny's door hoping that she had left it unlocked, so he could return it and get it over with, and he wouldn't have to agonize over whether or not to read it. "Damn." Harry said softly as he turned the knob and it didn't move.
Harry entered his room, and kicked off his shoes. He flopped on his bed, and closed the hangings. Harry placed the book in his hands and flipped though the pages quickly. Nothing caught his eye. He slammed it shut.
"If you read it she'll hate you forever." A voice said in his head.
"If I read it, I could find out what's bothering her, and help." Harry reasoned, aloud.
"But it might not help at all, then you'd feel guilty." The voice of reason in his head retorted.
'Great! Now he was arguing with himself!' He thought. Harry was angry. Why couldn't he just open it and read it. That wouldn't be so hard. The voice of reason chimed in yet again, "You won't read it because you're a gentleman and know a woman's journal is private, and you have no right to read it." Harry opened the drawer next to his bed and tossed the book in. Harry knew he couldn't read it, he felt sick with guilt. How could he even think of reading Ginny's journal? In the long run it would be better for him to wait until she was ready to tell him. He wasn't sure he could wait that long though. Finally Harry turned over and fell into a restless sleep.
***
Over the next few days, Harry pondered reading the journal, and always coming to the same conclusion of 'NO!'
Harry still hadn't given the journal back to her by the time September 1st rolled around. This complicated things just a bit. If he hadn't read the journal (which he hadn't) "Why had he kept it?" Ginny would want to know. He didn't want to lie to her, and he didn't want to tell the truth, and say he had to think about it. All things considered truth sounded like a better plan.
Harry arrived at the start of term feast last (he had taken a short nap and ended up sleeping longer than expected.) He walked to the long staff table, Ginny was sitting on the very end closest to him, the seat next to her was his. In succession from where he was sitting was Ron, Hermione, Draco, Eva. Then next person surprised him. It was Neville! Harry gave a bright smile, when he caught Neville's eye. This was shaping up to be quite the reunion. Harry assumed Neville taught Herbology, but he'd find out as soon as he talked to him.
Professor McGonagall walked out in front of the teachers table, carrying the sorting hat on three legged stool. Harry noted how strange it was to be watching the sorting ceremony from this angle.
Harry started to zone out, but still clapped furiously whenever a student was sorted into Gryffindor, but when the name Weasley, Annabel was called he snapped back. Annabel was Bill and Fleur's daughter. Harry had forgotten that she would be about 11 now, as a matter of fact so would Gregory Charlie, and his wife Opal's son. As Harry thought that, the name Weasley, Gregory was called. Annabel looked remarkably like Ginny in her first year, only she had Fleur's face shape, and Bills brown eyes, not Ginny's blue. Gregory was the spitting image of a miniature Charlie. Both had the trademark flaming red Weasley hair, and of course both were sorted into Gryffindor.
When the last of the students were sorted, Professor McGonagall sat down and tapped her spoon on her water goblet. Every one went silent. Dumbledore stood and spoke.
"Welcome first years, to Hogwarts. And welcome back to the rest of you. As always the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all students unless for Care of Magical Creatures, or accompanied by Hagrid, or Olympe." Dumbledore took a breath "Also Mr. Filch the caretaker, wishes for me to remind you yet again this year that no magic is permitted in the corridors between classes, and that several more items from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes have been banned. For the full list of banned items see the list posted on Mr. Filch's office door." Dumbledore took a small sip from his water goblet. "Well. Enough with the formalities" He said grinning. "On to the part I am most excited for. I have five, yes five, new teachers to introduce to you this evening." Dumbledore indicated for Harry to stand. "First I'd like to introduce to you Professor Harry Potter." There was a murmur of excitement from the students, Harry blushed slightly, he thought it sounded rather strange to be called 'Professor'. Dumbledore spoke again. "Professor Potter will be teaching you Defense Against the Dark Arts, hopefully for longer than one year." Dumbledore clapped as did the other teachers and students.
Harry sat, and Ron stood. "I would also like to introduce to you Professor Ronald Weasley." The same murmur of excitement (not only because Ron had been the most successful Keeper for the Cannons in nearly 50 years, but all of them had experience the same fame as Harry had his entire life, since defeating Voldemort in their 7th year, Ginny's 6th) Dumbledore waited for the excitement to die before saying, "Professor Weasley will be teaching Wizard Sporting History, as well as teaching the first years flying, and refereeing the Quidditch matches." The students and teachers clapped again.
"I am also extremely honored to introduce to you the finest student Hogwarts has ever see, and I am very happy to have her in my staff, this year. Professor Hermione Granger." Hermione blushed furiously thought the chatter of the crowd. Dumbledore continued "Professor Granger will be teaching Arithmancy and Muggle Studies" every one clapped again.
Hermione sat and Draco took that as his cue to stand. Dumbledore spoke again, "I'd also like to introduce to you Professor Draco Malfoy." After the chatter once again died, Dumbledore said "Professor Malfoy will be taking up the position of Potions Master. Sadly Professor Snape has decided his time at Hogwarts had come to a close, and has retired to the country." There were hoots and hollers from the second years on up "he will be sorely missed." Dumbledore stated lowering his head 'mournfully' but grinning. "Professor Malfoy will also be taking the post of Slytherin Head of House." Dumbledore went one. Harry hadn't realized that he would be head of house. Harry thought this might mean a better relationship between Gryffindor, and Slytherin. Once again with the clapping.
"Last but not least. I would like to introduce you to Madame Evalynn Johnson." There was no murmur of excitement this time "Madame Johnson was come to us from America to intern with Madam Pompfry. I expect you to treat her and all of our new comers with the same Hogwarts warmth and respect." Dumbledore concluded, waving his hand to make the feast appear. "Now that that's over, please eat and enjoy yourselves."
Harry was starving. He piled one of just about every thing onto his plate, and began to eat, but stopped the fork half way to his mouth when he noticed that Ginny hadn't even put any food on her plate, let alone eaten any of it.
"Come on Ginny. You have to eat." Harry said piling mashed potatoes on her plate.
"Yeah, ok." She said in response and started picking at them. Harry wasn't satisfied.
"Eat Ginny. Please. You're thin as a rail." Harry urged, pleadingly.
"Ok. Fine. Shesh." She said taking small bites at a time. Her red hair kept falling into her face as she took her baby bites. As she went to tie it back in frustration the sleeves of her robes fell to her elbows. That's when Harry saw them. On both her wrists were scars. She had tried to slit her wrists. Harry grabbed her arm (as gently as possible, trying not to make a commotion) and laid them on the table writs up.
"What the bloody hell is this!" He half whispered half yelled.
Ginny jerked her arm away from his grip. "Nothing Harry! Nothing! Leave me alone would you?!? I don't want to talk, I just want to go on living my pathetic, miserable, lonely life! Or not! I haven't decided yet!" She said this the same volume Harry had used. She stood up and swung her bag over her shoulder and rushed off. Harry followed. No one noticed they had left.
"Ginny wait!" Harry yelled after her as she entered the passage, she didn't slow down let alone stop. "Virginia Marie Weasley!" Harry yelled, she stopped. No one had called her that since her mum in 6th year. She spun around. " You might want his back" Harry panted holding her journal up.
"You little thief." She said grabbing it from him.
"I didn't take it Gin. You dropped it that night in the ketches."
She thumbed through it just has Harry had done, checking for damage. "Did you read it." She asked oddly calmly, as though trying to ready herself for some brutal blow.
"I'll be honest with you Gin. I thought about it. I really did. That's why it took so long to get it back to you. But Ginny I swear on my life I didn't read a word. I decided that if you wanted me to know what was wrong with you you'd tell me when you were ready. When ever that would be." Harry explained, he took a deep breath and continued, "Ginny I hate seeing you like this." He took her hands and turned them wrist up and rubbed his thumbs over the scars there. At first she didn't pull away, but then she looked him in the eye (she had been looking at the floor) and jerked them away, as she had before. "I care about you Ginny. So does everyone else." He stated honestly.
"Ha. They have funny ways of showing it." She said angrily.
"I don't know exactly what that means Ginny, because I've been gone for two years, but I know they do care. Especially me." Harry didn't know what was coming over him. He lifted his hand, and brushed the hair out of her face. She closed her eyes, and moved her head. "Why do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Flinch or jerk away when ever I touch you?" He asked repeating the motion, but his time she didn't flinch or jerk her head away. She looked into his eyes, but only for a fleeting second, she looked to the floor again.
"You're never ganna give up are you?" She asked resigned in a low voice.
Harry's response was shaking his head to indicate 'no'. "Its only because I want o help." He explained.
"You can't, I already told you." She said softly.
"Let me try." He pleaded.
"Fine." She said closing her eyes slowly and sighing. She stated to walk to her room, slowly. "Are you coming, or not."
~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@
A/n: ohhhhh… I did it again! I'm soooo… bad! Lol. Ok its 11:37 pm! I typed it all in one night. Yay! (it only took me about 3 hours! Lol) Yeah. So. Ummm.. the whole introducing them part was kinda boring to read I'm sure, I'm sorry. But his is by far my favorite chapter so far!
I'm also thanking my beta here who was talking to on MSN messenger while typing this. She is accredited for telling me how to spell: Neville, Fleur, and Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. She is also accredited with the name Opal. After I sent this to her to beta, she is accredited with fixing how I spelled Dumbledore, I was spelling it, Dumbeldore. Lol. LOVE YOU KRISTEN!
Beta Note: Awww. I feel so loved. :D Now as an apology for teasing potential reviewers. Here's my self assigned Punishment.
I will not tease potential reviewers
I will not tease potential reviewers
I will not tease potential reviewers
I will not tease potential reviewers
Well you get the picture. :D