"Wow," Harry said softly when he finished Lupin's letter. "I had no idea
that my parents and Sirius and Lupin had problems with snoggarts, too."
He didn't voice his other thought --- that the notion of a snoggart impersonating his mother was highly disturbing.
"That's good that they were able to discover and get rid of the snoggarts," Hermione said. "But there must be a way to get rid of them once and for all instead of having to fend them off all the time. I'm going to go look it up."
Hermione dashed off to the library, and Harry went upstairs to show Lupin's letter to Ron. Ron had only just started reading it when an upset and frantic-looking Neville burst into the dormitory.
"Harry! Ron!" he gasped.
"Neville? What is it?" Harry said.
"It's ... oh, I can't explain! You've just got to come see," he said, then added, "It's Ginny."
"Ginny?!" Ron croaked. And Harry again felt a small pang at the thought of Neville and Ginny together.
Neville half ran, half stumbled down the stairs and out through the portrait hole. Ron and Harry followed, dreading what happened to Ginny.
"Neville, wait!" Ron called. "What happened to my sister?"
Ron seized Neville's shoulder and turned him around. Neville's face was streaked with tears.
"She's all ... weird," Neville said. "Half of her hair is dyed black, and she's wearing these weird clothes. And that's not the worst. She's ... we have to go!"
Neville took off again, and Harry and Ron had no choice but to follow. They ran through corridors and down stairs, nervousness growing with every step. The feeling didn't improve any as Harry and Ron noticed they were getting closer to the area of the Slytherin common room. They rounded a corner and crashed into Neville, who had stopped dead in his tracks. Harry tried to keep them from falling, but it was no good. He, Neville and Ron fell in a tangled heap.
Before they had a chance to get up, they heard a nasty laugh. Harry knew that laugh: It was Draco Malfoy's. Sure enough, he looked up to see Malfoy looking highly amused at their predicament.
And next to Malfoy, with her arm around his shoulders ... was Ginny Weasley.
Harry heard Ron gasp as he fought to stand up.
"Ginny, what in the name of Merlin do you think you're doing?!" Ron shouted.
"I don't have to answer to you!" Ginny retorted, looking disdainfully at Ron, Harry and Neville. "I've changed. I've broken free from everybody's expectations of me. I'm finally myself."
Draco chuckled softly and wrapped his arm around Ginny's waist. Ron emitted a noise that sounded something like a growl.
Harry couldn't blame him. Ginny certainly was unsettlingly different. The ends of her hair were black, and she had streaks of black throughout her hair. She was wearing Hogwarts robes, but they were torn open to reveal a black vinyl top, tight black mini skirt, fishnet stockings and knee-high black boots. She had a piercing in her nose, one in her eyebrow and several in her ears. Her eyes were surrounded by black eyeliner.
"If you must know, Draco and I are dating," Ginny said scornfully.
Harry, Ron and Neville were shocked into silence. They stared dumbly at Ginny and Draco. This could not be happening. Ginny with Draco?
The silence was finally broken by someone sprinting down the corridor.
"Harry! Somebody said they saw you heading this ---"Hermione broke off as she caught sight of Ginny.
"What is going on?"
"Ginny has 'changed.' She just told us she's dating Draco now," Neville said bitterly.
"That's not Ginny," Hermione said matter-of-factly.
"What do you mean it's not Ginny?" Ron said.
"It's a snoggart."
"But snoggarts are supposed to be amazingly gorgeous perfect girls. They don't imitate real people," Ron protested.
"Actually, they do," Harry said hollowly. "I didn't get a chance to show you the letter I got from Professor Lupin"--- Harry shuddered --- "but he told me how snoggarts sometimes take on the appearance of real people."
Ginny protested loudly at this. She drew closer to Draco and glared belligerently at them.
"So how do we get rid of her and get the real Ginny back?" Neville said.
Hermione smiled and pulled a book out of her bag. "I think I've figured it out ... at least, part of it.
"There's a group of witches and wizards who are committed to fighting snoggarts and preserving the wizarding world. They've come up with a charm to get rid of snoggarts. Now it won't fight the whole infestation. But it will get rid of individual snoggarts permanently, so they can't learn from their mistakes and come back. That's always been a problem. But I think --- "
"Hermione!" Ron said. "Are you going to tell us how to get rid of this weirdo Ginny or not?"
"Oh. Yes," Hermione said, blushing. "You need to make a stabbing motion with your wand, and the incantation is 'deleterius.'"
Hermione demonstrated, and the fake Ginny disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Draco looked startled for a moment and then shook himself as though waking from a dream.
"What are you doing in the Slytherin corridor, Mudblood?" he spat.
Harry restrained Ron from attacking Malfoy. "At least we know things are back to normal. Let's go."
He didn't voice his other thought --- that the notion of a snoggart impersonating his mother was highly disturbing.
"That's good that they were able to discover and get rid of the snoggarts," Hermione said. "But there must be a way to get rid of them once and for all instead of having to fend them off all the time. I'm going to go look it up."
Hermione dashed off to the library, and Harry went upstairs to show Lupin's letter to Ron. Ron had only just started reading it when an upset and frantic-looking Neville burst into the dormitory.
"Harry! Ron!" he gasped.
"Neville? What is it?" Harry said.
"It's ... oh, I can't explain! You've just got to come see," he said, then added, "It's Ginny."
"Ginny?!" Ron croaked. And Harry again felt a small pang at the thought of Neville and Ginny together.
Neville half ran, half stumbled down the stairs and out through the portrait hole. Ron and Harry followed, dreading what happened to Ginny.
"Neville, wait!" Ron called. "What happened to my sister?"
Ron seized Neville's shoulder and turned him around. Neville's face was streaked with tears.
"She's all ... weird," Neville said. "Half of her hair is dyed black, and she's wearing these weird clothes. And that's not the worst. She's ... we have to go!"
Neville took off again, and Harry and Ron had no choice but to follow. They ran through corridors and down stairs, nervousness growing with every step. The feeling didn't improve any as Harry and Ron noticed they were getting closer to the area of the Slytherin common room. They rounded a corner and crashed into Neville, who had stopped dead in his tracks. Harry tried to keep them from falling, but it was no good. He, Neville and Ron fell in a tangled heap.
Before they had a chance to get up, they heard a nasty laugh. Harry knew that laugh: It was Draco Malfoy's. Sure enough, he looked up to see Malfoy looking highly amused at their predicament.
And next to Malfoy, with her arm around his shoulders ... was Ginny Weasley.
Harry heard Ron gasp as he fought to stand up.
"Ginny, what in the name of Merlin do you think you're doing?!" Ron shouted.
"I don't have to answer to you!" Ginny retorted, looking disdainfully at Ron, Harry and Neville. "I've changed. I've broken free from everybody's expectations of me. I'm finally myself."
Draco chuckled softly and wrapped his arm around Ginny's waist. Ron emitted a noise that sounded something like a growl.
Harry couldn't blame him. Ginny certainly was unsettlingly different. The ends of her hair were black, and she had streaks of black throughout her hair. She was wearing Hogwarts robes, but they were torn open to reveal a black vinyl top, tight black mini skirt, fishnet stockings and knee-high black boots. She had a piercing in her nose, one in her eyebrow and several in her ears. Her eyes were surrounded by black eyeliner.
"If you must know, Draco and I are dating," Ginny said scornfully.
Harry, Ron and Neville were shocked into silence. They stared dumbly at Ginny and Draco. This could not be happening. Ginny with Draco?
The silence was finally broken by someone sprinting down the corridor.
"Harry! Somebody said they saw you heading this ---"Hermione broke off as she caught sight of Ginny.
"What is going on?"
"Ginny has 'changed.' She just told us she's dating Draco now," Neville said bitterly.
"That's not Ginny," Hermione said matter-of-factly.
"What do you mean it's not Ginny?" Ron said.
"It's a snoggart."
"But snoggarts are supposed to be amazingly gorgeous perfect girls. They don't imitate real people," Ron protested.
"Actually, they do," Harry said hollowly. "I didn't get a chance to show you the letter I got from Professor Lupin"--- Harry shuddered --- "but he told me how snoggarts sometimes take on the appearance of real people."
Ginny protested loudly at this. She drew closer to Draco and glared belligerently at them.
"So how do we get rid of her and get the real Ginny back?" Neville said.
Hermione smiled and pulled a book out of her bag. "I think I've figured it out ... at least, part of it.
"There's a group of witches and wizards who are committed to fighting snoggarts and preserving the wizarding world. They've come up with a charm to get rid of snoggarts. Now it won't fight the whole infestation. But it will get rid of individual snoggarts permanently, so they can't learn from their mistakes and come back. That's always been a problem. But I think --- "
"Hermione!" Ron said. "Are you going to tell us how to get rid of this weirdo Ginny or not?"
"Oh. Yes," Hermione said, blushing. "You need to make a stabbing motion with your wand, and the incantation is 'deleterius.'"
Hermione demonstrated, and the fake Ginny disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Draco looked startled for a moment and then shook himself as though waking from a dream.
"What are you doing in the Slytherin corridor, Mudblood?" he spat.
Harry restrained Ron from attacking Malfoy. "At least we know things are back to normal. Let's go."