Masquerade

- Part 2

By SnakeEyesHannah

"Ginny, can you help-…"

A gasp escaped the brown-haired Head Girl as she, with her arms full of books and parchments, entered the 6th year dormitory.

Hermione promptly dropped almost all her precious books as she stopped dead in her tracks once she spotted the red-haired witch. Ginny giggled and rushed over to her friend, kneeling and helping her pick up the dropped books.

"Gee, Hermione, you ought to be more careful with those books", she teased.

"Ginny!" Hermione exclaimed, not so touched by the redhead's teasing insult. She looked the younger witch up and down as the two of the stood up, Ginny handing Hermione the books. For once, Ginny didn't blush. "I don't know what to say", Hermione said after a moment of silence. A shadow of jealousy flashed across her face before she grinned widely and did a thumbs up (the best she could with a truckload of books in her arms).

"Say it'll due", Ginny said in an insecure voice. She may not have blushed when she was looked at, but her insides were squirming. The outfit she had on now, that she was going to wear in front of the entire school in less than two days, was showing more than she ever had before.

"It will do no such thing", Hermione said firmly. Ginny's heart sank to the pit of her stomach. She knew she could never pull off wearing this. "Once you do your hair, put some makeup on and we're in the Hall", Hermione continued, "it'll look good enough to knock everyone out!"

Ginny could have slapped her friend if she hadn't been too excited about her words. She smiled and settled for poking the older witch. "I thought you were going to say I looked hideous!" Hermione laughed out loud, still beaming at Ginny.

"You poor, ignorant little girl", she teased.

Ginny's face grew darker. Even though the words were spoken in the soft, teasing voice of her best friend they brought back memories she wished she'd never experienced. Hermione's features suddenly turned into a paler, taller and rather stunning boy with a dark, menacing voice.

"Poor, ignorant little girl…" it mocked her. "Pining after someone who doesn't even know you exist. How do you live with yourself?"

"I thought you were my friend, Tom!"

"Friend? Ha! I was never your friend, Ginevra. You're pathetic… No-one will save you now… Where is the mighty Harry Potter now, I ask you, silly girl? You fawn over him like he is a god. He is a spoiled boy who never cared for you!"

"You're wrong, Tom! Harry isn't spoiled! He's the kindest, sweetest, most-…"

"So you say, Ginny, but I ask you again: where is your Prince Charming now?"

-

"Ginny?"

Ginny blinked, adjusting her eyes to the brightness of the room she was in. Hermione's worried face swam into vision.

"Ginny! You're okay… Ginny, what happened?"

"What?" Ginny rose to her elbows, trying to remember what exactly she was doing on the floor of her dorm and how she got there. She blinked several more times. The room looked just as it had last she remembered it, and looking down on herself she saw she was still in the costume she was supposed to wear for the Halloween-party.

"Ginny, you went pale and started shivering and fell to the floor!" Hermione's voice rippled with concern. Ginny shuddered and by the aid of Hermione stood up.

"Sorry, bad memory", she waved it off. Hermione looked like she was going to say something else about it, but just that second Ginny's dorm mates decided to come back and interrupted any further enquiring by the Head Girl. Ginny hadn't felt more grateful for them.

-

Later that night Ginny lay awake, listening to the silence. She was really too sleepy to be awake at two in the morning, but the flashback earlier had thrown her off balance and she was afraid of going to sleep for the first time in several months.

She flipped over to her stomach and buried her face in the pillow, groaning. Just when she had started to sleep well with no dreams, when she was starting to see some progress, she fell back. She had promised herself that she wouldn't have any nightmares this year. She hadn't had a single one all summer… But with one step forward, she came crashing two steps back. Life just wasn't fair.

A half an hour later Ginny rolled out of bed and put on a pair of sweats, thinking she could as well wait in the morning downstairs as here. On silent toes she left the dorm and entered the dark common room. She shivered slightly and wrapped her arms around herself. The fires had burnt down a long time ago, but it didn't really bother Ginny now.

Without lighting anything, and without bumping into anything, Ginny made her way to her usual chair by the fire. She settled down and tucked her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs.

She felt herself drifting off to sleep just when someone called her name. Ginny quickly sat up in her chair, forcing her eyes open.

"Ginny…?"

She relaxed and smiled as she turned her head around the chair and spotted Harry at the foot of the stairs leading to the boys' dormitories. "Hi Harry", she replied softly and turned away from him.

"What're you doing up?" Harry's sleepy voice asked.

"Couldn't sleep", Ginny lied quickly. Her answer was met by silence. She started to believe she only dreamt Harry ever came down when she saw him pass by her chair. He seated himself in the chair opposite hers.

"Why are you up?" he asked again, looking into her eyes.

Ginny was glad for the darkness all of a sudden as she blushed under his intense stare. She inwardly groaned again. She was definitely falling into old patterns if she was blushing in Harry's presence.

"Gin?"

"I told you, I couldn't sleep", Ginny persisted. Harry said nothing, but Ginny knew he was waiting for the rest. "I had another nightmare", she admitted quietly when the silence was getting too pressing.

"I'm sorry", Harry mumbled awkwardly, putting his hand over Ginny's instinctively. It comforted Ginny, feeling his warmth and his concern go through his hand and into her own. It was like Harry was wrapping a cocoon around her.

"It's not your fault."

"Was it about… Tom?"

Ginny nodded. Hearing the name being uttered with that amount of hate from another person but herself was almost a bit scary, but she also knew that Harry wasn't used to calling him 'Tom' but she was grateful he had.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Harry asked, staring at Ginny's bent head. Her hair flew from side to side as she violently shook her head. Harry sighed quietly. He of all people knew how important it was to talk about these sorts of things, but he also knew that it was so hard. He settled for patting Ginny's hand before letting go of it.

"Whenever you do, I'll be here, okay?" Ginny merely nodded again.

Harry stood up and walked over to Ginny's armchair. She lifted her head when she noticed he was squatting down by it, confusion written all over her face. He smiled weakly before wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug.

Ginny blinked several times before she came to her senses and hugged Harry back. It wasn't often Harry did something like that, almost never, and she wouldn't pass out an opportunity like this.

"Thank you", she whispered in his ear before he let go. He smiled again and then left up the stairs to go back to sleep. If he had turned back he would have seen a quiet tear roll down Ginny's cheek.

They're so alike and yet so different. How can one be so cruel and the other so loving? she asked herself, wishing the time had stopped a minute ago so she could have been in Harry's safe cocoon again and feel like nothing would ever harm her.

-

"Good morning", Ron chirped happily as he sat down by the Gryffindor table at breakfast a day later. It still wasn't very early, but it seemed like Ron wasn't the only one overly excited about the Halloween party tonight anymore. The whispers and the giggling were a bit frustrating now.

"What's so good about it?" Ginny muttered darkly, not lifting her head from her arms. Ron shot her a quizzical look, but didn't respond.

"'Morning Ronald", Hermione answered politely. Harry coughed to hide his smirk as Ron blinked owlishly at his friend, the clogs ticking in his head, trying to remember if he hurt her and how. Coming up with nothing Ron sat down across from Hermione and leaned his head downwards so Hermione would look into his eyes.

"What did I do?" he asked worriedly.

"Nothing."

Ron blinked before narrowing his eyes at Hermione. He reached out and gently pushed her chin up so she would look at him properly. Conversations died around them as the whispers spread about Ron's sweet behavior, but neither seemed to care.

"Hey", Ron tried softly, "what's up? I can tell something's wrong."

Harry glanced at Ginny who had lifted her head and was now staring at Ron like he had sprouted antennas. She must have felt his eyes on her and Ginny smiled warmly at him before winking and turning back to see Hermione's reaction. Harry grinned too, feeling oddly happy.

"You haven't done anything, Ronald", Hermione said quietly, her eyes darting left and right, not looking at Ron. "I'm fine, just go back to breakfast", she almost pleaded to him.

"Come with me", Ron blurted out, not really having heard what Hermione just said. The Head Girl blinked, confused. The Gryffindor's close by gasped quietly. "To the Masquerade", Ron elaborated. "I mean, I know we're going, but that's with Harry and Ginny too… Come with me, as my date."

Hermione's eyes seemed like they would pop out of her head any moment and opened and closed her mouth, finding her ability of speech gone. Harry almost laughed out loud at Hermione's expression. Usually it was Ron who was doing the goldfish imitation, but to his credit, Ron looked as calm as ever, his ears not even the tiniest red.

"O-of course", Hermione stuttered a moment later and Ron's face lit up in a smile.

"Great! Harry, pass the bacon, would you, mate?" he said, turning his attention to the breakfast. Harry merely gaped at him and Ron blinked in confusion. "What?"

"Nothing…" Harry said, grinning at his friend. "Nothing at all." He passed Ron the plate of bacon and slapped the red-head's shoulder. "Good on you, mate", he grinned, half envious of his friend's courage to ask the one he fancied out. It took guts, he knew.

-

"So, guys", Ron interrupted the girls' conversation, rubbing his hands together. He leaned down and rested with his arms on the back of the couch the two girls were sitting in and looked between them with a wide smile on his face.

"Yes?" Ginny asked in an annoyed tone.

"Aren't you going upstairs to get ready soon?"

"Ron, it's three hours until the masquerade begins. We have time", Hermione rolled her eyes, smiling a little. Ron looked a little put out, but it didn't stop him from asking the girls again and again if they weren't going upstairs to get ready soon. Finally, Hermione was the one to snap.

"RONALD! If you don't stop asking us we won't go. At all!"

"But 'Mione…" Ron whined. The Head Girl glared at her friend before grabbing Ginny's wrist and half-dragging her up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. As soon as they were out of view, Ron's surprised expression turned into a triumphant one. "I rule!" he proclaimed to Harry, pumping his fists up in the air victoriously.

"Whatever you say", Harry sighed, rolling his eyes at the redhead.

-

Author's note: So terribly sorry for the long wait! I've hit writer's block when it comes to this story but I promise I'll finish it - don't worry. lol Anywho, hope you like this one! The Masquerade will be next chapter... And the whole nightmare-scenario had no real plot to it, just so Harry could be sweet to Gin, in case you were wondering!