Chapter: (2/?)

Title: Penalties of life

Author: Cutina124

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or places that our owned by J.K. Rowling.

(Wish I owned Malfoy though ;) hee hee)

Summary: When everything has gone down hill how do you deal with it. Sometimes you have to rely on the unreliable.

Ginny looked at her hand slightly amused at the blood that trickled down it. She watched as the blood pumped out of her wrist. She let her other hand reach over onto her nightstand and grabbed her white handkerchief and placed it over the cut. She knew she could probably stop the bleeding with her wand but she preferred to use her handkerchief, 'it took longer' she thought to herself quietly.

Ginny knew she had class still left to go to but she didn't really feel up to hearing her teachers moan and groan about things she already knew. She decided she would skip class and instead she would head out onto the lawn and walk around the lake.

When she reached the doors that led to the bitter harshness of winter she opened them slowly and took a step. She felt the familiar crunch as she stepped on the pearly white snow. When she looked down she saw that snow had fallen last night. 'I really should pay more attention.' She thought to her self.

Nearing the lakes edge she felt a gust of wind sweep her hair up behind her, and numbing her ears. She let out a little giggle out at the fact that she had forgotten her robes. She turned to look at the lake and saw a tree nearby where she could rest. She let her feet wander over to the sunken tree. She curled herself up into the tree allowing herself to share the trees warmth.

A figure watched as a young girl sat by a tree only a few yards from him. He watched as her hair let loose around her face, making her radiate. As he looked harder he saw that instead of radiating joy she was radiating of sadness. He remembered her well, but she had been much younger then she was now. Much, much younger.

Ginny felt like she was being watched, but pegged it to be paranoia. She was actually kind of used to feeling the gaze of others. After being in the chamber people had given her slightly menacing looks, as if to say, 'all because of you', 'all your fault'. She had soon grown into an outcast and had been left alone. When she had went home to the burrow she mostly stayed in her room not talking to anyone.

Once in the summer before her third year Hermione had stopped to say hello, but when Ginny hadn't answered Hermione had left. I guess she had told Ron since after that Ron had told her that she shouldn't be so rude to Hermione. She had snapped back at him "Why don't you just take that stick out of your arse and stick your foot in your mouth, that way people might actually like you." She had regretted those words when her mom had grounded her, and she had her wand taken away for a week. 'So much for that!' She thought to herself miserably.

Ginny walked into the common room wet and cold. She knew that her lips were more than likely blue, and that her cheeks were a deep red. She slunk into one of the chairs in the common room and looked at her watch, "2:30" She muttered to herself. She took of her robes and laid them down next to her. She had on underneath a short crop top and some black wool pants that her mother had sewn together for her birthday last year. They were only a bit tight but not to bad. She let herself curl into a ball and let her body soak up the warmness of the fire.

An hour after she had fallen asleep she felt hands on her shoulder. She groggily looked up to see Derick Hanson peering down at her.

"Hay gin, you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah peachy." She said sarcastically, as she stretched her arms.

"Just wanted to make sure." He said, not hiding where his gaze lay.

"You can leave now." She told him bitterly.

Blushing, he only muttered "oh...okay."

Ginny had dated Derick for a brief period in her third year and he had tried to force himself on her. She had punched him in the face and had left him in the common room bleeding profusely out of his nose. From then on he had been slightly afraid, but at the beginning of the year she had called a truce. A truce she did kind of of regret considering that he was really clingy, but 'all is good so long as he doesn't try anything' she thought.

She tried going back to sleep by the fire but ended up just getting waken up by the ticking of the clock. So she stared into the fire and watched as the flames danced in the fireplace. She watched as the surge of red collided with the orange causing a firework like sensation. She was even more surprised when Sirius's head popped up in the fire.

"Ginny?" Sirius asked.

"Who were you expecting?" She asked, groggily, smiling.

"No one." He said hopping that Harry would show up late so he could talk to Ginny.

"You do realize that you could be get into allot of trouble if anyone else saw you, right?"

"Relax, the only one who could possibly find me is that oafish woman Umbridge, and she's probably is wondering the halls looking for 'bad students'."

Ginny laughed as she stared at Sirius's silhouette. "Wish I could be with you."

"Christmas break is only a few days away and then I'll see you." Sirius spoke as he stared at her eyes.

"Yeah, only a few days before..." Ginny was cutoff by the sound of footsteps coming down the staircase.

"Sirius, someone's coming. I'm ganna get lost, make sure your poof, I couldn't stand Christmas without you."

"I'll see ya go then I'll go poof." He said, jokingly.

"Christmas?" She asked.

"Christmas." Sirius replied.

She went around the corner keeping Sirius's smile framed in her mind. 'Mmm the things I'll get to do over Christmas break

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