"Ginny, Ginny!" I cry, though she doesn't seem to be able to hear me. I watch the young girl as she shudders and shakes on the ground, curled in a fetal position. She moves her lips quickly, but I cannot hear what comes out. I move to her, wanting to shake her or slap her, anything to knock her out of this state she's in. However, when I try to touch her, she slips through my long fingers like a pearly mist. Slowly, I feel my face grow hot with tears as I watch the girl twitch and jerk, unable to help her.
Suddenly, I jerk awake, sweaty and panting. That wasn't my usual night terror. It was something completely different, and it left me with chills and goose flesh. I make up my mind then to do something about Ginny, talk to the boys about her at least, in the morning. However, for now, all I can do is get some rest.
So, sleepily, I roll over and nuzzle my face against George's shoulder, wrapping one long arm around his skinny waist, allowing myself to breathe him in until I fall back asleep.
"Rey, wake up," George murmurs sloppily against my ear.
"Mm," his voice sounds the way chocolate tastes. Suddenly, I wake, as though from a dream.
"George," I mumble.
"You gotta wake up, Love," he gently brushes the hair from my face.
Sleepily, I sit up in bed and rub my eyes. "I have to tell you and Fred something important."
"Want me to go wake him up?" George yawns.
"Please," I register the thickness of my voice from sleep.
George moves so that he's sitting with his legs over the side for a moment, letting his body wake up, before standing to walk over to Fred's four-poster.
"Fred," George shoves his brother. "Wake up."
Fred sounds like he's made some kind of hissing sound. Then, slowly he sits up, eyes narrowed angrily at his twin.
"What's the matter with you?! I don't have to be up right now!" Fred splutters.
"Just get up. Rey wants to talk to us," George stretches lazily, unbothered by his brother's anger.
Fred mutters something incomprehensible as he stands and joins his twin in walking back to George's bed. "What's up, Audrey?" he asks, not amused.
"It's serious. Please," I plead with my eyes. Upon seeing that, Fred's eyes soften, and he lightens up.
"Of course, Rey," he even manages a smile.
"I had this horrible dream last night, except… It didn't feel like a dream, even after it was over. I can still feel it," I lose focus for a moment before continuing. "Ginny. Something was wrong with Ginny. I know you guys think it's nothing, but if we could go check it out… Well, I'd feel so much better," I sigh, begging them.
Fred nods. "Sure. How about if, after Ginny goes down to breakfast, we go up to her room and have a look at her diary. She writes everything in there. I've seen her. If something's wrong, we'll know based on the diary," Fred smiles reassuringly, taking my hand and squeezing it.
Exhaling with relief, I feel the need to apologize. "I'm sorry I was so urgent about it. It probably could've waited."
"No," George says firmly. "If something's ever concerning to you, I don't care what time of night or morning it is. Talk to me about it, please. Besides, you were showing more concern about our sister than we were. We should be thanking you." "Don't. Now, do you feel like going back to bed? We really don't have that much time…," I point out.
"Nah, it's okay," Fred shrugs. "Let's go hang in the Common Room."
I nod, following after the twins as they head downstairs.
After Ginny's headed down to breakfast, the boys and I sneak up to her dorm, careful not to be seen. Stepping inside, we have to dig around a bit to find it, but, eventually, the leather-bound diary is located inside Ginny's sock drawer. I've found it, so I take a seat on Ginny's bed with it, running my hand over the cover before I open it. There, I find - nothing but blank pages, to my disappointment.
"What? That can't be! I've seen her write in it!" Fred exclaims.
"Do you know which pen?" I ask.
"Sure, this one," Fred hands me a pen off the top of Ginny's dresser.
"Maybe it's invisible ink," I uncap the pen and draw a line on my hand. Nope. It's very visible.
"I'm certain she wrote in this… I'm gonna try it," I grit my teeth, taking the pen I just used and drawing a faint line on a random page.
That's when it happens. "Go away! You're not welcome here!" the diary screams piercingly as the line I just drew fades to nothing. I let out a small shriek, tossing the diary so that it lands face-down on the floor. Looking up at the twins, I see that they're both ghostly pale.
"Wh-What should we do?" I whimper.
"Throw it away, obviously," Fred splutters, moving to go pick it up before George stops him.
"No, we should confront Ginny and leave the diary where we found it," George states.
"Why?" Fred asks fiercely.
"Because she should know, and we don't want her to freak out about it being gone before we have the chance to confront her," George reasons.
"Fine, but let's hurry," I reply breathily, watching as Fred returns it neatly to the sock drawer.
Then, I'm ready to get out of there as fast as possible.
After breakfast, only about an hour later, our minds have changed. I mean, obviously, because it's us. So, praying we're not too late and Ginny's not yet back in her dorm, we sneak back upstairs and to where we left the leather-bound diary. We hope dearly that we can still dispose of it.
However, when we get there the diary is gone. We empty the sock drawer and anywhere else Ginny might have hidden it, but it's nowhere to be found.
"What are the chances she just… Got rid of it herself?" Fred laughs nervously, clearly anxious about the idea of his sister with that diary.
"I don't know... Should we confront her about it?" I ask, unsure what else can be done. This whole situation is making me dreadfully weary.
"No, I don't think that would be such a good idea. I don't want to needlessly confront her and cause drama if she did dispose of it, and, if she didn't, she probably won't want us knowing about it, so she'll hide it better so we can't find it next time. Either way, it's a lose-lose," Fred explains.
"Alright, fine. Let's just stay on the lookout for it, okay?" George asks.
Fred and I nod before we all head down to the Common Room, our minds all wandering to the small ginger girl and her screaming diary.
Unfortunately, though, we would see no more of T.M. Riddle's diary for quite a while.
"Hey, Beautiful. You know what day it is?" George asks as I wake up, the early morning light streaming in through his window.
"Sunday, right?" I ask, still half-asleep.
"Wrong, but that's beside the point. It's Valentine's Day!" he grins.
"I had no idea you celebrated," I smile sleepily up at the red-head.
"Of course! It's a day to tell the people you love exactly how much you love them! Why would I not enjoy that?" he's laying on his side, his head propped up in his hand, a joyful look on his face.
"Oh, I see. I actually like this holiday, too. Which is probably why I got you a little gift. It's not even a gift really," I ramble as I lean over him to his dresser, opening the top drawer (his sock drawer) and pulling out a small wooden frame. "It's not much, but…" I hand it to him.
Inside the frame is a little picture, developed so that it moves. I had Flitwick show me. It's of him and I racing on brooms at the quidditch pitch. I had Fred take the picture one day without George knowing, realizing it would make the perfect little gift. George chuckles, obviously pleased, as he watches me beat him to the finish line, a triumphant grin on my face. "That's awesome, Rey! Thank you! Alright, here's yours," he rummages through the third drawer of his dresser, pulling out a tiny box. Inside is my necklace.
"Hey!" I clutch at where the Golden Snitch necklace was on my neck just yesterday. It's so heavy! How did I not notice it was gone?
"I'm sorry. I charmed you so you wouldn't notice, but I had to give it some modifications," he looks at me, a mischievous sparkle in his big brown eyes.
Pressing down on the top, the Snitch opens like a locket, revealing a moving picture of the twins and I setting off Filibusters. I watch and chuckle as Snape appears and the three of us make a run for it. "Thank you, George! That's the best gift I could have asked for," I grin, truly meaning it.
"I'm glad you like it. Happy Valentine's Day, Rey. I love you," he leans over and kisses me gently on the cheek.
"I love you, too, Georgie. Now, let's wake Freddie up and go have some breakfast. I have to give him his gift, anyway."
Standing, I go wake Freddie up, his brown eyes fluttering open and his hair rumpled.
"Freddie!" I laugh lightly, "I got you a little present!"
This immediately wakes the sleepy boy up.
"You did?" he sits up in bed.
"Yep," I produce a second frame that was hidden in George's sock drawer.
In it is a moving picture of the two of us having a mini food fight.
"Hey! That's hilarious! Thanks, Rey!" he snorts as a glob of jelly lands on my nose. "Here's yours," he digs in his drawer until he finds a small package.
Opening it, I find a mixtape. It's on what looks like a cassette, except it has rounded edges and a few other minor discrepancies. I chuckle as I see that it's labeled "Freddie's Tunes".
"What's on it?" I ask.
"Wizard music. I figure, you've showed me enough of your favorite bands. I might as well start getting you into some of mine. Here," he hands me a player. "I figure you don't have one. It's wizarding technology. Not exactly easy to come by in the Muggle world."
To be honest, the player he hands me looks a bit like a Walkman. I suppose technology like this is the one area in which Muggles excel. Then again, wizards don't really need such things.
"Thanks, Freddie. This is the best," I hug the boy, just glad to be with the people I love.
The rest of the day looks like it will be a horror of a fresh new kind. I think Lockhart's managed to ruin even the simple delight of this holiday.
Entering the Great Hall, the entire room appears to have become some kind of pink monstrosity. I immediately know who's behind it, because he's wearing robes to match. Lockhart.
Taking a seat beside the boys, I try to tune the professor out until something even worse than the pink monster that vomited all over the Great Hall happens. Dwarfs. Dressed in golden wings with harps in hand. I am not a fan.
Apparently, they're going to deliver our Valentines. Fred and George wiggle eyebrows at me.
"What would you think if we had one deliver you an itsy-bitsy musical valentine?" Fred asks mischievously.
"Not a chance, guys," I laugh, though I know they would never actually do it. At least, I hope they wouldn't.
I was wrong, I think as a large dwarf enters Binn's class, staring directly at me, walking toward my desk. Please, please, please not me.
"Musical valentine for Audrey Tyler," he speaks gruffly, twanging his harp before starting to sing.
The Weasley twins are the coolest
People you'll ever meet
Audrey Tyler's the not nearly as cool
She'll have to accept defeat!
Then, completely seriously and with a straight face, he says, "With love from Gred and Forge."
I don't watch him walk out. I'm too busy blushing furiously and burying my face in my hands as the whole class stares. Those boys are jerks. Don't worry. I'll get 'em back.
"Okay, this is what I want the message to say:
This is a PSA to the class that Audrey Tyler once pranked the Weasley twins so hard they had to beg for a truce.
With Love From Audrey Tyler."
I begin to walk away from the dwarf before coming back. "Oh, and do you think you could deliver it during their Potions class next bell? Thanks," I smile sweetly, certain Snape will love this one.