owl post
(a harry potter story)
Corey didn't want to go to the game, but Angie yanked him along.
"You can't sulk in your room about Ginny," she had told him, pulling him down to the pitch. "Look, there she is!"
Ginny was standing with the other Gryffindor players, chatting to Dean Thomas—no doubt about Seamus.
Seamus.
Corey's cheeks felt warm with anger. Seamus. Seamus had snatched Ginny away from him, and now she didn't even like Corey. It was all Seamus's fault.
Perhaps not, though. The author of the letters had begun the whole thing. If whoever it was could just stop saying whatever they needed to say, everything would revert back to normal, in a world where Ginny and Corey were the best of friends and no Seamus was in the picture. Just the TriSquad—Ginny, Corey, and Angie.
This made Corey even madder. Corey was just a bubbling mass of anger—nothing that had happened was his fault.
Ginny felt her heart beating out of her chest. Quidditch filled her with such a strange rush, better than any drug. Better than any drink. Quidditch was her addiction, her happy pill.
"Mount your brooms!" Professor Hooch squawked, and Ginny pulled her leg over her broom, ready to kick off. "Three…two…one!"
Ginny's feet pushed against the frozen ground. She soared into the sky. Lee Jordan, a seventh year, was commentating the match.
"They're off! Robins, the newest on the team, immediately snatches the Quaffle—ouch, a Bludger to the knee—and it's Gordon with the Quaffle, Gordon with the—ha! Yes! Peakes aims a Bludger directly at his nose, finds its way, nice one! It's Bell with the Quaffle—Bell being the only member of the team when Harry Potter was first on it—"
SMACK. Ginny had plowed straight into Katie, and they collided. At the mention of Harry's name, Ginny's world had gone blank.
"GINNY!" Katie howled, diving to retrieve the red ball.
"Ooh, the Gryffindor Seeker, Weasley, collides with Bell, that's going to hurt their score—wait, never mind, it's Robins with the Quaffle—come on, Demelza!—She ducks around a Bludger, there's Baker, he's right there, Demelza!—I DON'T BELIEVE IT! SHE'S DODGED HIM! You can do it, Robins—she shoots—SCORES! TEN-NIL TO GRYFFINDOR!"
The red mass of spectators screamed their delight. Ginny could see Seamus in the stands, cheering like mad. The sight made her smile, but she trained her eyes to the pitch. Doing a couple of barrel rolls to free her mind, she searched in vain for the Snitch. Gryffindor was up forty-ten before she found it—right in the middle of the pitch.
She tore after it.
"I think Weasley sees something—yes—she's seen the Snitch! Grab it, Ginny!"
Ginny was a comet, her fiery red hair a tail. She cut sharply around the two Slytherin Beaters, the Snitch so close—
And then she was knocked off her broom, falling to the ground.
She plummeted toward the ground, too dazed to scream. Her head pounded. Her numb fingers finding her wand, she stuttered "Mobilicorpus!" and pointed her wand at herself.
She stopped falling immediately and rose a few inches, about thirty feet from the ground. A sigh of relief fell over the ground—and then the stadium exploded with screaming, biting, awful comments about Romulus Malfoy: the one who had knocked her off her broom.
"ENOUGH!" Madam Hooch screamed, her voice obviously magnified. "FIFTY POINTS AWARDED TO GRYFFINDOR."
"Ginny almost died!" Dean howled, gesturing to a still-levitating Ginny. Ginny cast a Cushioning Charm on the ground below her and lifted her Levitating Hex. She was nauseatingly dizzy and crumpled on the ground in a heap, the ground feeling very much like a huge pile of pillows.
"'S okay," she mumbled when Demelza flew over to help her up.
"No you're not," Demelza said soothingly. "Madam Pomfrey will fix you up. I'll kick Malfoy's ass for you."
Ginny curled up into a ball, trying to get her heart to beat.
romulus
tried
to
kill
me
?
ginny's brain hurt.
surely no one was as cold-hearted over silly, childish things as to attempt murder.
it must've been an accident.
one thing was for sure:
she was never going near the malfoys again.
gryffindor had won the match.
nobody celebrated. the entire team was gathered around ginny's beside, praying she'd stop shaking long enough to walk.
she couldn't.
ginny shook like a leaf in caught in a windstorm, and she could hardly lift her head long enough to tell madam pomfrey she didn't need any water. after several days in the hospital wing, madam pomfrey decided to keep her there for an extended week to give her the calming draught professor snape had concocted.
ginny's mind was a bit clearer on the friday after the match—however, she couldn't stop trembling. the brush of death had claimed a place in her mind. romulus malfoy hadn't shown his face in the hospital wing, although she'd seen the blurry face of draco peering through the hospital wing's window.
angie and seamus had hardly left ginny's side. dean, demelza, ron, hermione, and katie visited her on a daily basis.
corey hadn't shown for six straight days.
"Ginerva, you seem much better today," Madam Pomfrey cooed the next Thursday. "I think just one more cup of the Calming Draught and you should be set!"
Ginny had stopped quivering and was already completing the mass amount of homework she had received from Snape while she was out of classes—none of the other teachers had pawned a single page on her.
"Really?" Ginny asked in earnest. "You think so?"
"Yes, dear. You've made a full recovery." Pomfrey beamed at her and handed Ginny a cup of a pale pink potion which smelled pleasantly of baking bread. Ginny gulped it down and sprang up from her bed.
"Thanks, Madam Pomfrey." She smiled before slinging her bag over her shoulder and striding out of the room.
Angie sat near the door, chewing her fingernails. She brightened like a lamp when she saw Ginny. Angie gave an excited squeal and engulfed Ginny in a hug.
"You're better, thank god, I was going insane in classes—" She laughed and threw her arms around Ginny again. "I was so worried…"
"Thanks, Mom," Ginny quirked, and Angie rolled her eyes, smiling. Ginny's face fell and she bit her lip. "Corey?"
Angie's eyes grew sad. "I'm sorry. He's being a douche. He looks really, really exhausted in classes, though."
Ginny nodded, her eyes stinging. Corey just didn't come? After she almost died? Ginny hadn't thought he was that angry…maybe he agreed with Romulus, maybe she should just die…
Her heart froze. She wasn't suicidal. She couldn't be.
She wouldn't be.
Ever.
"GINNY!" a voice that made Ginny's heart warm shouted.
"SEAMUS!" Ginny screamed, a wild smile on her face. She rushed to him, jumped on him, wrapped her legs around his waist, and kissed him.
Right in the middle of the grounds.
The stars twinkled overhead.
Nobody was present but them.
"I'm sorry I couldn't get to you during the day, I had detention and—and someone was talking about you so I got into a fight and got double detention—and McGonagall had to speak to me after dinner—and—and—and—you're okay!"
Ginny smiled softly. Seamus thought she looked absolutely breathtaking: her red hair framing her lovely, fresh face; sparkling chestnut eyes crowned with long black lashes; rosy cheeks from the cold and pinkish ears. Ginny was the most beautiful girl Seamus had ever laid eyes on, and she was his.
"I messed up Romulus Malfoy," he admitted. Seamus wasn't ashamed, just nervous about her reaction. "I saw him in the halls and just launched myself at him. Punched him a few times, knocked out three teeth, gave him two black eyes. I'm—not sorry, just…"
Ginny snuggled up closer to him; Seamus closed his eyes and breathed in her warmth.
"I would've beaten him, but I was confined to my bed," she whispered, and Seamus laughed. "Is that who you got in a fight with?"
"No," Seamus confessed. "That was Corey Jameson." He saw her face fall, her gorgeous smile slipping off of her face.
"Corey?" she repeated in disbelief.
"Yeah. He said...well, he said you should've fallen."
Ginny looked absolutely crushed. Crumpled like a piece of fallen parchment.
"What?" she hissed, very pale.
"I know. I said, 'You shut your filthy mouth; you two are best friends!' and then started hitting him too. Two people in one day—and they both deserved it."
Ginny nodded dazedly. "Yeah. You know what? I'm tired of chasing after Corey, walking on eggshells to make sure he doesn't throw a tantrum. So what I don't tell him everything! So what I get letters! He doesn't need to know everything!"
Seamus squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I know, babe, just forget him. He's not worth your time."
He connected their lips gently, but Ginny seized him and pushed her tongue into his mouth, and she was a fiery inferno, a blazing fury, channeling anger and passion into her lips. It electrified Seamus, and he came alive; his hands fisting in her hair, cupping her cheek, sliding down to her waist. Ginny pulled herself onto Seamus's lap, her lips so soft but so rough against Seamus's. He gasped into her mouth and Ginny exploded. Her touch was like lightning and Seamus loved it. He drank up every whisper her lips formed, keeping her so, so close against him, holding her, loving her. His lips found the soft skin of her neck. He couldn't stop, he wouldn't stop. He wanted to kiss Ginny forever.
But sadly, he couldn't. She pulled away gently, her neck adorned with love bites. Seamus smiled drunkenly.
"I love you," she whispered, like it was a secret. "I love you, and I've never told anyone that. Ever."
"I love you too, Gin," Seamus murmured back. She had no idea how much he loved her.
He was going to make sure nobody ever stole her away. Nobody.
They lay on their backs and looked up at the night sky. Ginny pointed out constellations to him, like Orion and Hercules and the Big Dipper.
"They're as bright as you," Seamus told her, and Ginny only laughed.
She rolled over on her side, her cheek pressed against the earth, her hand finding Seamus's sweaty fingers. "We should head up to the castle. It's nearly one in the morning."
"So?" he asked sadly.
Ginny smiled softly. "We have classes tomorrow. We don't want to get caught, though." Ginny grabbed her broomstick. "We'll fly up to my window."
Seamus smiled. He loved her insane ideas that always seemed to work.
It was too bad all of this sweetness would have to end.
Ginny felt a rush of affection toward Seamus. He was there, he was with her, and he was what Corey should've been. Ginny loved him so much in that moment—it was like everything was blurry, and then there was Seamus.
Corey peered out the window of his dormitory. It was one o'clock and they were still down there fooling around! Anger and jealousy welled up inside of him and he was full to bursting. He wanted to throw something at Seamus, take Ginny's hand, and fly away with her—somewhere nobody would ever find them. He knew exactly what Ginny would say, too: "There's nobody to catch us now."
there's nobody to catch us now
He played these words over and over. He could hear her lovely voice shaping the syllables as though they were arches in the sounds themselves; her soft pinks lips forming the letters and her tongue flicking her th's and tch's; the corners of her mouth rising into a smile—a secretive smile, like she could show no one else her joy. Corey was so lustful. He wanted her, god did he want her.
He was in love with her.
And he was also very, very much screwed.
He ran his hands through his hair, rethinking everything he'd done. He'd pushed too far. Ginny bent as far as she wanted to. If she broke, it was because she decided she couldn't bend any farther. And Corey pushed too hard. He dove too deep, and now he couldn't get up for air. He was trapped.
The only way to make things right was to talk to her.
Corey's insides prickled—he hadn't been there after she nearly died. he hadn't been there. And he couldn't let himself forget it, either. He hated himself for not showing. Seamus had practically lived in there, and Corey had holed up in his dormitory, making colors flash out of his wand to distract himself.
It did nothing whatsoever.
She probably loathed him. She probably wouldn't speak to him again.
She probably wanted to forget all about him.
He sure did.
Ginny and Seamus flew up to Seamus's dormitory first. Seamus undid the lock, kissed Ginny hard and fast, and hopped into the room. Ginny sped off, leaving Seamus to watch her mane of gorgeous red hair trailing behind her like fire.
Seamus crept toward his bunk.
And someone shouted a spell—"Levicorpus!"—and Seamus was left dangling in the air helplessly.
The lights flickered on. Dean Thomas, Ron Weasley, and (holding a wand) Corey Jameson stood there. Dean was biting back a smile; Ron seemed a bit disgusted, and Corey—oh, Corey—was red-faced and seething.
"YOU LITTLE—" Ron had to restrain Corey from leaping onto Seamus. "YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST GO ONTO THE GROUNDS AT ONE IN THE MORNING AND KISS GINNY?"
"Mate, she's my sister," Ron said, sounding pained. "But dangling her boyfriend in the air? This isn't gonna make Ginny change her mind. She's stubborn."
"Let him down, Corey," Dean said. When Corey refused, Ron murmured the countercurse and Seamus landed flat on his back on the floor. Dean started laughing.
"THIS IS NOT A TIME TO LAUGH!" Corey screeched, positively mad. "THIS IS A TIME TO THROW SEAMUS OUT THE WINDOW!"
Ron started laughing too. "Calm down—"
"NO!" Corey screamed, pacing. "I screwed up, don't you see that? I screwed up! I wasn't there for Gin and I'm supposed to be her best friend and she almost died and I didn't come and visit her! I can't live with myself right now! I pushed her too hard with the letters and she hates me now! She loves Seamus and not me!" Corey sat down, seeming very lightheaded. Tearfully, he looked up at Seamus.
"Well, mate, you weren't very kind with her earlier, y'know, chucking her to the ground and all. I don't think she liked that very much. Down there…well…she said she wasn't gonna chase after you anymore. She didn't want you to throw fits over little things. She said she was tired of it. I would be too. I'm not saying you can't get back on her good side, mate. But it's gonna take some effort. She's furious."
Corey sniffled; it was so pathetic, Seamus felt bad for him. He was really attached to Ginny.
"You really wanna make up with her, don't you?"
Corey mumbled something incoherent.
"What was that?"
"He said—he really wants to make out with her," Dean sniggered.
Seamus felt blood rush to his face. This was about more than Corey and Ginny being friends again. It was about Corey being in love with Ginny.
"What?"
"So maybe I have a bit of a crush on Ginny! I don't care. She's mad. She doesn't love me." Corey climbed into his bunk and pulled the covers up, rolling over so that he was facing the wall.
Seamus wanted to pity Corey, but felt more hatred toward him. Corey had always been alright, seeing as he was Ginny's best friend, but now he'd gone and gotten himself into a row with her and then decided he could just spy on them and hang Seamus up in the air. Everything was happening very quickly, and Seamus didn't like it. He didn't like Corey chasing after Ginny, either.
He needed to do something.
On Sunday, Ginny discovered she had gotten two letters from Harry while she'd been out in the hospital. Both of them were fairly short.
Letter 1
Dear Ginerva,
Hello, me again. Your alcoholic pen-pal. I'm glad we've cleared things up—although I haven't yet received an answer to my questions? I'd quite like one, if you don't mind.
The rum I'm currently drinking is delicious. I'd send you some, but you might get in trouble.
(This made Ginny's stomach tumble and tie itself in knots. He actually thought she wanted a drink? She'd never drunk anything besides butterbeer, and that was hardly alcohol.)
I'm sitting in the Three Broomsticks. Don't you just love that place? It's lovely and warm and always full of chatty people—although most people come here to interview me. I don't know why I show up anymore, do you? No, of course you don't. Haha.
(Ginny realized why the words were all over the page and why he had written so weirdly—he had been drunk.)
I think we need to talk. Face-to-face. Oooh, I heard Ron's brothers invented a Transportation Soda! Just think of where you'd like to go and you'll be there! Maybe I'll mix some with the fine wine that I got yesterday and come visit you in your dormitory.
Hopefully I'll see you soon!
I love you,
Harry
Ginny felt sick. He would actually drink the Transportation Soda and come visit her? When? Was he actually planning to? And he had ended his letter with an "I love you". This struck her as very odd. But she was focusing on other things. He couldn't just show up in Hogwarts and start talking to her, could he? No. Yes? She was so anxious.
She folded up the letter and set it on the floor below her.
Letter 2
Dear Ginerva,
Oh god.
I'm so sorry about that last letter. I realize what I wrote and sent to you, and I'm utterly humiliated. I had a bit too much rum—which happens daily, but I shouldn't have written to you. I won't take any Transportation Soda. That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard.
There is, however, another option.
You've got a Hogsmeade visit in about a week, Ginerva.
I'll meet you there, if you come.
I also haven't gotten a letter back, which makes me feel like I scared you off. I really, really hope I haven't scared you off. You get me, Ginerva. I really love how you make me feel, like I'm not an outcast.
I'm sorry.
Hogsmeade next Friday?
-Harry
Ginny sighed in relief. He wasn't just going to pop into Hogwarts and start talking to her. He wasn't going to do anything foolish. He was fine.
And she would definitely go see him in Hogsmeade.
She was so curious, just so curious. She wanted to know about Harry. She wasn't afraid. She wanted to get to know him. She wanted to be real, face-to-face friends.
She put her quill to her parchment, found the questions he'd written, and started to scribble.
Dear Harry,
Hello! It's me, Ginny. Back and better than ever.
A lot of things have happened:
I almost died. Long story, but I'll shorten it: Romulus Malfoy pushed me off my broom during a Quidditch match and I fell, but thankfully levitated myself about thirty feet above the ground. I had to stay in the hospital wing for about two weeks, which is why I didn't write back.
I'm dating Seamus Finnigan. I know you know him.
Corey, my best friend, didn't show up to the hospital wing after I almost died. I don't think he likes me anymore—and I've decided I don't really like him either. He kept wanting to read your letters, kept asking who sent them, kept pestering me about them…and then when I refused to tell him, he threw a temper tantrum. I'm sick of him acting like a two-year-old, you know?
We won the Quidditch match I almost died in.
The Enchanted Ball is in two weeks, and I'm really excited. Seamus is taking me.
I'D LOVE TO SEE YOU IN HOGSMEADE!
I've also answered your questions!
I remember completely what you were like at Hogwarts: a hero. You were everyone's role model. I wanted you to notice little, insignificant Ginny Weasley, and when you didn't, I realized that it wasn't because you didn't want to—it was because I wasn't noticeable. Period. I had isolated myself from everyone—and because of you, I broke out of my shell. But yes, you were always the hero, always saving someone or something. I admired you so greatly.
My reaction? First, confusion. I thought you surely could seek professional help! Then I thought harder. Nobody would help you, would they? They'd sell your secrets to the media as though they were potion ingredients. So then I sympathized with you and wrote back. Little did I know these letters would mean so much to me.
My favorite song? I've got too many to count. I often listen to Muggle bands like All Time Low, Fall Out Boy, Green Day, 5 Seconds of Summer…but still, my favorite wizarding song is "Magic Wand" by the Weird Sisters.
My favorite color is a very complex color: the deep, rich blue of the late-night sky just before it decides to turn black. It's almost velvety. It's a smooth, flowing color. I love that color so much. It's not indigo, but a royal blue. Eloquent. God, I sound like such a nerd. But it's true. I love color.
My favorite food is anything my mum makes. I love steak, but also waffles and strawberries, mashed potatoes and chocolate-dipped peaches. Very odd combinations, but delicious.
And I'll give you a bonus answer: my favorite celebrity is you.
SEE YOU NEXT FRIDAY!
Sincerely, Ginny
"Who're you writing to?" a voice snarled.
Ginny whirled around to find a fuming Seamus standing in the doorway.
"Nobody. It's a poem." She covered the papers with her hand. "What's the matter?"
"Corey Jameson. Corey Jameson is the problem! He's in love with you, Ginny."
Ginny furrowed her eyebrows. "What? Seamus, you smell like alcohol, are you okay—?"
"I'm fine, Gin," Seamus said, eyes cold. "Although Corey said you're getting letters."
"No, I told you that before—"
"I WANT TO KNOW WHO THEY'RE FROM!" Seamus shouted, and Ginny flinched.
"Nobody, Sea, they're poems! I wrote them, I'm writing them for you!"
"LIAR!" Seamus screamed, advancing on her. "YOU'RE CHEATING ON ME, AREN'T YOU?"
"No!" Ginny whimpered. "No, Sea, I'm not cheating! I wouldn't cheat!" She could smell the firewhiskey on his breath as he drew closer. "Sea, please, I promise!"
Seamus smacked her so hard she felt stars pop in front of her eyes. She stumbled backward, hit her head on her bunk. "Sea, no. Stop!"
He pressed his lips to hers roughly, throwing her onto the mattress. She squirmed under him, screaming, but realized the Muffliato charm had been cast on her dormitory. She was alone with a monster, a monster she hadn't believed existed.
"HELP!" Ginny screeched, beating her fists against Seamus's chest. His hands were everywhere on her skin, and she hated him. How could this—this—demon be the same guy who kissed her under the stars?
Seamus had entangled her in his web, and now he, the spider, was ready to feast on the trapped and helpless butterfly.
Seamus's lips were like poison, not the warm, honey-like sensation Ginny had experienced before. She wanted him off and she wanted him off now!
Seamus was stronger, though, much too strong. She struggled and screamed, but nobody could hear her. Nobody but Seamus, who reeked of firewhiskey.
She felt herself black out from everything going on.
When she awoke, Seamus was sitting next to her, half-asleep. When she stirred, he jerked and woke up.
"Please let me go," Ginny croaked, throat raw.
"If you tell anyone I'll put the Imperius Curse on you—or kill you. You tell no one." He rubbed his chin. "I love you, Ginny. I can't let anyone take you away from me."
Ginny's stomach twisted itself into knots and she had to swallow the bile that made her throat sour. "Okay," she whispered as Seamus's rough lips slammed against her own.
She slipped out of her room and immediately threw up in the corridor. "Evanesco," she murmured, cleaning up her mess. She felt dizzy and sick to her stomach. Everything last night was too blurry to think about—but Seamus had fooled her.
He had fooled her into believing that he was kind and caring and that he actually loved her. He had tricked her into a false sense of security: he was not a gentle and loving person. He was a complete and utter demon disguised under a mask of calm.
She had followed her desperate heart instead of her warning brain. Her brain had been clouded by lust.
There was a sociopath inside of the castle.
Professor Dumbledore—
And then Ginny remembered:
Seamus would either control her or kill her.
She ran her hands through her matted hair.
how did she escape?
Corey took a deep breath. Ginny was right there, right in front of him. Professor Binns was in the middle of his monologue on escapees from Azkaban. This was a perfect time for a conversation.
But when he looked closely, he could see bruises littering her neck—he wanted to vomit at those—but also her arms and her legs. Jesus. He wanted to smack Seamus silly.
Although, there were also red marks, violently standing out against her porcelain skin. Those seemed strange. There were numerous scarlet slashes peeking out from her shoulders.
Something was very, very wrong.
He reached out and tapped Ginny.
She turned around slowly, as though she was aching. Tears filled her eyes. Her face was puffy and her lips were swollen. "Hi, Corey," she whispered.
"Gin," he said, his eyes stinging. She looked absolutely powerless.
He didn't ask what happened.
He just squeezed her hand under his desk.
After History of Magic, Ginny flung herself into Corey's arms and started to sob. "Last n-n-night," she whimpered, sounding like an injured animal.
Someone cleared their throat somewhere behind Corey, and Ginny's eyes went wide with fear. "L-L-Last night I r-r-realized that I w-w-wasn't mad at y-y-you anymore," she cried, sobbing harder. "I'm s-s-sorry, C-C-Corey. You have a r-r-right to know."
Corey hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry too, Gin. I don't need to know about the letters. I pushed you too hard. I'm so sorry I didn't show up at the hospital wing."
All of this was very unexpected. Over the past three weeks Ginny had been absolutely furious with him—now she was just pushing it all out of the way. Corey didn't mind one bit. He just wanted his Ginny back.
She continued to cry until they reached the Gryffindor common room. Then she abruptly cut off her wails and dried her eyes. "Would you mind c-casting a Cheering Ch-Charm on me?" she stuttered. "God knows I c-could do with a laugh."
Corey smiled wanly at her and cast the spell. It was as though a large weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Her eyes brightened and her face sprung into a smile. "Thanks."
She gave him a hug and walked off, flashing a grin at Angie.
Corey was confused, but nevertheless extremely pleased.