owl post

(a harry potter story)

Ginny awoke with a start, her breathing very shallow. She had dreamt another dream about Seamus—except he was torturing Corey, not her.

She still couldn't believe Corey had come to save her. She owed so much to him now. Her life, her happiness, her safety. He was her guardian angel.

Ginny rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. The soft red light from the alarm clock tugged at the corner of her eye. 2:49. It was way too early to get up.

The Enchanted Ball!

It was tonight!

Her heart beat very fast against her ribcage. Seamus was expecting her to be his date. She was terrified of what would happen if she did not attend, but terrified of what would happen if she did. Ginny wished very dearly that she was Corey's date. Corey would spin her too fast and spill drinks down his front and trip over his feet. He'd be perfect.

Ginny was very confused. She still felt somewhere deep down for Seamus—his ghost, the one who had given her a first kiss and screamed her on at Quidditch practice. But now there was Harry, who was in love with her. He wrote her sweet letters and was her best friend, the one who didn't judge her. The complication was that he was an infamous, drunken, cigarette-smoking, troubled seventeen-year-old and she was a simple sixteen-year-old girl who was powerless against an ex-boyfriend. She felt unqualified to help him. Then Corey entered her heart and she was so unsure of her feelings of him. She loved him very, very much, but taking the step from "best friend" to "boyfriend" was major and she didn't want to rock the tranquil waters that they were floating on. She could not lose Corey again. Corey was like her big teddy bear. Harry was her blackbird. Seamus was her scar.

Ginny threw off the covers, thoughts tearing at her brain. She was too restless to go back to bed. She crept across the cool carpet of her dormitory, careful not to wake Angie, Clarissa, or Bridget on her way.

She wanted to clear her mind, to stretch her legs. She was in flannel pajama pants and a loose gray t-shirt, her hair long and plain down her shoulders.

Ginny walked to the common room. The embers in the fire winked at her, their glowing scarlet burning into Ginny's mind. She knelt down near them and cast a Flame-Freezing charm on herself. Ginny scooped some coals into her hands. A soft tickling feeling spread across Ginny's fingers. She held the embers up to her face and smiled as their gentle warmth brushed her face. She set the coals down and walked over to the Fat Lady.

"'Scuse me," Ginny whispered.

The Fat Lady jumped with a surprised "snnna?" She blinked, peering down at Ginny. Her eyebrows knit.

"What in the name of Merlin are you doing out here at such a time?" the painted lady squawked.

"Couldn't sleep," Ginny told her.

"Go back up to your dormitory, sweetie. You shouldn't be up! Filch'll catch you."

Ginny smiled. "I don't mind. I just want to stroll around, not cause trouble."

The Fat Lady bit her lip. "It's not my responsibility. Password?"

"Phoenix feather," Ginny recited, and the Fat Lady swung forward.

Ginny clambered out of the portrait hole and into the dark, deserted corridor lit only by sputtering torches. Shadows danced and flickered, pinching at Ginny's clothes and plucking her hair. She walked along, hoping her footsteps didn't echo too much.

She ventured to the library, which was pitch-black and terrifying. Nevertheless, she wanted to explore, so she muttered "Lumos!" and tiptoed inside.

Rows and rows of tightly-bound, best-condition books lined the shelves so neatly Ginny swore they were glued in place. She had always wanted to do something, but Madam Pince wouldn't allow it. "You'll dirty them!" she had screeched. "You'll soil them with your sticky little fingers, girl!"

But now…

Ginny gave a tiny laugh and sprinted down the rows of books, trailing her fingers across their spines, little sparks of electricity popping on her hands. She loved books ever so much and now she could brush hundreds, thousands of them. She stifled laughter—she was running down a library at three a.m. and nobody could stop her!

Once she reached the end of every last row she crept back to the door and slipped out of the library, breathing rather heavily.

Where else to go? There was the Great Hall, but that was likely being watched. The kitchens? She had no chance—the pear would make too much noise. The grounds? Ginny didn't like the idea of being alone outside…and, of course, too many painful memories were associated with the grounds at nighttime…

Ginny eventually decided on heading to the Astronomy Tower to stargaze. She was incredibly stupid for wandering around like she was, but Ginny felt like she had been quelled. She needed to show that she was Fred and George's sister, popular and pretty and not just some girl who showed up to classes crying and was much too quiet to be noticed.

It was, in that moment, a sort of awakening for Ginny.

I'm not going to let Seamus win anymore, she thought determinedly as she climbed some steps. I am going to be happy and exciting and a firework show again, because that is who I am. I'm not some girl who hides in her dormitory and eats in the library—oh, no. I am Ginny Weasley, pen-pal of Harry Potter, Quidditch star, Miss Popular! I am not a pushover and a hushed little figure! I am Ginny, and Seamus Finnigan is a worthless bastard who CAN'T CHANGE THAT! I am beautiful and strong and worth being loved by someone! And I'm going to become myself again!

She kept the laughter in but could not contain a broad grin.

Finally she reached the Astronomy Tower. The stars smiled down at Ginny and the moon glowed warmly on her skin.

"Fancy seeing you here," said a voice.

Ginny whirled around to find Romulus Malfoy tucked away in a corner.

"Romulus?" she asked, very startled. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Same goes for you, miss," he sneered, but he looked awful and more pitiful than smug. "I came here to be alone."

"I came because I needed adventure," Ginny said, not rudely. In fact, she said it very politely and softly.

"Oh, shut up. You don't need to be nice to me, you know. We're not friends."

"Or is it that Draco and Ron aren't friends? Y'know, you never actually did anything to me. We kinda had to hate each other because our brothers hate each other." She smiled at Romulus. "I'm really sorry for everything I've ever said, and I take it all b—"

"Stop! Stop, stop, stop!" Romulus said angrily. "Don't get all mushy on me, Weasley! Don't spew rubbish, alright? You feel bad for me and I feel bad for you, let's leave it there."

Ginny frowned. "Why d'you feel bad for me?" She sat next to Romulus, drawing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them, tilting her head so she could look at the pale blond boy beside her.

"You're kidding, right? I see the way you walk around, like you've got the weight of a hundred million Galleons on your shoulders. I see how you start to cry in classes. I see a lot of things that you don't think I see, and yet you notice when Jameson comments on how you 'seem different'. God, Ginny." He curled his lip in disgust.

"Look, I've—I'm not any different—"

"Shut up! Yes you are. You don't want to tell me, because you don't trust me, but you're sure as hell different." He looked at her, finally, eye to eye. Ginny's brown eyes searched Romulus's gray eyes for any warnings, but she saw revulsion.

"Okay. I'm leaving." Ginny stood.

"No! No, please. Don't." Romulus grabbed her wrist and yanked her back down. "Look, okay? You've been a bitch to me and I've been a bastard to you, and I'm…well…not sorry, exactly, but want to erase that. Your rudeness and my rudeness cancel out. We've basically started over."

Ginny extended her hand. Romulus looked at her blankly.

"Hello there, my name's Ginny," she said, looking quizzically at Romulus.

Romulus shook her hand—his fingers were freezing—and smiled softly, looking down at his shoes. "Uh…hi, I'm Romulus."

And with that, he started sobbing.

Ginny touched his toe with her toe as he cried. "God. I'm s-sorry. I d-didn't mean—I'm—I'm s-sorry I knocked y-you off your b-broom."

"Oh, that?" Ginny waved her hand. "It's okay."

"Y-you would've d-died!"

"But I didn't. Stop crying, you blubbering baby." Ginny smiled at him and he smiled a watery smile.

"I am really sorry. That's what's been eating at me. I—I never thought I'd try to k-kill someone." He put his head in his hands. "I just wanted to t-tell you so badly. But I was a-afraid of Jameson."

"I would be too." She laughed to herself. "Listen, Romulus. Can we just say everything's alright? I'm sick of having to think of comebacks in .02 seconds when we battle. I dunno what our friends will say, but I'm not mad at you anymore. I don't hate you. I dunno if we're friends yet, but we're definitely acquaintances."

Romulus wrapped his arms around her tightly, cutting her off. "No. We're friends."

She grinned and led him over to the edge of the balcony. "I wanna show you some constellations. That's how I initiate my friends. It's a long process. I'm gonna have to quiz you on the constellations." Romulus laughed.

Professor Dumbledore smiled at Minerva McGonagall, watching the redhead and the pale boy converse. "That, my dear Professor McGonagall, is how the world should work."

Ginny sat up, yawning. "The Ball is tonight," she said to Romulus, putting her head on his shoulder. "We should probably get some sleep."

"Are you still going with Finnigan?" Romulus asked.

"Yeah. I kinda want to break things off—don't tell him. I'd much rather go with Corey than Seamus. Please don't mention that to him, I want him to have a fun Ball."

"Wait—you're not going to break up with him because you want him to 'have fun'? Ginny, you should just get rid of him."

Ginny smiled and gave a tiny jerk of her shoulders as she laughed. "That's the Slytherin way of doing things. I'm leaning toward the Hufflepuff method—for just one night." She ruffled Romulus's hair. "I'm gonna go to bed. Night. Thanks…for the apology and a fun time stargazing. You'll get to know the constellations soon." She squeezed his hand. "Bye."

"Bye," Romulus said, watching her as she went.

She was lovely. She was a great person to have as a friend, and Romulus was happy he could get the apology off his shoulders. He was happy to be friends with Ginny. Romulus was very happy.

Ginny's gaze lingered on Romulus for about a second before she collided with someone. Her breath momentarily left her—thoughts of expulsion exploded like firecrackers in her numb mind.

"Miss Weasley," a kind voice said.

"P-Professor Dumbledore!" Ginny gasped.

Shit, she thought, Snape sent for Dumbledore and now I'm leaving Hogwarts. She'd had many run-ins with Snape before and now he had a chance to expel her.

"You are not in trouble, my dear," he said good-naturedly. "You did nothing wrong. In fact, you did a fabulous thing. You righted things with an enemy. I believe that deserves utmost respect. Fifty points to Gryffindor—and to Slytherin, I suppose!" he chortled as Romulus materialized; face almost white in the darkness. "I'm very proud of the students we have here."

"Thank you, Professor—good god, I'm really sorry. I came out to clear my head and my feet had a mind of their own." Ginny laughed along with the Headmaster. Romulus stood silently, unsure of what was going on.

"So, are we expelled?" he asked rather rudely.

"I'm afraid not, Mr. Malfoy. However, if you seek punishment, punishment can be arranged."

"No sir."

"Good. Now, hurry onto bed. The Enchanted Ball awaits you tonight, and you will want lots of energy for it!" Dumbledore winked. "Good night."

"Good night, sir," Ginny replied, while Romulus merely cocked an eyebrow.

Ginny smacked Romulus's arm as soon as Dumbledore was out of earshot. "You goddamn idiot!" she whispered fiercely. "You could've earned at least two week's detention!"

Romulus grinned; his grin looked evil in the glow of the moonlight, it looked like a slash on his face—clumsy and misplaced, carved into his cheeks. He looked terrifying.

"See, Ginny, I don't follow the rules. I don't cower under authority like most do. I rebel." He grabbed her wrist. "You could too. If you wanted. I could make you into a leather-clad, cigarette-smoking badass."

Ginny smiled. "I don't need to be a badass. I'm my own kind of badass."

"Whatever you say, darling. I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, bad boy." Ginny gave a tiny giggle before retiring to her dormitory. It was 4:09 am.

Ginny awoke to Angie's frantic screams. "I've got nothing to wear, absolutely nothing—Bridget, get your hands off, that is silk—god, where are my heels? THIS IS A HELLUVA DISASTER!"

"Whoa," Ginny said sleepily. "Ang, shut up."

"Oh, right! Get off your lazy butt! Sure, we've got no classes, but I need time to prepare! I don't even have a date yet! I'm so behind schedule, god—get up and help me, Gin!"

Ginny groaned and put her head under her pillow. "I was up late last night."

"Doing what?"

"I don't even know." She rubbed her eyes. She had, of course, lied—she knew exactly what she was doing last night.

Fraternizing with Romulus Malfoy? Jesus, Ginny, are you trying to make yourself hated? Ginny could hear Angie's voice now.

No way, Ginny. Romulus is our sworn ENEMY! And now you're sneaking out to spend time with him? Corey's disgusted tone was so accurate it shocked Ginny. God, Ginny, you can't do this!

What if she begged them to give him a chance? What if she was defiant, and chose Romulus over them? That would never happen, but Romulus wasn't all bad! He had apologized! He had been very sweet and laughed at Ginny's jokes! He was alright!

"Ginny, d'you know of anyone who needs a date to the Ball?" Angie asked frantically, now reaching in Bridget's trunk. "I'll take anyone."

"Maybe Ron does."

"Oh, not Ron—how about Dean Thomas?"

Ginny shook her head. "He's going with Lavender Brown."

"Good god—uh—Neville Longbottom?"

"Even he's taken. Luna Lovegood's going with him."

Angie threw up her hands, flinging Bridget's purse and its contents all across the room. "I need a date. I really need a date. Why did I wait til the last minute?" She hurried out of the room, shouting "DOES ANYONE NEED A DATE TO THE BALL?"

Ginny chuckled and sat up, stretching. She clambered down her bunk. "Angie's crazy," Ginny told Bridget and Clarissa, who laughed.

"She's a bit too restricted to a schedule," Clarissa remarked, which earned a nod from Bridget.

"When one part of her equation doesn't work—BOOM. She explodes."

"She's nice, though. She's very good with her wand shows." Clarissa smiled. "She's quite popular, too."

Angie came barreling back into the room, her hair very messy from running. "Well, I've gotten a date."

"Who?"

"Nathan Stauskas. The good-looking boy in our year? He said he'd quite enjoy going with me…but he did ask if you were available. I told him no and he looked thoroughly downcast." Angie frowned. "All the boys wanted to go with you."

Ginny raised her eyebrows. "All the boys?"

"Yeah. Even Romulus Malfoy said he wouldn't mind dancing with 'The Great Ginerva Weasley'."

"Come on, Angie. You're not seriously mad over this?" Ginny tilted her head. "It's not my fault!"

"I know, I know. It's just…you're always so good at everything. Quidditch, school, social situations. Everything."

Ginny glared at Angie. "Come off it! You sound like a first-year! We're not little girls, okay? You're better with your wand and you've got a better attitude! You don't get into trouble and you're much more organized! You can't sit there and pout about me. That's stupid."

Angie shrunk backward. "Stupid, is it?" she asked softly.

"Yeah, it is!" Ginny snapped. "So stop soaking in self-pity and liven up!"

"I'm sorry."

Ginny relaxed, calming herself. Her anger had seized her. "It's alright. Just—don't blame me for things like that."

Angie nodded rapidly, tears sparkling in the corners of her eyes. "Okay."

Ginny felt guilt swell up in her chest. "Ang, don't cry…"

Angie gently wiped at her tears. She sat up and turned to her dress, still trembling slightly. Clarissa and Bridget looked rather reproachfully at Ginny and Bridget went over to help Angie with her dress.

Great, Ginny thought glumly. Now they all think I'm a raging madwoman.

Hedwig fluttered down and landed beside Ginny, a letter in her beak.

"Hedwig!" Ginny exclaimed happily. Angie beamed at Ginny, obviously still a bit terrified.

Ginny gently took the letter and stroked Hedwig's feathers. "Thank you," she said, and offered her a bit of bacon. Hedwig snapped it up. "You look rather hungry." Ginny gave her two more strips, and Hedwig gulped them down. Ginny frowned. "Aren't you fed properly?" She gave the owl a few more bacon pieces and a long drink from her orange juice. Hooting in thanks, Hedwig took off.

Ginny unfolded the letter.

Dear Ginerva,

How are you? It's been awhile since we corresponded!

I've heard the Enchanted Ball is tonight! I do hope you have a good time. The Enchanted Ball was quite fun when I attended Hogwarts.

I've written to tell you about this girl, Bethany Court, who's been helping me! We spent the night together one night and drank but mostly talked. She's a very outgoing and spirited girl, and she makes me feel much better about my situation. She's from America—how cool is that? I've never met anyone from America before. She's got such a strange accent—she stretches out her vowels and drops her l's and r's. I love her accent. I also really like her attitude—take on the world and don't let anyone stand in your way! God, she's a great person.

Well, that's about it. I guess I was really feeling down earlier—there was an incident with Cho Chang—and so I ventured into town drinking my whiskey and amidst the people who looked upon me in disgust there was Ms. Court! She's tapping on my shoulder now, actually.

Best wishes,
Mr. Potter

Ginny's heart sank and she felt like throwing up.

Another girl.

Another girl who should've been her.

Bethany Court, the American chick with a fabulous accent and a taste for alcohol. She doesn't let anything stand in her way. Ginny Weasley, the British girl who sounded just like Bethany.

Well, fine, Ginny thought defiantly. I'm going to the Ball with Corey and I'm going to have a great time and write to Harry all about Corey.

Ginny smiled to herself. Two can play at that game.

"Corey!" Ginny called. Her friend turned around, grinning.

"Hey, Gin."

"I've decided that you're going to the Ball with me!"

Corey's lips parted. "Really? What about—"

"Who gives a damn about him? We're going to the Ball and we're going to have the night of our lives." Ginny grinned and threw her arms around Corey, bubbling with happiness. She didn't have to go with Seamus. She didn't have to go with Seamus. SHE DIDN'T HAVE TO GO WITH SEAMUS.

"Oh-kay then!" Corey said, beaming. "I'll come by at six. Wear something pretty." Ginny laughed and skipped off, singing to herself.

"Ginny," a cool voice said.

Ginny's blood ran cold for a split second. She took a deep breath. "Yeah, Seamus?"

"Ready for the Ball?"

Ginny bit her lip. "So, actually, I don't want to go with you. I'm going with someone else."

Seamus's expression went from calm to deadly dangerous in .0029 seconds.

"What?"

"I don't want to go with you. You're not going to hurt me anymore, Seamus. You need to get away from me before I turn you in to the authorities." Ginny's lip trembled. "You need to go."

Why am I sad? Why am I sad? I should be happy he's leaving!

Perhaps a part of Ginny had believed him all those times he said he loved her after he hurt her. Perhaps a part of Ginny had felt secure when he said nobody else would take her from him. Maybe Ginny felt special and felt like she truly was doing something wrong. Maybe it was like taking a piece of her out and throwing it away.

Seamus didn't look angry.

He looked heartbroken.

"Ginny, no. Ginny, I'm doing this because I love you…I love you so much and I can't let anyone steal you…"

Ginny felt tears spill over and onto her cheeks. "No, Seamus. You need to l-leave me alone."

"Ginny, please, baby…don't do this…we can work this out!"

She backed away. "No, Sea. I'm not going to—you can't h-hurt me anymore. G-get away from m-me." Her sobs were raspy and breathless. "P-please. D-don't follow me around anymore."

Seamus tried to grab her wrists but Ginny pulled her hands away, now positively bawling. "Seamus. N-no."

"Ginny, you can't do this!" He was crying now too. "You're the love of my life, you can't leave me!"

She looked at him through her salty tears.

"You don't mean that."

"Yes I do!" he screeched. "There's still time before the Ball, we can still g-go together!"

"Seamus, you're…lying. I'm not the love of y-your l-life. I'm l-like a jewel you can't b-bear to be stolen. I'm not a p-person to you; I'm a th-thing!"

Seamus's eyes filled with fire, the tears evaporating. He advanced on her and smacked her straight across the face. "You never question me!"

Ginny's tears halted, too. "You know what? YOU DON'T CONTROL ME! You can't just smack me around and punch me and try to kill me! I HATE YOU! I absolutely hate you! You need to get out of my life and out of my friends' lives! GO!" She pointed to the door.

Seamus looked like Filch and a Hungarian Horntail had mated and given birth to a deformed child. "I will not hesitate to—"

"No, no more threats. If you leave me alone, I won't tell anyone. If you continue to abuse me, you're going straight to Azkaban, you bitch."

He looked at Ginny like he was planning murder. Perhaps he was, she didn't care. She needed him out of her life.

"Tell whoever you like, I don't care. You've got no evidence." His lips curled into a vicious smile. "Go on, Ginny. You'll come running back to me soon enough." He gripped her wrists.

"Soon enough."