Chapter 16: Wasn't Expecting That

Third Person POV

Willow sat in the Great Hall, staring at her porridge with distain. It was mocking her. That bowl of white-slop acted as though nothing had changed. The porridge had nothing to fear of change. Willow, unlike her bowl of porridge, had a lot to fear from change. She, once again, unlike her porridge, had woken up this morning to find Ginny gone.

Willow very well could have guessed where Ginny might be before assuming she had gone back to the dark side, but she didn't. Normal Ginny would have woken Willow up before departing; zombie-Ginny would have just left, making it clear to Willow why she was absent. So Ginny was gone, figuratively speaking at least.

Willow looked up from her traitorous porridge to listen to McGonagall's announcement. The mandrakes were ready for cutting. Tonight they would be able to revive anyone who had been petrified. Willow smiled for a moment, before giving one last glare at her porridge and getting up to return to Gryffindor tower.

Willow had been so preoccupied with her thinking she forgot about today being Monday. By the time she realized it, History of Magic had already ended. She grabbed her bag and stuffed all her books in quickly before running down to Herbology. She searched the greenhouse for Ginny, but there was no sign of her. Willow quickly took her seat next to Abigail to continue their exam review. At the end of the lesson Professor Sprout lead them to their Charms classroom, where they reviewed for another exam.

Minutes before the end of Charms, first year Gryffindors listened to McGonagall's second announcement that day. They were to return to their common room and wait for their Head of House while the professors first went to the staffroom.

Twenty minutes later all of Gryffindor, spar Harry, Ron, and those who had been petrified, was waiting anxiously for Professor McGonagall when, moments before Ron and Harry, she finally came through the portrait hole. She looked pale and troubled.

"I-I am troubled to report," she began quietly, everyone else made no noise at all, "that th-there has been another attack. However," she continued, looking almost close to tears, "this- this time the victim was taken into the chamber itself." Everyone was stunned; no one dared break the silence.

Finally, Lee asked the question they had all been wondering and McGonagall had been avoiding. "Who was it?"

In the two words about to be uttered, several red heads, one raven haired, and one brunette's worlds were about to come crashing down. "Ginny Weasley," she answered through watery eyes.

Fred, George, Ron, and Willow sat in a corner by themselves. No one made any noise, all too shocked and scared. Willow had tears streaming down her face, but she too made no noise.

Harry stood nearby, not wanting to intrude on their privacy, and Percy had locked himself in his dormitory after writing to Mr and Mrs Weasley. Around sunset, Fred and George had gone up to bed, leaving Willow by herself to stare into the fire, tears still pouring down her face. She didn't even notice Ron and Harry leave.

Willow's POV

I stayed in the common room completely frozen for several hours. I felt horrible, terrified, guilty, confused, hurt, anxious, and shocked all at once. I couldn't think straight, well except a series of questions interrogating my attentiveness. Why did I not notice something? Why hadn't I been there to stop the monster? Why Ginny? Did she try to tell me something? Was this the cause of her strange behavior? Would I ever see my best friend again?

The questions were on a continuous stream in my mind. The last one seemed to echo. Would I ever see my best friend again? I couldn't help but brace the subject. Everyone else who came in contact with the monster was only petrified. Would Ginny be the first to be taken one step further?

Sometime late in the night Professor McGonagall came through the portrait. "Willow, would you go get the Weasley boys? Their parents are coming up." I nodded and made my way up to the fourth year boys' dormitory. I knocked on the door and a tired looking George answered it, Fred behind him in a similar state. "Your parents are here, go downstairs," I told them in a monotone voice, walking towards the sixth year dorm without an answer.

I knocked again and delivered the same message to Percy. Ron wasn't in his dorm, so I went downstairs to join them. I sat by myself on a couch as Mr and Mrs Weasley came into the common room. For a few seconds they looked happy to be back somewhere they had so many fond memories, but then they remembered why they were here.

Mrs Weasley tried to speak but was overcome with what looked like a fresh spurt of tears. Mr Weasley wrapped his arm around her and spoke in her place, "Well, we just stopped to, you know, make sure you're all okay." We all gave him looks that clearly expressed we were not okay. "Right, we're going to wait in Professor McGonagall's office, to hope for some news on Ginny and Ron and Harry." He seemed lost for words at the unbelievable amount of people we care about that were in danger.

"Before we go," began Professor McGonagall, "Can any of you recall any strange behavior from Ginny? Any sign that she would have known something?"

"Her diary," I said at once. "She hasn't been the same since maybe a week after term started in September. She just wasn't Ginny."

"How was her behavior abnormal?" asked McGonagall.

"She was avoiding people, being very secluded and cut off. She wasn't paying attention to her lessons, which didn't make any sense because she was so excited to start learning. She wouldn't talk to me and she was always jumpy, nervous. She would disappear and you could tell she'd been crying. It was the diary's fault. Don't ask how, because I'm not sure, but it was the diary. It was evil." My rant ended, and in some other situation it would have seemed almost comical.

"Is that all you can tell us, Miss Bryden?"

I nodded my head slowly before bursting into tears. I managed to croak out fragments of sentences through my sobs. "I should h-have d-done som-something. T-told s-someone. I-I didn't w-want to g-get her in-into t-trouble. It's a-all m-my fa-fault."

The twins came over and sat on either side of me. Mrs Weasley gave me a hug before following Professor McGonagall out the portrait.

Mr Weasley kneeled in front of me, placing a hand on each of my shoulders. Looking into my eyes he said firmly, "Don't think for a moment this is your fault. Ginny will be fine. Everything will be fine." He then exited the Common Room too.

The twins and I stayed in the Common Room; Percy went upstairs the moment his parents had left. Fred fell asleep on my shoulder, but George and I remained awake, staring at the fire. We didn't say a single thing, but some time later we too fell asleep.

Third Person POV

Some time after midnight, Willow was awoken by the sound of the portrait opening and several sniffs, as if someone was trying to stop crying. Groggily, Willow opened her eyes only to see both of the twins leaning on her, snoring lightly. Had it been another day, she would have laughed, but she remembered all too well the happenings of the previous day.

Remembering what had woken her up, she looked to the portrait to see a pale, puffy-eyed, and filthy Ginny staring at her. Willow, ever the skeptical one, thought she was dreaming. It was just too good to be true, she thought. But as per usual her brain caught up eventually. Wouldn't dream Ginny look unharmed? And before the question had been thought, Willow had burst into tears, fighting her way out from under the twins to tackle Ginny. She hugged Ginny for only moments before they had both started crying. The commotion had also woken Fred and George; therefore they joined the hug, hiding a few of their own tears.

When they had all managed to calm down, Ginny explained the whole thing. She apologized profusely while her audience's mouths remained agape. They stared in silent shock as Ginny explained with disgust and horror all the things she was forced to do. When she was finished the twins stormed into a rant about how it wasn't her fault and no one would be mad. Willow, however, stayed unusually quiet, avoiding Ginny's eye and choosing to once again stare into the fire.

"You're mad," Ginny said. She didn't direct it at anyone, but it was obvious whom she was talking to.

"Yes, I am," Willow replied. "But," she continued, "not for the reasons you think. I get that you had no control over your actions and that you were helpless in defending yourself. But you got rid of the diary for a while. Harry had it, right? There were hours where you seemed your normal self, so that's why I'm confused." Willow looked right into Ginny's eyes as she added, "I thought we were best friends, I feel like I never had your confidence. You were yourself for enough time to confide in me, but you didn't."

"I was scared," Ginny tried to explain, but Willow wouldn't let her finish.

"That I would detest my best friend because she was hoodwinked by Dark Magic far beyond her control? I'm glad you think so much of me."

"You're right. I should have told you, I was frightened and stupid. I hurt you and was so oblivious to it, I understand why you don't want to be friends anymore," Ginny answered, never meeting Willow's eyes.

"I never said I didn't want to be friends," Willow corrected, softening. "You're my best friend, you always will be. I just need to know you trust me."

Ginny didn't say anything for a moment before answering with a nod. Willow gave her a smile, which she returned. Willow wasn't worried about Ginny keeping her word, Ginny always kept her word.

An hour later, all of Hogwarts experienced a feast unlike any other. Everyone was in his or her pajamas and the celebration lasted until morning. Everything seemed to get better as time went by. First, everyone who had been petrified came back. Then Justin came over and furiously apologized to Harry. Later, Hagrid was returned from Azkaban and Harry and Ron secured the House Cup for Gryffindor. To make things even more joyous, McGonagall announced the cancellation of all exams and Professor Dumbledore told everyone that Lockhart would not be returning to teach.

The rest of final term swept by without incident. Ginny was back. Luna became closer to Willow and Ginny both. Willow did well in all her classes. She still loved George, he still didn't know. Everything seemed to be going great. Even her nightmares had receded and Willow picked up several memories when she was especially happy too.

She could remember one Christmas when she was a young child, her parents, Moony, and the Lovegoods were all in her home, circling a huge, decorated tree. Willow also remembered sitting in her father's lap, listening to stories about Sirius Black because he didn't believe Sirius was guilty either. There were numerous short, trivial memories as well. Her mother buying her new clothes; being read stories by Remus; flying on a broom with her father. The strangest one was of her and her mother visiting a strange man in Azkaban. She figured it was her uncle but, in her opinion, he looked extremely kind, just like her mother, too kind to be a death eater. Willow was quite determined to meet him when he was released from Azkaban. Willow could just feel that he was the key to more of her memories.

Author's Note: Garr, I took so long with this chapter, and I'm still not happy with it. It just doesn't seem right, but I can't pin why! Anyway, there's just one more chapter until the end of this part. Any ideas on names for the second installment? Reviews really needed, they make writer's block go poof!