A/N: Part three! Whoohoo! Thank you, Sinister Spiders for commenting on Part Two! I was worried that it was not written as well as Part One was! I like that you commented on the cameo of Tom's diary. As this is Ginny's first year, I am not going to neglect the horrors that she endured while under the power of this particularly nasty horcux. As AU as it may be, it is still set during CoS. PS: If anyone was wondering, no, I am not going by movieverse. This is purely bookverse and therefore my Snape will not be described with Alan Rickman qualities. In fact, I actually saw Crispin Glover in my head as Snape while reading the books! LOL! Oh yeah, this part contains both Lockhart and thoughts of him committing child molestation. Be warned.
September 10th, 1992
Something is wrong with Ginny. I've sensed this only two days ago; her light that all children have is gone. She no longer plays with her friends and she sits at the very back of the classroom. The detail that I am most worried about is that diary. Miss Weasley writes in it every night when dinner is served. I study her from the staff's table at the front of the Great Hall—she is much too endorsed in that little book. One part of my brain is furious, the other is ill with a feeling I cannot describe. So many explanations could be given to explain the sudden change in behavior. The little girl started out very much liked by her classmates and then, one day, she appeared to have nothing to do with them. I set my vulture's glare upon damnable Gilderoy Lockhart for a moment. He is in between flirting with himself in a stupid hand mirror and winking at his doting fan girls whom he seems to forget are his students. This, to me, sets off alarms.
Is it so mad of me to automatically assume the worst? I went to Hogwarts with this blond-headed twit and I know what he is capable of. The very fact that he became the new professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts enraged me. This egotistical, sexual fool had no business being a professor! Here Ginevra Weasley was—showing all the signs of an abused child that she had not displayed previously—and here Gilderoy Lockhart was, returning affections openly to his underage students! Oh, Severus! You idiot! You hypocrite! You are the one having impure, quite obsessive thoughts over a First Year student! Is it not you who is the monster in this picture?
Severus, can you not see that YOU are a thirty-two-year-old man secretly desperate for an eleven-year-old girl! But…I have never even laid a freakishly long, skeletal finger on her. The very act of looking at her for too much time frightens me. Gilderoy…he would not care. I have witnessed him viciously hurting girls during our years at Hogwarts and the idiot got away with it every time. He was confident now, so confident that he probably thought he could get away with touching a child. Yet the horrible, terrible truth was that nobody would believe an accusation against Gilderoy Lockhart that came from Severus Snape. Minerva would scoff. Albus would tell me not to act like a jealous fool. I was alone on this matter, and it would be up to me and me alone to find out what was wrong with Ginny Weasley.
I swallow the remaining food I have in my mouth painfully and resume eating the rest of my supper. Tonight I would approach Ginny for the very first time. I would make sure of it. The girl was obviously tormented and I needed to know what was the cause of it!
It is quite late at night now. Precisely around twelve-o-clock and all students have returned to their dormitories. The castle itself while quiet, sill cannot find sleep for a Severus Snape roams its many staircases and corridors in search of Miss Ginevra Weasley. Before her polar change in personality Miss Weasley had proven to be quite the troublemaker, clearly taking after her brothers. If I were lucky tonight, I would find her and possibly Lockhart too. The Lockhart aspect proved that I had no such luck; he was much too busy minding his own business and signing fan letters to be found by me. It is rather dark in the specific area of the castle I am in; I retract my wand. A soft "Lumos" is uttered under my breath. I hear footsteps ahead of me….little footsteps. My throat tightens as I advance upon the sound, coming to find the back of a quite-small red-haired girl. Ginny. A soft weeping noise radiates from her and it nearly kills me….Lily, don't cry, Lily!
"Miss…Miss Weasley- " Ah, formalities!
Sob. Sniffle.
"Miss Weasley you are aware that it is past curfew?"
I try so hard to sound like the Snape that make First Years quiver and shake in fear but it sounds so very wrong when being directed towards her. I'm sorry, Lily! I did not mean to call you a Mudblood!I sigh, stepping closer to her so that I can turn her around with my free hand. The very first time I have touched her. Ever. It makes my throat tighten. Her face is the picture of sorrow; a reflection of Lily's the night she spoke to me for the very last time. There is no naughty, lively little witch standing before me. It is a hurting child. I have to stop myself from catching a tear that is falling down her creamy cheek. I need to be a professor tonight and an adult she can confide in without fear. But oh, how beautiful she is in the light from my wand!
"You aren't in any trouble…but…Ginevra—Ginny! You have not been yourself lately...if anyone has been hurting you…anyone at all—you must tell. Please—Tell me, Ginny!"
Odd it indeed is to hear a soft, comforting tone coming from the voice of Severus Snape. I do not know what else to do; it had been so long since I had displayed kindness and that kindness was only for one person. The eleven-year-old Weasley looks up at me in at first terror and distrust. Ginny is more than likely assuming that Professor Snape had never, EVER approached a student with the desire to help them and she would be right!
"I…they called me weird. My friends…guess they're not my friends now. Wilda Wagner said that I wasn't to sit next to them at the Gryffindor table anymore."
I felt my stomach drop. Perhaps Lockhart did not have anything to do with this after all. I remove my hand from her shoulder, which had been there longer than it needed to be and gave her a sympathetic look. She straightens her mouth and wipes at the tears in those brown eyes with the back of her hand.
"Now, I must order you to return to your dormitories and retire to bed, Miss Weasley. If you wish, I will walk with you."
I was waiting for her answer to be a silent shake of the head but to my surprise she nodded. We turned around together, making our way back silently by the light gleaming from the tip of my wand. Silently and without warning Ginny took my hand. I froze. What was I to do? I looked down at her in a curious form of shock only to receive a tiny smile from her. As much as I wanted to pull my hand away…I couldn't. It reminded me too much of how Lily would hold my hand. I wanted this to last as long as it could. I continued walking with the Weasley girl, leading her into a much more familiar and well-lighted area of the Castle. We were quite near the Great Hall, actually. I muttered a quick "Nox" and slipped my wand back into its scabbard. Gently I slipped my hand out of hers and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.
"I cannot walk with you any further, I hope you understand this. Goodnight, Miss Weasley."
My voice is choking and I am powerless to stop it from doing so. She did not give me a look of confusion but did the unthinkable. Ginevra Weasley hugged me. Right on the spot, for anyone could see. I let out an involuntary gasp and I felt ancient tears well up in my black eyes. I had to force them to behave; crying in front of a student would be most unprofessional. While hugging her back could cost me my job if anyone were to pass by (Merlin forbid Lockhart!), I returned her affection anyways. The hug was a short-lived one for she separated from me and darted off towards the Gryffindor tower before I knew what was happening. For what it was worth, I would cherish it for the rest of my life. I watched as Ginny bounded off, reminding me of a doe that has haunted my thoughts and dreams for years. Thank you, Ginny Weasley…