Gryffindor versus Slytherin
Ginny briefly read through the letter she'd written to her mother and then looked up just in time to see Tracey Davies standing a couple of meters in front of her. From what Ginny could tell she was alone, and kept glaring at the great oak standing to her right.
For some reason, Ginny didn't feel as uncomfortable or frustrated as she would have done if Tracey had been Daphne, Pansy or any of the other Slytherin seventh years. Tracey, who she'd seen hang around with Blaise from time to time, had never bothered her in person. In fact, she had even looked troubled when Pansy and Daphne had said those things about Ginny's family, before Gryffindor's latest game against Hufflepuff.
She was about to just pass Tracey by when the latter burst out:
"Weasley!"
Ginny stopped, raising her eyebrows slightly as she looked at the slytherin.
"Yes...?" she asked, silently hoping that Tracey wouldn't make a mean remark or do something to try and hurt her.
She might seem nice, but there was probably also a reason why she kept the company she did...
Tracey opened her mouth and then closed it again, laughing nervously. Ginny couldn't believe her ears; a nervous sounding slytherin...
"I uh... I don't think we've ever been introduced"
Ginny stared at her. Was this a joke? Were the rest of her friends hiding out somewhere, about to jump out and laugh at her for thinking that Tracey was actually serious?
"Oh... No, I guess not"
She couldn't think of anything else to say and they were left staring at each other, Tracey clearing her throat uncomfortably before casting another quick glance towards the oak. Ginny looked the same way, starting to wonder if Tracey saw something there.
"It's funny, isn't it?" Tracey suddenly asked, causing Ginny to turn her head so fast it felt as if she were about to break her neck. "I guess if I'd been in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff we would have said hello to each other at some point, but since I'm a slytherin..."
She drifted off. Ginny waited. Tracey smiled slightly, shrugging.
"Well, old habits die hard I guess... But that shouldn't stop a gryffindor and a slytherin from actually being friends, now should it?"
Ginny furrowed. She felt like asking Tracey exactly who she was talking about. If she was even referring to anyone specific, that was.
"I suppose so..." she said slowly and Tracey nodded.
"It's a pity people hardly ever realize that, don't you think?"
Another angry glare at the oak. What on earth was that all about?
"Sure..." Ginny said, wishing that Tracey would just stop talking so she could go send her letter.
Of course, the Slytherin girl hadn't been mean in any way but this whole situation was getting really awkward...
"Well... I guess I'll see you around, Weasley"
Ginny couldn't help letting out a sigh of relief and then nodded slightly. Finally...
"Yeah, absolutely..."
"Bye then!"
"Bye"
She gave Tracey a brief smile before continuing her walk towards the owlery. As soon as she was out of Tracey's sight she shook her head in disbelief.
That meeting would definitely end up on her Strangest encounters in history-list, if she'd had one of those. Tracey Davies, a seventh year slytherin and friend of not only Blaise but also Malfoy and company, being nice to her and talking about unity between the houses?
Where was the world heading at?
Blaise's point of view
"What the bloody hell was that?!" Tracey hissed and practically dragged him out from behind the oak as soon as Ginny had disappeared around the corner. "It was really embarrassing, I didn't know what to say! She must think I'm crazy, why on earth would I introduce myself to her..."
"You could have hidden too..." Blaise started but she interrupted him angrily:
"There was not enough room behind that silly tree and you know it! Besides, no matter what I think about all this 'pureblood are better than others'-nonsense I'm still a slytherin! And maybe it's escaped your mind but slytherins don't hide from gryffindors!"
Not just any gryffindor...
"I know it was pathetic but I had to" Blaise replied through clenched teeth and without waiting for Tracey's response he started walking the way Ginny had come. "I had no choice"
It didn't take long before his friend had caught up with him.
"There's always a choice! And hiding isn't the solution..."
"Then what is?!" Blaise asked tiredly, his voice louder than before.
He had stopped since Tracey was now blocking his way, standing right in front of him with her arms crossed. She glared at him intently.
"Look, I don't know everything that's happened between the two of you but nothing will go away just because you try your best to ignore it"
Blaise glared back at her. He wanted to oppose, snarl or even shout back. But he was at a loss for words.
"You have to talk to her, Blaise" Tracey finished impatiently. "Even if it is to cut every string off"
How do you make a time line haha
Ginny woke up on the day the quidditch game against Slytherin would take place, feeling both excited and really, really nervous at the same time. She honestly believed that the Gryffindor team, thanks to Dean's tough training sessions, had a fair chance at beating Slytherin and she was really looking forward to seeing the sulky look on Snape's face. Even though he was no longer head of Slytherin house it was obvious which team he'd go for...
But she was also not so excited about having to play against, not to mention face, Blaise Zabini. She'd never seen him play and for some reason she imagined that he was quite talented, but that he simply had no interest in being on the team permanently. However, it wasn't the fact that Blaise Zabini might throw the Quaffle into her head or that he might actually out-rule her at the pitch that scared Ginny.
It was the fact that she had to look into his eyes.
That she'd once again have to realize that there was no way she could stop herself from wondering why he hadn't stayed in the Room of Requirement that afternoon. All of her questions concerning him would take her concentration off the game, and that wouldn't make Dean happy at all...
He was already nervous enough as it was.
"Okay everybody, the great day is here"
As he stood there in the changing room, talking to his team as if they were about to go to battle in a war, Ginny almost felt like laughing and the curious thing was that she had no idea why. She didn't find any of this funny, that was for sure... Maybe it was just her nerves speaking.
"We all know that this is more than just a game; it's the most important game of the entire season. Losing against Slytherin means losing our pride and we don't want that, do we?"
"No!" everybody agreed.
Ginny could feel and hear the excitement in the room and she realized that she had no choice. She simply had to stay focused, whether Blaise was flying next to her or not...
"Ginny, you keep an eye on Zabini"
Dean's words brought her back to reality with an unpleasant thump and she jumped slightly at the mention of the slytherin's name.
"What?" she burst out. "Why me?"
Dean sighed, crossing his arms. He looked really troubled, as if he had a tough decision to make.
"As much as I hate saying it, I think it's for the best. We all know you have a talent for finding other players' weak spots and since we've never seen him play before we could really need that"
Ginny felt like telling Dean and the rest of the team that she doubted whether Blaise, with his so often cold and unbothered personality, even had a weak spot. And even if he did she wasn't too keen on finding it.
But she stayed silent, since she didn't want any of them to get suspicious. She'd done enough when sounding horrified at the mention of his name during one of their practise sessions...
"Fine" she snapped. "I'll do my best"
My best at not losing concentration as soon as I look at him...
"Great!" Dean said, looking relieved as he grabbed his broomstick. "Good luck everybody, let's do this!"
How do you make a time line haha
What's happening up there?!" Dean exclaimed, or rather shouted, at his team when they were all back on the ground and gathered around him.
He'd asked Madam Hooch for a time out and Ginny had a feeling what was coming... Only a second later she got her suspicions confirmed:
"WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING?! How is it possible that they've scored eighteen times already? The game has only been going on for 25 minutes, that's almost one goal a minute! And how many points to we have? Fourty..."
"Calm down, Dean" Ginny said angrily. "You yelling at us surely won't help!"
Dean turned to look at her and Ginny almost flinched when she saw his face. It was obvious how much this meant to him, and that he thought that she and her teammates were about to ruin it.
"I told you to keep an eye on Zabini!" Dean hissed. "I told you to make sure that..."
"I'm doing everything I can..." Ginny started but Dean interrupted her:
"WELL YOU'RE NOT DOING ENOUGH!"
They all went quiet before one of the other chasers, a fifth year girl named Sarah, pointed out:
"This is not Ginny's fault, Dean. Stop being so unfair to her!"
"Zabini plays way better than we thought" Cormac added. "Being Malfoy's friend and all I'm surprised that he doesn't have a permanent spot on the team..."
"Well we're lucky he isn't" Dean snarled before turning his head when Madam Hooch blew her whistle. "We can't waste any more time standing here, the slytherins enjoy it far too much... Just think while playing, all of you! We all know how important this game is!"
"It'd be a lot easier if you just snatched the Snitch right in front of Malfoy's eyes already..." Cormac muttered to Dean while mounting his broomstick.
When Ginny mounted her own broom and soared into the air she realized that for the first time ever, she agreed with something that Cormac McLaggen said. If Dean caught the Snitch now, before Slytherin had time to score again, they'd still win. And she wouldn't have to "keep an eye" on Blaise Bloody Zabini. Because even though she'd never tell anyone, he was the main reason why she played so poorly.
Ginny was furious with herself. It wasn't like her to lose concentration just because of a boy who was around, and definitely not if that boy was him...
But she did, and for the past twenty five minutes she'd tried her best to stay as far away from him as possible. She knew that if she looked into his eyes, she wouldn't be able to think. At least not about anything but the fact that he'd walked out on her without explanation...
Ginny hated to admit it but she'd actually been having a really good time in the Room of Requirement and she thought he felt the same way.
However, whether Blaise had a good time with her or not, he didn't seem to mind that she was now playing against him. In fact, he'd barely seemed to notice her at all and it wasn't until he'd scored his tenth goal that Dean had had enough and asked for a break so he could have a small chat with his teammates.
"GINNY!"
Ginny jumped at the sound of her name and recognized the somewhat horrorstruck voice as Sarah's. When her and Ginny's gazes locked she called out:
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
Ginny didn't know what she meant at first but then, when she'd finally managed to temporarily drain her mind from all thoughts concerning Blaise, she realized what was going on. Whilst she'd been too busy thinking about him, and trying her best to stay as far away from him in the air as possible, another one of Slytherin's chasers had gotten ahold of the Quaffle and scored again.
It was like someone poured a bucket of ice cold water onto her head; suddenly Ginny could think clear and she looked around the pitch hastily to take in everything that she might have missed. A second later she soared off and almost flew right into Dean who showed up out of nowhere.
"GINNY WAKE UP!" he roared but she didn't have time to reply before he'd taken off again, this time with Malfoy dangerously close behind him...
They'd both spotted the Snitch.
"NO!" Ginny shouted to Cormac, who was closest by.
He looked furious; Ginny suspected that he'd never let in this many goals during one single game before...
"DEAN CAN'T CATCH THE SNITCH NOW!" she continued, feeling the panic rise inside of her. "IF HE DOES NONE OF US WILL WIN, THEY LEAD BY 150 POINTS!"
"THERE'S NO WAY WE'LL WIN THIS ANYWAY!" Cormac called back, the wind and rain causing his honey blonde hair to fall into his eyes.
It felt strange seeing someone like him, who was usually so self-confident, accept his defeat.
"HE'D BETTER JUST END THIS NOW, AT LEAST THEN WE WON'T LOSE..."
But Cormac drifted off and Ginny could see his eyes widening. She turned her broomstick around quickly and spotted three people soaring towards her at full speed. To the left was Sarah who roared something that Ginny could only make out parts of because of the wind:
"...NNY! STOP 'IM!"
To the right was the other Gryffindor chaser, looking just as concentrated as Sarah. And in between them was Blaise, getting closer and closer to Ginny by the second. He looked so focused on what he was doing, the Quaffle in his right hand. But he also looked frustrated, almost furious...
She couldn't help herself. Their gazes locked for a split second and then, before she knew it, Cormac had let the Quaffle in. Blaise took off again before she had time to properly react to what had just happened and not even the cheers from the Slytherin stands or the boos and sighs from the gryffindors caught her full attention...
Gryffindor had to win this...
"AND SLYTHERIN, WITH THEIR TEMPORARY CHASER BLAISE ZABINI, SCORES AGAIN!" Zacharias Smith called out in his microphone. "I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS..."
And then, a mere second later:
"AND WHAT IS THAT? I THINK... DEAN THOMAS HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH! THAT MEANS THE GAME IS OVER!"
Ginny's heart stopped. Everybody in the air stopped moving. But the Slytherin player closest to Ginny grinned from ear to ear...
"THANKS TO BLAISE ZABINI'S LAST SCORE SLYTHERIN WINS WITH 10 POINTS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! 10 POINTS! THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE..."
Ginny just sat there on her broomstick, still in air, unable to move or even think despite hearing the thunder coming from somewhere above her.
It was over. Slytherin and Blaise Zabini had won. And she and Gryffindor had lost.
How do you make a time line haha
Ginny couldn't bring herself to return to the castle. The bare thought of having to face the fellow gryffindors, who'd probably consider her a complete failure for the next couple of weeks, made her feel slightly sick. There wouldn't be any celebration in the common room tonight, that was for sure...
Dean hadn't said a word when they got back to the changing room after the game was over, and he headed straight back to the school as soon as he'd left his broomstick. Ginny had no idea what to say to him, for what words could possibly make the disappointment disappear?
She stared absentmindedly at her shoes, not even bothering the rain that was pouring down and made her clothes, hair and face wet. She thought of Luna, of how she would have been able to convince Ginny that one lost quidditch match wasn't the end of the world. But Luna wasn't here now, and Ginny felt more hopeless than she ever had since that day when her friend disappeared. She swallowed.
She'd come to realize that being furious with Blaise Zabini for unconsciously distracting her during the game was tolerable. But what she couldn't accept was the anger and hatred she felt towards herself.
Because she shouldn't have let him get to her head in the first place. It wasn't worth it. And whatever had been going on between the two of them since December was now over. Because he didn't care about anything but winning, quidditch or not. It was all a great battle and for now, Ginny was losing.
Something that sounded like a twig breaking made her look up abruptly, and there he was. She stared at him, finding it hard to believe her eyes. Why wasn't he with his friends up at the school, celebrating that Slytherin still had a chance of winning the Quidditch Cup? Why was he here now? She didn't want him to be and yet she felt some strange sort of relief.
He was here. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe he did care... But what difference did it make?
"I'm sure you'll get a permanent spot on the team after this"
Her voice wasn't cold. Not happy. Nothing. It was just a statement and therefore it sounded like something he would say. Now, however, he seemed to be at a loss for words and just stared back at her. At that moment, Ginny wished more than ever before that she was able to read Blaise Zabini's thoughts.
"Say something"
It sounded desperate, like she was begging him. But she didn't care. She couldn't stand the confusion any longer, couldn't stand wondering why he always acted the way he did. Why she couldn't stay away from and ignore him no matter how much she wanted to.
Why he, of all people, had become important.
"I don't trust people"
His voice was quiet and he'd dropped her gaze. Ginny opened her mouth in surprise since this was not at all what she'd expected. She waited for him to continue and, addressing her shoes, he did:
"I don't... let people in. Because I've learned the hard way that if you stay cold, if you don't let people get too close, they don't end up hurting you"
She could tell on his voice, and the way it was now hard, that he spoke from experience. And suddenly, all hostility she'd recently felt towards him vanished. She stood there, empty, listening to his every word carefully.
"But I trust you"
He suddenly looked up and met her gaze. He seemed almost upset, like he was afraid of his own words. It was obvious that it took a lot for him to admit this.
Rain had never made her feel warmer.
"And I didn't leave the Room of Requirement because I wanted to" he said. "I left because I was afraid of what would happen when we got out. I'm supposed to hate you..."
He drifted off and without really thinking about it Ginny held her breath. Her heart pounded furiously and she was afraid, too. Afraid of what he might say and what it might do to her.
"But I can't"
She felt like crying, laughing and just disappearing at the same time. Now, she was the one at a loss for words. He didn't hate her. He couldn't. She wished she could say something, anything, but what? It was all too much to describe in words. She was just happy that he was standing there, telling her this.
"I'm sorry for the things I've put you through, Weasley" he said, looking down again. "For everything"
For what exactly? But she couldn't even ask him that. And when he turned around and left, Ginny stood like nailed to the ground, staring after him.
It wouldn't stop raining.
How do you make a time line haha
Ginny
I will be the one picking you up at King's Cross tomorrow and you'll get to spend the holiday with me and Fleur at our place. I hope you don't mind. It's all quite a long story and it's obviously not safe writing it in a letter, so I'll tell you everything when I see you tomorrow.
Be safe
Bill
Ginny had read the short letter, or more likely note, so many times that she knew it by heart. But that didn't stop her from staring at it when she, Neville and Madison boarded the Hogwarts Express to return home for Easter.
"What else could you possibly get out of that note?" Madison asked, rolling her eyes as they made their way through the train corridor to find an empty compartment. "You've read it at least a hundred times already!"
"I know" Ginny said. "I'm just worried, what if something's wrong? What if something's happened to..."
"It's probably just for safety reasons, I'm sure they're all okay" Neville said, nodding towards a compartment only occupied by two frightened looking first years. "Let's take this one, everywhere else is full"
Ginny did her best to really believe that Neville was right, but as soon as the train started moving and she leaned backwards in her seat, the worry returned. What could possibly have happened that made it impossible for her to return to the Burrow? And Fred and George's birthday was during the holidays, wouldn't she get to see them even then? She sighed, knowing that she'd have to manage the uncomfortable feeling in her chest for another couple of hours. Then, hopefully, Bill would bring her some good news.
Ginny was actually looking forward to staying with him and Fleur though, having loved their cottage ever since they first moved in. With the ocean and the constant peace so close by, she was always able to think clear. And she needed that more than ever now.
She hadn't told Madison, or anyone else, what Blaise had said to her after the quidditch match a week earlier.
But I trust you.
She hadn't talked to him since. In fact, she'd barely seen him at all and when she did they'd both looked away. It was as if they'd silently agreed on that now that she knew how he felt, they could go back to ignoring each other completely. And maybe it was all for the best.
"Excuse me..."
Her thoughts were interrupted by one of the first years' voices and as Ginny turned to look at the girl who'd spoken up her cheeks turned red.
"I... I'm just wondering... You're Ginny Weasley, aren't you?"
Ginny exchanged a quick glance with Neville and Madison, who both furrowed, before she turned back to the first year.
"Yeah, I am" she said slowly. "Why?"
Did this have something to do with the quidditch match and how poorly she'd played? Were the first years planning on telling her that they thought she should quit the team? She surely wouldn't blame them if they did...
These thoughs were probably the reason why Ginny was caught completely by surprise when the girl asked:
"You used to date Harry Potter, right?"
"What's that to you?" Madison snapped before Ginny had time to say anything and the first years both shrank in their seats.
Ginny gave her friend an angry glare.
"It's okay Madison, really" she said, almost feeling sorry for the first years. "And yes, I did"
She said the last part addressing the younger students, who both looked excited and curious.
"Do you know where he is now?" the boy, with messy blonde hair, wondered.
Ginny shook her head slightly, feeling just as miserable and disappointed as the first years now looked.
"No" she mumbled quietly. "No, I don't"
It suddenly hit her that with everything else that had been going on she hadn't really thought about Harry for weeks. What she'd been focusing on instead was schoolwork, re-starting Dumbledore's Army with Neville, quidditch, Luna and... well, Blaise Zabini.
She couldn't help smiling to herself as she turned to look out the window of the moving train. Of course, she still cared a lot for Harry and she wondered where he, Ron and Hermione were. But maybe she'd really managed to move on like she'd promised herself to a couple of months earlier.
Maybe she was really free.
How do you make a time line haha
As the hours passed by the landscape outside changed and Ginny could tell that London was not too far away now. She was just about to point this out to her friends but closed her mouth again when she looked at Neville. Just like herself, he kept staring out the window but he didn't seem to take in anything at all. In fact, he looked really sad and sighed heavily. Ginny furrowed.
"What's the matter Neville?" she asked worriedly. "Aren't you happy to go home and see your grandmother?"
Neville looked at Ginny and Madison, shrugging slightly.
"Sure..." he mumbled. "But I just... I can't stop thinking about Luna"
Ginny felt like someone kicked her in the stomach when she heard Neville's words. She, too, thought about Luna all the time but hearing that from someone else made the whole thing a lot worse. It got more real. She put her hand on Neville's arm.
"I know" she said softly. "So do I"
None of them said anything and luckily, the two first years had fallen asleep. Ginny could only imagine their questions like "Were you a friend of Luna Lovegood, that girl that disappeared?!" She couldn't stand that right now.
The somewhat uncomfortable and gloomy silence was interrupted only seconds later when Madison said:
"Is it just me or is something off about Draco Malfoy? He looks as if the world is about to end these days..."
Ginny and Neville both raised their eyebrows in surprise by the change of subject but then followed their friend's gaze, that rested on the door leading into their compartment. Just outside was Draco Malfoy, talking to Pansy. Madison was right; he did not look happy. He seemed even paler than usual, his hair looked messy like he'd just gotten out of bed and his eyes were... empty. Not to mention the dark circles under them...
"As if the world is about to end..." Ginny quoted her friend dryly. "Well that's ironic, considering everything that's going on..."
She couldn't bring herself to feel sorry for him, even if it would come to her knowledge that he was feeling really bad about something. Blaise was one thing, but Malfoy? He was just vial. Always had been, always would be.
"Yeah I guess so..." Madsion mumbled, still not taking her eyes off Malfoy. "But seriously though, what's his problem? Shouldn't he be all happy and celebrating now that they won the quidditch match last week? Oh, sorry Ginny!"
Ginny had, without thinking about it, buried her face in her hands when Madison mentioned the match. The thought of Dean's disappointed face still made her feel really bad.
"Don't mention that, please..." she muttered and then, mostly to get Madison to stop discussing quidditch, she added:
"Maybe beating Gryffindor isn't enough... Can't be too enjoying to be a death eater at all times, can it? I guess Vol... I mean You-know-who is quite stressed out since Harry is still on free foot"
She'd seen her friends' horrified face expressions and stopped herself last minute from using the name "Voldemort". She'd heard rumours that the name itself summoned death eaters but she was so used to it, having spent so much time with Harry who used it just like any other name.
"He's gone" Neville said quietly, interrupting her thoughts.
Ginny turned to face the compartment door again. Neville was right; the corridor seemed to be completely empty now.
"Speaking of which, have you heard anything from..." Madison started but Ginny interrupted her quickly:
"No, I haven't"
Somehow, she knew for sure who Madison was referring to. And it wasn't Harry, Ron or Hermione... They both fell silent, Madison staring at her friend confusedly.
"What?" Neville asked suspiciously. "Haven't heard anything from who?"
What Madison was trying to say with her eyes was clear: Didn't you tell him? And no, Ginny didn't. Madison was a girl, but how could she possibly tell Neville that she'd been dancing with Blaise Zabini in the Room of Requirement? It sounded mad. Completely mad.
"Uh... Harry!" Madison said, smiling at Neville. "I was just... curious to know if she'd heard anything from him! I know she doesn't know where he is but he might have sent her a short note, saying that he's okay..."
Neville didn't look entirely convinced but didn't say anything. Ginny was grateful.
Only a couple of minutes later the Hogwarts Express had reached platform 9 and 3/4 and Ginny, Neville and Madison made sure to wake up the first years before getting their trunks and leaving the train.
"GINNY!"
Ginny turned around sharply and through all white smoke and students looking for their parents she spotted Bill, grinning widely and waving. Fleur was by his side. After Ginny had said goodbye to Neville and Madison she hurried over to them, hugging them both tightly.
"Oh Ginny!" Fleur exclaimed. "It is zo good to zee you!"
"You too Fleur!" Ginny said, actually meaning it. "And I'm so glad that I get to stay with the two of you, but why? What's wrong with the Burrow?"
"Not here..." Bill muttered. "You never know who might be listening, we'll explain it all as soon as we're home"
"Can you at least tell me that they're all all right?" Ginny asked, feeling her heart pounding faster than normal since she was so worried. "I mean, nothing has happened to any of them right?"
"They're all fine" Bill replied calmly as they started making their way towards the barrier, the entrance to the muggle world waiting outside.
"And you couldn't just have told me that in the letter?" Ginny muttered. "Do you have any idea how worried I've been?"
"I didn't want to risk giving anything away. The Ministry is controlled by You-know-who and they pick up owls all the time..."
But Ginny had stopped listening. Through the corner of her eye, for she didn't dare to look directly at him, she spotted Blaise with a woman she'd never seen before. Judging from her beauty and the way she kissed his cheek, Ginny assumed that it was his mother.
But she looked cold as ice. And Blaise didn't look even the slightest happy to see her.