Disclaimer: Don't know if I'm supposed to do this, but characters and world belong to J.K. Rowling, and the rest is mine mine mine. HA.
This chapter has been updated with the help of my wonderful Beta Buddy Queen of Loopholes!
Many thanks
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Ginny sighed as she looked up to Hogwarts castle. She knew that this year would be the hardest of all as Harry, Hermione and Ron had all completed their studies and left. It wasn't so much Harry and Hermione's absence that upset her, it was the first time in her life she didn't have any of her family with her. She felt utterly alone. To make the situation more foreign she had quite the surprise on the last week of summer when receiving her book list for the upcoming school year.
"Ginny! Pig just delivered your Hogwarts letter… GINNY!"
Molly Weasley's voice twisted and turned around the Burrow until reaching Ginny's room. Ginny trudged down the numerous flights of stairs dragging her feet behind her with an enormous pout on her face. As her mother turned to face her, Molly couldn't help but chuckle.
"You look quite similar to that time the twins decided to make you Keeper for a day. If I do recall correctly, that's what made you become an excellent Chaser."
Ginny groaned in reply as she dropped herself sidelong onto one of the chairs flinging her leg over the side. She ripped the seal off her letter and began to read.
'Ginny Weasley congratulations on your appointment as Head Girl.'
Ginny gasped. Molly eyed her but decided to stay quiet as she magically whisked some eggs. After a few minutes, Molly placed a large stack of pancakes in front of Ginny and drizzled it with icing sugar and honey. She then noticed that Ginny still hadn't moved or spoken a word.
"My, my, I'm sure I don't know where you got this dramatic attitude of yours from. Eat up; we need to be going to Diagon Alley soon. I was thinking that this year we would treat you to some new robes and books."
Bewildered, Ginny slowly looked up into her mum's cinnamon eyes which she shared.
"Oh Ginny, you know you're our youngest and this is your final year! I was hoping that you could get some of the things you've had to go without for so long."
Ginny inhaled a gulp of air.
"Mum, as it turns out I seem to have been chosen to be Head Girl."
Molly stared equally as bewildered as Ginny, her mouth gaping open, a clash of a bowl was heard as it dropped to the floor spilling batter everywhere.
Ginny still felt slightly offended at her mother's reaction from that day, was it that crazy she was going to be Head Girl? During the sorting ceremony she kept zoning out. She thought about what her family were doing at that moment while she was still at Hogwarts. They were probably living it up somewhere loving their school-and-Voldemort-free lives. Mum was probably washing up and telling George to help clean up or move out. Ron would have been watching them and smiling, and Dad would have just arrived from the Ministry around now. Fred was gone. She took a moment to remember her brother that was now lost to her forever. A feeling made itself known to Ginny in the pit of her stomach. She missed him terribly. Suddenly, a hand that belonged to Headmistress McGonagall pulled her out of her daze as it firmly tapped her shoulder. She shot Ginny a frustrated look.
"Watch where you're going Miss Weasley. You wouldn't be the first student that went missing for good from a simple lack of spatial awareness. Merlin knows what lurks in this castle."
Ginny nodded and noted to pay more attention to what was happening around her. She had missed the entire sorting ceremony and couldn't even remember if she had eaten. Her stomach gave a soft growl oh no I forgot to eat she thought. Ginny scrunched up her face and whimpered.
McGonagall cocked her eyebrow and gave Ginny an inquisitive stare from the corner of her eye. Clearly Ginny was going to have a difficult year without her friends. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to make her Head Girl. But given the current circumstances McGonagall knew it was the only way. Choosing Ginny as Head Girl was a risky move with little support from the rest of the teaching staff and students. Luckily she had the last say and what was done was now done, there was no turning back.
"Miss Weasley, in life we sometimes find meaning in the strangest of places. I don't want to see you treating this year as insignificant because your friends are not with you. You have a great responsibility to the students and this school and I do not wish to be disappointed. If you ever need to discuss your duties or anything else, you may always come to me my dear."
Ginny took this moment to meet the Headmistresses gaze and gave her a clear nod.
"I won't let you down Headmistress. But just out of curiosity, I thought my new room would be in a different section of the castle not in the wing near the dungeons?"
"Yes, you are quite right. In previous years your quarters would have been closer to Gryffindor tower however last year there was some problem with the plumbing and so we thought you would appreciate a working shower throughout the year."
Knowing it was time to leave before Ginny began to ask her any more questions she didn't want to answer the Headmistress took a sharp left turn and disappeared leaving Ginny all alone.
Oh bother this year was going to be impossible. With all the responsibilities of Head Girl and final year on her shoulders and with the sense that it all felt meaningless now that the war was over, she slowly made her way to her new private rooms.
She said the password ("Phoenix Feathers") to a portrait of a dashing knight that she suspected may have been Lancelot, Galahad or another knight from the round table. Galahad leaned on his sword and gave her a suggestive wink before swinging open. With her loneliness clinging to her, Ginny aimlessly walked into her new quarters.
'Quarters' was certainly the correct term for what she was standing in- it was enormous! It had extremely high ceilings with tapestries hung up along the walls depicting scenes of King Arthur and knights, some of the walls had fleur-de-lis looking wallpaper in pale yellow, and the sofas and armchairs were all a rich mahogany. Some were soft leather and others trimmed with velvet in rich royal green and others in red. The fireplace was something to behold. Roaring, the fire was already lit as it seemed to be draftier in this area of the castle at this time of year. It was made from dark speckled marble and went all the way up to Ginny's chest. A painting rested on the floor near the fireplace slightly taller than Ginny herself. In it was a scene of a nymph holding grapes that looked ready to burst they were so ripe. She was naked and running from someone. Ginny's eyes were wide with wonder this is just incredible!
The burrow didn't have the same type of luxury, not even close. In fact neither did the rest of Hogwarts, this room was particularly flashier than any she had seen before. She started to understand why some people were so materialistic, to be surrounded by such art and beauty everyday would certainly be a pleasure to the mind and body. Ginny ran her fingers along one of the smooth leather couches when her eyes fluttered to the large Persian carpet that looked like it may have been resting on that floor since the castle had been built in 993 A.D by Godric Gryffindor himself. Knowing a little about Persian carpets from a book she had borrowed off Hermione three summers ago. Ginny knew though not all Persian carpets could be used to fly, the older they were the more expensive they were and even new ones were much more than her family could afford. Getting immediately overwhelmed from her surroundings Ginny rushed into the bathroom, threw off her boots, cape and the rest of her clothes to the floor and hopped into the strawberry scented bath closing her eyes.
Feeling revived and slightly more optimistic of the year ahead, Ginny wrapped her towel around herself and stepped into her room. But in one swoop her optimism left her. Draco Malfoy had made himself quite comfortable on her bed.
"Well, well, what do we have here? Who would have thought they'd implement a delivery service so soon, why don't you come here and we can get started?"
The entire time Draco held his smirk in place as he propped himself up on the bed in one refined move.
Ginny froze. She had no idea what to do. She then noticed that his pallor was more extreme than she had ever seen and that it was difficult to directly focus on him unless he was completely still.
"You're a ghost!" she yelled cupping her hands over her mouth on shock.
"And you're annoying, what's your exact point?" He began to inspect his finger as though it was far more fascinating than her standing in front of him half-naked.
Ginny had never been one to control her temper, especially when it involved people she passionately disliked.
"I don't care what you're doing here, or how you got yourself killed but I do care that you've conveniently shoved your ungrateful, pampered and lopsided ass on MY bed and I want you out. Get out of my bed, out of my room and out of my quarters. Go find somewhere else to haunt like all of the other respectable ghosts in the castle!"
Ginny couldn't think of a worse scenario to be in, not only was she alone, but the only person that had ever made her feel insignificant, poor and stupid was in her room and she had no idea what it would take to get him out.
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Hi all, I originally wrote this chapter in 2010 and felt that it needed a revamp as it was not very consistent with the rest of the story. I hope that it does not cause anyone distress and please review! I appreciate all feedback I can get. Especially with spelling and grammar.