Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I write for entertainment purposes only and not for pay.

Author's Note: Back again with the next entry into this story for your viewing pleasure. Thank you for the reviews you've sent my way! I will hopefully get back to writing on a more regular schedule soon, and I have great plans for where this story will go. And special thanks for those of you who found me via the Reddit thread!

Prisoner 79934: Ginevra Weasley

-A Harry Potter Story-

By: Rae

The door clanged shut behind the Dementors as they left her hall, and Ginny sobbed quietly in her cell. She woke up from her reverie curled into a ball, lying on her side, her back pressed against the far wall. It had been a chilling moment as she awoke to the sound of her own voice whimpering from the memories she'd experienced.

Now she carefully uncurled from her fetal position, wincing in pain as she realized how tightly her muscles had been clenched in fear. Stretching all the way out on her back, she lay with her arms now stretched overhead. Closing her eyes, she did something that had always been her comfort as a child in a home with too many other people.

Stretching out as long as she could, Ginny silently counted to ten, breathing in and out rhythmically as she did so. Then she relaxed her muscles, allowing her arms and legs to splay out however they liked. She lay there and breathed again, counting to ten. Following that count, she pulled her legs into her chest, hugging them close and rocking side to side as she said a mantra she'd created to deal with her large family years ago: "I am important. I am loved. I am here. I am me."

Finishing her quiet mantra, she rolled onto her side and pushed into a seated position. The breathing had helped her to calm her still-racing heart, and she now felt more centered than she had moments before. Ginny began rolling her shoulders out, noting how tensely she was still carrying them.

For the next several moments, she allowed her mind to wander back to her memories. She delved into that particular memory that had her traveling to the girls' lavatory, excited to see what special secret Tom had in store for her that night. Ginny had stepped into the deserted lavatory, looking over her shoulder to make sure no one had followed her, but when she arrived, she realized there was nothing special about the room. It was just a toilet, like all the others.

She'd felt a sense of disappointment as she looked around the deserted room. Sure, it was the only lavatory haunted by a ghost, but no one liked Moaning Myrtle anyway. She looked around to make sure Myrtle wasn't lurking somewhere about, waiting to ambush the next unwary victim. Ginny sighed and then went over to look at herself in the mirror.

Remembering this made her cringe as she held a hand up to her cheeks the way she'd done that distant day past. She pressed her hands into her cheeks, imagining herself staring into the mirror and thinking of all her features, those things that made her a Weasley and therefore no one special or interesting. She was one of many, a person whose entire life was going to be spent following in the footsteps of her brothers. Ginny pressed her hands up and down her cheeks now, letting memory guide her movements as she thought about the way she'd stared into the mirror then, criticizing her red hair and the shape of her nose.

Even then it was all about how she'd never be her own person. Ginny cringed as she thought of those moments and how she'd poured out her fears to Tom.

"Look at me now, Tom," she said to the silence of her cell. "I'm finally different from my family." She gave a dry chuckle with no real mirth behind it. "I don't suppose anyone in the family's been in Azkaban before. You got me my wish."

Balling her hands into fists, she scrubbed at her eyes, refusing to cry. Her family would be here to see her soon anyway. She needed to save her tears so they didn't worry about her.

The door opened then, and she heard the clunk of booted feet approaching. Ginny stood up to see who was approaching and was watching as Dirk stepped up to the cell. He surveyed her for a moment before taking out his wand.

"Your family's here to see you," he said blandly. "Stand back now while I unlock your cell."

Ginny was already pressed against the back of the cell and stayed still, alert as he waved a complicated pattern before muttering something under his breath she couldn't quite hear. With a click the cell bars magically melted into nothingness. She blinked, not quite believing her eyes. Then she stepped forward in wonder.

Dirk noticed her gaze and nodded. "'s a neat trick, innit? Only a guard can do it, though, so don't get no ideas." He chuckled as he watched her move slowly and then leaned toward her conspiratorially. "Trick's in the wand, though, innit? Only a guard's wand can perform the charm, and that way no one can come in and break prisoners out all willy nilly like. Now, c'mon, we got to get to your meeting room. You only get an hour after all."

They walked through the prison together, and Ginny got her first taste of what life in Azkaban was like for the poor unfortunate souls that were grouped in the main prison floors. Wending their way in and out of corridors, Ginny stayed close at Dirk's back, fearful of the sounds emanating from the cells they passed. For his part, Dirk seemed immune to the sights and sounds of prisoners acting out as he walked.

She looked around as they walked and found herself peering into different cells. In one she saw a wizard who looked as if he must have been there a very long time. His hair was white, and he was unshaven with a beard to rival Albus Dumbledore. He was muttering to himself but stopped as the guard came into view and stared malevolently at the two passing him. Ginny shivered and looked away.

In another cell a witch was seated, her arms gesticulating wildly as she performed complicated spells, speaking rapidly. She didn't notice the two as they passed, and Ginny turned away from her, too. Then they turned a corner to another hall, and as they reached the first cell, Ginny shrieked in shock when a wild-haired wizard raced at the cell bars, screaming and waving his hands wildly in fury. Dirk sped up, and Ginny kept close to him, uncomfortably aware of her lack of a wand.

He stayed silent as he walked, and Ginny quickly decided not to look to the right or left as they walked through the endless maze of prison passageways. They finally turned to a hall that seemed to have no cells in it, and Ginny chanced to look around. Instead of cell bars, there were solid doors without windows, all closed. They approached one, and Dirk opened the door to reveal a sterile white room that blinded her with the bright warmth of the light inside. Ginny breathed in softly, her eyes adjusting to the scene before her.

"Ginny!" Her mother's voice arrested her attention from the large windows that stood opposite the door. Sunlight streamed through them, and Ginny realized it must be nearly noon. Her mother stood behind a table that was placed front and center in the room. It looked like she'd leapt from her seat when Ginny entered the room.

Ginny rushed toward the table, but Dirk grabbed her arm abruptly halting her progress. "Prisoners sit here," he said, indicating a chair on the opposite side of the table. "No contact with the visitors or they'll have to leave. You sit here and talk the whole time or you can cut things short if you need to." Nodding to a chair in the corner, he said, "I'll be here."

With his brief instructions completed, Dirk let go of her arm, and Ginny rushed to the table, pulling the chair out and sitting down quickly. She barely heard the guard walk to his chair as she stared eagerly at her parents and brothers. Aside from Bill and Charlie, they were all there, sitting crowded together opposite her, and Ginny ached to go to her mother for a hug. She felt tears build behind her eyes and tried to stop them from falling.

"Ginny, dear, how are you?" Her mother was wringing her hands, seeming unsure what to do with them when not in habitual motion. Ginny drank up the sight of her, wild red hair framing her face, cheeks red, watery eyes, and the homespun clothing she wore around the house, a green cloak over the ensemble.

"I'm okay," she said softly, suddenly aware of Dirk behind her.

"They're not treating you badly, are they?" Her father asked her in a choked voice. Ginny looked at him, taking in his red hair that was thinning on top of his head, the peaked wizard's cap he wore that was so ubiquitous of how she saw him. Tears stood in his eyes as he looked at her, and she saw that his hands rested on the table, his knuckles white from clenching his fists.

Ginny shook her head, not sure what to say as she remembered the visit from the Dementors that morning.

"Hey Gin, you met any of the other prisoners yet?" George asked her with a half-grin on his face.

"I hear you can learn all sorts of charms here," Fred added jokingly. He laughed lamely, trying to cheer up the rest of the quiet family there.

"Fred," his mother said warningly, and the twins went silent.

"Just joking, Mum," Fred said softly, casting his face down.

Molly reached over and ruffled Fred's hair, saying, "I know, dear. We're all just so…," she cast a quick look at Ginny then, "upset...by what's happened." Her voice trailed off and she reached her hands to the middle of the table, only to pull them back when Dirk shifted in his seat loudly.

"Ginny," Percy started, looking directly at her, his tone business-like, "I just want to say it's nice to see you're doing so well-" he cut off when one of the twins let out a snort. "But, well, this business with the Chamber of Secrets, well… it's put me in a difficult position, you see." Percy cleared his throat to continue, oblivious to the stares of his younger brothers. "As a Hogwarts Prefect, I feel it sets a bad example to the younger students if I show any preferential treatment to my criminal sister-"

"Percy!" Molly shrieked in horror as Fred and George's stares turned into glares.

"Well, Mother," Percy said matter-of-factly, looking now at her and avoiding eye contact with Ginny, "as you know, I'm hoping to be Head Boy next year, and I simply can't let the example of my younger sister smear my record at school. So," he took a deep breath and faced Ginny, "I hope you'll understand if I don't return to visit you with our parents. I need to make sure I'm not seen in a negative light, you see. You understand, don't you, Ginny?" He spoke this last part quickly before his family could interrupt.

"Percy, you prat!" Fred said, lunging past Ron to try and land a fist on his older brother. Percy shoved back from the table quickly as Ron tried to maneuver out of the way.

"What's wrong, Perce?" George asked furiously. "Upset because someone else in the family's more interesting than you? Mad that your little sister's going to be more famous than you?"

"Why'd you have to go and be such a ginormous prat, Percy?" Ron added in now, looking slightly mollified when the twins gave him approving looks.

Ginny quickly butted in before things could get more out of control. "It's fine, Percy," she said, swallowing hard as a lump formed in her throat. Her brothers went silent and turned to look at her in surprise. Shaking her head to hide her shame, she said, "No, really. I'd rather you not come if you don't want to see me anyway. I need some good news."

"Oh Ginny dear, of course you do," Molly now said, reaching forward and then pulling her hands back quickly. Shooting Percy a nasty look, she said, "Well, there's not much news yet, but the Headmaster is hard at work trying to prevent the Wizengamot from expelling you!" She smiled weakly. "He says it might take some time, but he'll see it gets done, I'm sure of it." She turned a watery gaze on Ginny and stopped speaking.

"How's Harry?" Ginny quickly asked Ron, hoping to prevent her mom from crying. She didn't think she could take it.

"He's good," Ron told her. "He had to go back to his aunt and uncle's after the trial ended, but he said he'd be writing letters to the Ministry to try and get them on your side." His face fell as he added, "If the Muggles will let him use Hedwig, anyway."

"We won't stop trying to free you, Ginny," her father now said, looking fierce. "I've got a few friends at the Ministry who believe you're innocent, and they've all promised to help me find leads on any laws that we can use to get you out." His eyes were tired, but he smiled at her.

"Yeah Gin, we won't let anyone say anything bad about you at school," Fred added, glaring at Percy. "So when you get back, you won't have anything to worry about."

"Right," George continued for his twin, "and anyone who says anything about you will get a hex from us." He leaned forward to glare more fiercely at Percy. "Maybe a good bat bogey hex. That was always your favorite, right?"

"Bill and Charlie send their love," Her mum interjected now, leaning into the table. "They both had to get straight back to work after the trial and couldn't stay. You know Bill was sent to Egypt recently for Gringotts. And, of course, Charlie has that baby of his back in Romania that needs his care, but they both send their love and said they'll write."

Now looking a bit ruffled, Molly scowled into the corner at Dirk and told Ginny, "I tried to bring you a bite of something to eat, but he," she emphasized with a jerk of her head, "said prisoners weren't allowed any gifts."

"But we're very grateful to be able to visit," Arthur hurried to say, nudging his wife. "We'll be back every month, Ginny. Every month. And we'll write you." He looked like he wanted to say more, but a movement from the corner stopped him.

"Time's up," Dirk announced, standing up. "Time to go, Heir of Slytherin."

Molly bristled. "She is not the Heir of Slytherin," she said angrily.

"It's okay, Mum," Ginny said, standing up and hoping to leave on a positive note. "I guess I'll see you next month," she continued lamely as Dirk stepped up and took hold of her arm. He turned her around, and she looked over her shoulder, suddenly panicked as she was led out the door.

"We love you, Ginny! We're going to get you out of-" The calls cut off as Dirk slammed the door behind him.

The walk back to her cell went faster than the walk to the meeting room as she contemplated every moment of her visit with her family. When Dirk left her, she sat on the pallet, curling her legs up to rest her chin on her knees as she took in the time she'd spent with her parents and brothers.

Ginny cried herself to sleep that night.