A short chapter, with the youngest Weasley after another tragedy.

GINNY V

"AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!"

"Ah!"

Ginny ran away from the large beasts that just jumped from behind a huge statue representing a knight. From behind, she heard Fred laughing hard.

"Come on, Ginny. It's only a joke."

But Ginny didn't stop running. Fred and George had spent the last two days surprising her by coming out of nowhere, wearing costumes made of furs, boils and teeth which scared her at every turn. She was afraid of her own shadow now. Her twin brothers were often very funny, but she would have liked them to be more like Percy right now.

It was Friday, last day of the week. It had been two days since Colin Creevey was found Petrified, late in the evening. Colin had been the one sitting next to her in Charms. He told her both his parents were Muggles. Ginny should have thought that it could happen. The Chamber of Secrets was supposed to shelter a monster who targeted Muggle-born students. Hermione said so in front of Ginny while consulting a history book on Hogwarts. Ginny should have warned Colin to be more careful.

The worst was that, like when Mrs Norris was assaulted, Ginny had no memory of that evening. She thought she remembered taking her dinner in the Great Hall, alone. Well, at least she thought that she remembered. But she wasn't sure if she remembered leaving the Great Hall. She wasn't sure where she went after that. She had talked about it with Tom in the last evening. He tried to reassure her, but Ginny was beginning to think she was mad. She had found feathers on her robes one morning, and she had no idea how they got there. Tom told her she should talk with Harry, that her worries about him were probably what made her feel so confused. She had to let him reassure her.

Ginny wasn't the only who was about to go crazy. All her comrades walked in the corridors in small groups, afraid that they might be the next victim. Even Harry didn't seem very happy. He should have been, after his victory against Slytherin for the first Quidditch match. Ginny had attended the game from the students' bench for the first time, and Harry's catch had been even more impressive than the first time. She was worried during the match, as the rogue Bludger went after him. She told herself that if he managed to get through a match with an uncontrollable broomstick, he could survive a Bludger that was only targeting him, but she had been afraid all the same, especially when the iron ball did hit him, breaking his arm. She was among the crowd that ran to him after he caught the Snitch and watched Hermione destroy the Bludger before it hit Harry who was now on the ground.

The celebrations in the Gryffindor Tower had been one of Ginny's best moments in Hogwarts so far. She wanted to congratulate Harry for his play, but she didn't dare, and remained as far away from him as possible while the party was going on in the common room. She spent nearly an hour describing the match to Tom that evening. The diary seemed very excited about it himself.

But now, Harry's humor had soured since Colin was Petrified. Ginny had found Colin a little annoying, truth be told. It was obvious that Harry himself wasn't pleased with the photos Colin took of him. Still, Colin had been kind enough to give her a photo of Harry during the Quidditch match. It was dipped into a potion that made Harry move on it as he flew after the Golden Snitch. Ginny had hidden the photo under her pillow, hoping no one else would see it.

Ginny was sad about what happened to Colin. She and Harry were not the only ones to be sad about it, or to be afraid. Not only first-years, but even older students, especially those who happened to have Muggle parents, and even Neville Longbottom, one of Harry's and Ron's friends, panicked. When Ginny arrived in the Great Hall to take her breakfast, it was obvious the general ambiance was not one for cheering. She spotted Ron and Percy sitting together. Harry and Hermione were not there, which was strange considering both usually hung out with Ron. Ginny decided to sit next to them for once, since Harry was not around.

Ron only seemed to notice her when she sat close to him.

"Hey, Ginny." His expression changed immediately. He looked at her as if Ginny had buttons all over her face. "You're looking so pale. What's going on with you?"

"Leave her alone, Ronald," Percy said. She was glad that Percy was there, for a moment, since he then broached the subject she dreaded the most. "Don't worry, Ginny. They're going to reanimate Colin, just like Mrs Norris. The same thing will not happen to you. Unlike Colin, you don't wander in the corridors late in the evening."

Ginny didn't answer as she put some marmalade on her toasts. She didn't want Percy to know that she had been out there too that night. She had gone to watch Harry train with the rest of the Gryffindor team, only a few days after their game. Now she remembered. That was where she was that evening when Colin was assaulted. She even remembered seeing him in the stands like her.

"Yes," Ron added. "Harry said it scared the hell out of him when he found Colin."

Ginny missed as she was spreading the marmalade on the bread, toppling the pot containing it. "Harry? He's the one who found Colin?"

"Yes. He was coming back from their practice when he stumbled on Colin who was lying on the floor. And the worst in all that, it's that Filch was following the traces of mud Harry left behind him, and he found Harry over Colin's immobile body. He started to accuse him. He says now that it's Harry who Petrified Mrs Norris and Colin."

"Ridiculous," Percy stated. "Harry doesn't have the knowledge or powers to Petrify someone. Even I couldn't do it, and I'm a Prefect in my sixth year."

"Anyway, Harry would never do such a thing," Ron stated.

"I totally agree with you, Ron."

Ginny didn't know it was Harry who found Colin. "But... How can Filch believe it was Harry who Petrified Mrs Norris?" she asked in disbelief. "I mean, he was at Godric's Hollow the night it happened, with this mother. Wasn't he?"

"Yes, he was," Ron confirmed. "But Filch has the intelligence of a Cornish pixie. No, Cornish pixies are bright in comparison to him."

"Ron, be more respectful of the school's staff," Percy reminded him.

"Why? You think Filch respects us? By the way, did you know that Filch was a Squib?"

"Filch is a Squib?" Percy seemed quite surprised on this one. "Well, I wasn't aware of that. Though now that you say it, I'm not surprised. It explains why I never saw him use magic or a wand."

"Maybe that's the reason why Mrs Norris was attacked first. She is the cat of a Squib, after all. I suppose that for Slytherin's heir, a Squib is just as bad as a Muggle-born wizard."

"We don't even know if this is the work of Slytherin's heir."

"You have to admit it looks like it. If you want my opinion, Percy..."

"Ron, Ginny is here. I think we've talked enough about this. There's no need to hear about more theories on Slytherin's heir. You'll just give her more nightmares than she already has."

They were almost talking as if she wasn't there. Ginny wasn't sure if she liked it better than Fred and George bursting from everywhere to make her jump. What was worse? Be acknowledged and scared, or left alone but ignored?

"Where is Harry, by the way?" Ginny asked.

"At the library, with Hermione. They wanted me to come with them, but I wanted to savor my breakfast. I guess they are trying to find out why Harry is hear..."

Ron didn't finish his sentence. He stopped in the middle. Percy didn't seem to bother with what Ron had been saying, but Ginny did. "Why Harry is what?"

"Nothing. It's nothing."

Ginny knew her brother enough to know that he was lying. He had the same reaction when he was caught stealing something in the kitchen or doing something he wasn't supposed to. Ginny wanted to press him with questions, but she thought better. Instead, she pretended that she had forgotten one of the many books for her Defence Against the Dark Arts class she had this morning, which wasn't difficult to believe considering the number they had, and left the Gryffindor table early, her toast still in her hand.

She finished it quickly and found herself in the library pretty soon. After over two months at Hogwarts, she knew her way around quite well. Ginny wanted to ask Harry if he noticed anything strange around Colin when he found him. Surely, he would tell her if she asked. So far, Harry had always been very nice with her.

She didn't see him when she walked into the library. The place was vast, so she began searching. And then, she heard his voice. Ginny was walking between two shelves when she heard him on her right.

"Have you found anything about a monster who could Petrify people?"

Ginny froze in her track. A moment before, she wanted to ask Harry about Colin, but now that she was close to him... What did she think? She couldn't stay in the same room where he was, let alone speak to him.

"Nothing." The frustrated voice of Hermione reached Ginny's ears. "And I can't find any explanation about these voices you're hearing."

"There has to be something. I mean, I hear a voice, I follow it, and I end up stumbling on Colin's body. Why?"

Ginny dared even less to speak. She knew it wasn't good to listen to other people talking behind closed doors or whenever their conversation was meant to be private, like it obviously was in this case, but she couldn't bring herself to move.

"I don't know, Harry," Hermione replied, obviously discouraged. "I mean, it could be a coincidence... But it is strange... Very unlikely."

"Do you think I should have told McGonagall about it?"

"No, Harry. We are wizards. Even in this universe, hearing voices is a bad sign. But you're saying it wasn't the first time you heard the voice?"

"No, it wasn't. The first time must have been not long before Halloween. I think I heard it maybe two other times before I found Colin."

"I don't see what it can be. But it is probably better if professors don't start thinking you are crazy. We better go now. The classes will begin soon."

Ginny wanted to move, but she couldn't. She was in an isolated section of the library. That must have been why Harry and Hermione chose this place to discuss in low voices. Only, the section was so silent that Ginny managed to hear distinctly everything they said. And now she was paralyzed by the idea of getting caught because she would make noises by moving, or by the idea of getting caught by staying there, unmoving, and that Harry and Hermione would find her when they walked between those shelves where she stood.

She was afraid for nothing though, because they seemed to have taken another route to leave the library. As a result, Ginny remained at the same place, her legs refusing to move for a very long time. She arrived late at her Defence Against the Dark Arts class, but Professor Lockhart didn't seem to care, or even to notice, as he was telling them about the time he was cornered into a telephone box by a werewolf.

Ginny barely listened for the whole duration of the class. Many students didn't listen just like her, including Luna Lovegood who sat next to Ginny. The place next to Luna was the only one left when Ginny had walked into the class. Luna, who everyone had taken the habit of calling Loony, was staring at the ceiling as Lockhart detailed how he caught the werewolf.

However, today, Ginny didn't listen because her mind was occupied by other thoughts. She thought about Colin who was Petrified. Maybe she should pay him a visit at the infirmary. There was also this discussion between Harry and Hermione she spied on. She hadn't meant to spy, really, but she heard what they said nonetheless. Harry said that he heard voices when he found Colin, and also before, and that these voices led him to Colin. What did it mean? How could Harry hear voices leading him to victims? Well, he was Harry Potter, so maybe he somehow could hear things that others couldn't. It sounded ridiculous the way she thought about it. Even Harry didn't seem to understand all that himself.

Ginny kept turning all these thoughts within her mind. She was trying to remember where exactly she was that evening. She remembered going to the Quidditch practice. She wanted to see Harry play again, while she still could. Winter was coming, and players would stop going to the stadium soon. However, when she tried to remember the moment she left the stadium, she couldn't succeed. Just like for Halloween, there were blanks in her memory. There were other times she couldn't remember what she had been doing for a few hours as well, especially outside of the class hours. She really wasn't feeling well. She almost fell asleep in the classroom.

They didn't have flying courses this afternoon, due to the weather. It was raining outside. After taking a small lunch, she went back to the common room. She was planning on sleeping, hoping it would make her feel better. She looked at Harry a little during lunch, wondering if she should ask him about these voices he heard. But she lacked the necessary courage and headed for the Gryffindor Tower without having spoken to anybody.

She walked in the corridor leading to the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

George came out from behind another statue, covered with boils. Ginny squealed and almost ran into the Fat Lady. She gave her the password and took refuge into her dormitory. She climbed into her bed and took her diary. She was no longer afraid.

"I hate my brothers!" she wrote right away. Now, Ginny was angry.

What have they done this time?

She wrote everything to Tom. He was the only one who seemed to understand her.

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Next chapter: Ron