The Scar **Expanded Version** Category: Books » Harry Potter Censor: PG-13 Genre: Romance/Action/Adventure Chapters: 4 Reviews: 91 Author: Firebolt909 Font Size: Bigger (+) - Smaller (-) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Next Chapter ( 2 ) » ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A/N: For those of you who have just received an author alert from me, and are now thinking “What the hell? We read this one already!” This would be the expanded version of “The Scar.” This was the first story I wrote that actually had a bit of a plot to it and at the time, I wasn’t as comfortable with writing as I am now and wrote the first version in a hurry. I want to correct that and make this one a bit longer. I also wanted to delve a bit deeper into the story especially with Ginny’s character since I’ve come to understand her more through working on “Dear Tom…” which ironically enough, was inspired by a short paragraph in this story. So, this is the new version. The old version is now deleted, and you guys have no idea how hard that was to do, especially since I had so many wonderful reviews for that, but I’m sure that everyone will like this just as well, if not better. Thanks and enjoy! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Scar Expanded Version Firebolt909 Rating: PG-13 Chapter One: Le Mort D’Arthure Ginny Weasley brushed back a lock of bright red hair from where the wind had blown it across her face and concentrated on the drawing in front of her. It was a beautiful late-summer morning and she was in the glen near her house watching her brothers and Harry Potter practice Quidditch. Actually, if the truth were known, she was drawing them on her sketchpad that she brought out, rather than watching them. “Looks nice. One of your best, I’d say,” said a voice above her. Ginny held her hand over her eyes to shade them from the sun as she gazed up at her friend and her brother Ron’s girlfriend, Hermione Granger. “Thanks,” Ginny replied, looking up at the hovering figures hundreds of feet above them as they swooped, glided, and zoomed in the sky. “Although,” Hermione said, grinning as she took a seat next to Ginny on the warm green grass, “One would never know that there were actually four players up there, since you’ve only drawn one so far.” Hermione was referring to the sketch Ginny was drawing, where Harry Potter was captured, his arms reaching out to catch the apple that had been bewitched to look like the Golden Snitch. Ginny drew back from her work, comparing the representation with the reality. She had captured Harry’s expression exactly as she saw him; the intense look of concentration, the furrowed brow, the way he bit his lip just as he reaches out to grab the Snitch, the look of triumph in his forest green eyes when he closes his fingers around it. “Oh, if only he knew he was the object of such artistry!” Hermione sighed, giggling. In spite of herself, Ginny laughed along with her friend. If only he knew, period, Ginny thought. Ginny had been in love with Harry ever since her first year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was just about to start her sixth year there and she had become quite good at hiding her feelings for the black haired boy. Even her own brothers thought she was over him. Everyone did, except for the smartest girl in the school, and Hermione would never tell. Ginny was just about to reply to Hermione when the object of her thoughts landed right in front of her, startling her. She hastily flipped the page of her sketchbook over so he wouldn’t see it. “Hey there!” Harry smiled down at them. Ginny returned the smile, ignoring the way her heart skipped a beat as he stood over her, sweat dripping down his face, hair mussed from the exercise, green eyes bright. “Oi!” Ron gasped as he plopped down next to Hermione, giving her a quick kiss. “I’m beat,” he said, sprawling out on the grass. Harry sat next to Ginny, grabbing the bottle of water next to her and taking a long sip from it. “You do know that I was using that to clean my paintbrushes off with, don’t you?” Ginny asked. Harry promptly spit out the water, spraying Ginny in the process, who was now laughing. Ron and Hermione joined in, seeing the look of disgust on Harry’s face. “I was just joking!” Ginny chortled. “I don’t even have my paint brushes out here!” “I’m going to get you for that,” Harry promised, wiping his mouth with the hem of his shirt. “Ha! I wouldn’t dare, Harry,” said Fred as he and his twin George joined them. “Yeah, Ginny’s the worst of the lot,” George chimed in. Ginny stuck out her tongue at her brothers who both blew raspberries at her. “Shouldn’t you two be working on the opening of your store?” Ginny asked before the two dunderheads could start in on her. “We will, we’re Apperating back to Hogsmeade tomorrow in fact.” George told her. The twins had finally achieved their dream of starting a joke shop, Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. The grand opening was on Halloween, in the village of Hogsmeade, not very far from school. Harry leaned over to whisper in Ginny’s ear, “Should I be afraid that those two passed their Apparation Tests on the first try?” Ginny replied, “We all should be very afraid. Although, I’m not really surprised. Fred and George tend to excel at things that could possibly get them into a lot of trouble, and just think what sort of mischief they can get into by Apperating and Disapperating everywhere.” “All of you!” Ginny’s mother yelled out, causing the entire group to jump in startlement as she marched towards them with a vengeance. “Get inside this instant! Your father is coming home this evening and I’ll not have him come home to a bunch of street urchins! Now to the showers!” The group groaned and moaned as they got to their feet, although no one would dare argue with that tone of voice. Ginny’s father was out on an assignment for the Order of the Phoenix and had not been home in four weeks. No one knew what he was up to, or what the assignment was, but an owl had arrived at the Burrow that morning with a message saying that he would be home by this evening. Mrs. Weasley was now preparing the house for her husband’s arrival. Harry stood up and held out a hand for Ginny to take it. She did, ignoring the flush of heat that rushed to her cheeks. After five years, he still had the same effect on her. “You excited about starting school, Ginny?” Harry asked her as he helped her gather up her art supplies. Ginny made sure she grabbed the sketchpad, which was almost full with different sketches of him. “I guess so,” Ginny replied as they followed the rest in. “Actually, I think I’d just rather stay here, where I can pretend everything’s ok, you know?” Harry stopped and stared at Ginny. “Yeah, me too. I’ve always thought of this place as a safe haven from the rest of the world, where nothing can go wrong here. Didn’t think anyone else did, you know, considering you live here and all.” Ginny smiled. It always amazed her how much she and Harry thought alike. Such a shame he’d never noticed it. As they came in through the kitchen, Ginny’s mum hurried them all up the stairs to shower and change. Ginny and Hermione were ordered to set the table and finish getting supper ready. The kitchen was filled with the wonderful aromas of the delicious meal planned. The boys came down, filing up in front of Ginny’s mum for inspection, then hurried off to get out of the way. Soon, everything was in order and all they had to do was wait for Ginny’s dad to come home. The entire family gathered in the living room to wait. The boys were all polishing their broomsticks, while Hermione sat next to Ron, reading a book. Ginny’s mum would sit for moments, then get up to go check on things. Ginny got out her homework from school and started on it. An hour later, there was still no sign of Ginny’s dad. Her mother had started to worry. “He should’ve been here now. Something’s wrong.” “Nonsense, Mum,” said George. “He’ll be fine.” Just then, two loud popping noises were heard in the kitchen. “He’s here!” cried her mother. As she was just getting up, two figures walked in the living room, neither of which was Ginny’s father. “Dumbledore! Sirius!” The two men wore grave faces. “Molly,” said the Headmaster, “you’re going to need to sit down.” Ginny froze at these words. Something was terribly wrong. Both Dumbledore’s and Sirius’ eyes were red, and both looked as if they had aged years since she last saw them. “What’s happened? Where’s Arthur?” Ginny’s mum started to panic. “As you know,” Dumbledore explained to the room at large, “Arthur was on a special assignment for us. We had been planning months for this. We received word through our spy in Voldemort’s inner circle that an attack was being prepared on the Muggle Prime Minister. Arthur, given his love for Muggles, volunteered to set a trap for the Death Eaters. His job was to stop the Death Eaters before they got near the Prime Minister. He succeeded.” Dumbledore paused. “However, one of the Prime Minister’s bodyguards mistook Arthur as an assassin. Arthur was killed by one of the Muggle’s weapons.” Ginny felt as though her lungs were no longer able to work. It was pure torture just to breathe. Her throat clenched, tears silently ran down her face as she looked at her mother, embraced by Dumbledore, weeping loudly. Fred and George were white as snow, both with identical expressions of shock and grief. Hermione was comforting Ron, who was shaking. Ginny never noticed that her pot of ink had turned over, and was slowly being absorbed into the sofa seat. She never felt more alone. She stood up, dazedly, staring around the room for a second, then Ginny felt herself running. How long or how far Ginny ran, she never knew, but she ran until her lungs nearly seized up from lack of oxygen and her legs collapsed. She landed with a thud on the ground, stirring up dirt, leaves, and branches. Ginny lay there, random memories and images of her father flashing before her eyes; the way he would get all excited when he found some new Muggle artifact, the way he’d always try not to get Fred and George into trouble, how he looked the day he placed her on her first broomstick, how he never failed to greet her mother with a kiss. Ginny cried face down in the leaves, thinking about her father and how he wouldn’t be there to do those things again. The pain was unbearable. “Ginny?” a soft voice said. Ginny ignored it. “Ginny, come on get up.” Harry rolled her over and lifted her in his arms. She was barely aware of him carrying her over to a large boulder and sitting on it, gently brushing the leaves and dirt from her face and hair, murmuring words of comfort as he held her while she sobbed, her tears drenching his shirt. “That’s it Ginny, that’s it, let it all out,” Harry whispered as he stroked her back. She should have been embarrassed as the loud, gut-wrenching sobs escaped her, tears flooding down her face as Harry held her. She should have felt embarrassed to lose control like that in front of Harry, but there was no room for anything but grief inside her. She’d probably feel embarrassed later on though. Especially if her daddy could see how she was acting. At last she was all cried out. She drew back, eyes focused on the wet stain her tears had left on Harry’s clothing. “I seemed to have cried all over you,” she said dully. “I’m sorry.” “Shh,” Harry said softly, drawing her head back down to his shoulder. “Why did you run like that?” “I don’t know.” Ginny watched a bug crawl across the boulder they were sitting on. “Everyone should be pleased now, huh?” Her voice was cold, cruel. “Over the past few years, ever since Voldemort’s return to power, everyone had always said that we were so lucky because we hadn’t lost anyone to him. No Dark Mark above our home! Well…well…they should all be happy, cause a Weasley finally died, shouldn’t they?” “Ginny—“ Harry began, but Ginny interrupted him. “No, Harry. I’m sorry. That was just really awful of me to say such things. Dad would have been shocked, to hear his little girl talk like that.” She looked up at him, seeing the light from the house illuminate his glasses, making them opaque, hiding his eyes. “He loved you like a son. He always said all you needed was a bit of red hair and a temper and you’d be a full-fledged Weasley.” Harry bowed his head. “He was the father I never had,” he said quietly. “I’m so sorry, Ginny.” “Its not your fault, Harry. None of this is.” Ginny said firmly. Harry raised his head sharply. “I’m supposed to be The Boy Who Lived, I’m supposed to be the champion of good. Everyone’s hero.” He gave a harsh laugh. “Some hero. I wasn’t able to save Cedric, or your father, or the hundreds that have died in between them.” Ginny had never heard Harry speak with such anger. He was always so controlled, so calm, ever since his fourth year. Nothing ever riled him. “Its not your job to save the world, Harry. You’ve done all that you could do. Voldemort’s just too powerful now.” She gently pulled back his fringe covering his scar, fingers lightly tracing the pink skin. “You’re in constant pain because of him. Isn’t that why he hasn’t even bothered trying to kill you since the Tri-Wizard Tournament?” Harry’s scar, a sort of connection between him and Voldemort, constantly throbbed since his return to power. Harry had described it to Ginny as just a bad headache, that never went away. He claimed to rarely notice it anymore. “There’s nothing we can do,” she said flatly. Harry nodded, knowing she was right. Ginny jumped down off the rock and took Harry’s hand, pulling him after her. “Come on, we have to get back. What everyone must think of me running off—“ She shook her head sadly, thinking about how cowardly she was, running away when her family needed her most. They ran back to The Burrow. It was the same scene in the den that she had left, almost as if everyone was too scared to move. Dumbledore was still clutching her sobbing mother, Sirius stood awkwardly in the background, not too sure what to do. Ron, Fred and George just stared off into space. Hermione was nowhere to be seen, but clinking sounds coming from the kitchen signaled that she was making tea. Ginny walked over to her mother. “Mum,” Ginny said softly, touching her shoulder. “Come on. Dad wouldn’t want us crying so, would he? Come with me, I’ll put you to bed.” Molly cried harder, but allowed her daughter to pull her from Dumbledore’s embrace and escort her to her room. “I’ll be back in a minute,” Ginny said to the room at large. Ginny eased her mum into her bed. “I’ll be right back, mum. I’m going to get you some tea.” In the kitchen, Ginny opened a small bottle of a sleeping draught and poured it into a cup of tea Hermione held out for her. Back in her mum’s bedroom, Ginny had to force her mum to drink. “Come on now, mother,” she said sternly. “We’re gonna get through this.” Molly was still sobbing, her body shaking with the force of them, tears streaming down her face. Somehow, Ginny managed to get her to drain the cup. Molly laid back down, instantly asleep. Ginny reckoned she may have used a bit too much of the draught, but her hands were trembling when she poured it into the teacup. Blowing out the candle, Ginny tucked her mother into bed and went back into the living room. “Fred, George, Ron,” she said, drawing their bloodshot eyes to her. “Go to bed. We have a long day ahead of us and we’ll need all the rest we can get.” The three nodded dully, and each slowly rose. It hurt to see Fred and George, who were always joking, always full of mischief, always finding something to laugh at, so silent and mournful as they treaded up the stairs. Ginny immediately turned to the other two men in the room. “Professor, my brothers Bill, Charlie—“ “and Percy are all being tracked down as we speak,” the Headmaster finished for her. “They should be here by morning at the latest.” “Thank you,” Ginny said. “You and Sirius are both welcome to stay the night here if you like.” “My dear girl, we wouldn’t dream of leaving you all like this. We will be staying until all arrangements are finalized.” Ginny gave the kindly old man a weak smile of gratitude. “I’m going to be staying with mother, if you need me.” Ginny turned and went back to her mother, who was snoring softly. She must have laid there for an hour, praying for sleep. She thought about taking a bit of the sleeping draught herself, but she needed to be clear headed tomorrow. Sighing deeply, she rose and went into the den, stretching out on the sofa, her head falling back on the armrest. “Here,” said Harry’s voice. Ginny opened her eyes to see him sitting down on the floor beside her, holding out a cup of tea. “Drink this.” She looked at the cup skeptically, wondering if he drugged it. As if reading her mind, he said, “I didn’t put anything in it, don’t worry.” Ginny smiled and took a sip. “I put Fred and George into Ron’s room and Dumbledore and Sirius is in their room,” Harry told her. “I didn’t even think of that. Thank you, Harry.” Ginny blew out a deep breath. “I’m such a coward, Harry. I never should have run like I did. I disappointed everyone tonight. And that’s twice that I’ve done that. The first time was with that diary of Tom Riddle’s and the Chamber of Secrets.” Harry looked at her strangely. “You’re no coward, Ginny Weasley,” he stated firmly. “And you weren’t a coward then, either. Don’t ever let me hear you say that again.” He took her hand and held it tightly. “You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for. You managed to fight off Voldemort as a little girl and there aren’t very many people who can say that. I can’t even say that. I had my mother’s love protecting me the first few times we met, and the last time…” Harry’s voice trailed off. “My parents managed to give me enough time to get away.” “I think you are braver than you give yourself credit for,” Ginny retorted softly. It might have been the trick of the light that made it seem as if Harry was blushing, but he squeezed her hand and smiled. “Thanks, Ginny.” He kissed her hand. “Now get some sleep.” ~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Thanks for reading. Just to give you an idea of “expanded” this chapter is three times as long as the original. : ) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Next Chapter ( 2 ) » ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Review Story ( be a responsible reader and write a review) Title: The Scar **Expanded Version** Name: Email: (optional) Review: If you feel that this entry violates any of the guidelines set by FanFiction.Net please click here to notify the staff. The Scar **Expanded Version** Category: Books » Harry Potter Censor: PG-13 Genre: Romance/Action/Adventure Chapters: 4 Reviews: 91 Author: Firebolt909 Font Size: Bigger (+) - Smaller (-) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ « Previous Chapter ( 1 ) Next Chapter ( 3 ) » ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A/N: Nothing pleases me more than to see that everyone likes this version. It would be most upsetting to rewrite this and have everyone tell me it sucks and the first version was better. : ) My worst flaw when it comes to writing is that I am extremely impatient, which I think why the first version wasn’t very good. That would explain the reason why I don’t use a beta-reader and also why I tend to post chapters rapidly. That and the fact that that I am still avoiding all opportunities to work on my term paper with only one week left of school. But that’s old news. And I do apologize for having to put everyone through Arthur’s death again. You all have no idea how hard was for me to write, especially since he’s one of my favorite characters. I’m working on this as I go along, so don’t know how long it’s going to take me to repost the entire thing, especially with two other stories in the works. Thanks for all the reviews! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Scar Expanded Version Firebolt909 Chapter Two: Plugs and Batteries Ginny woke up the next morning with a cramp in her neck. Slowly stretching, trying to work out the cramp, she rose. All things considered, she had slept fairly well. She must have been more tired than she thought. That and it helped having Harry with her, just holding her hand, silly though it may seem. She went and checked on her mother, who was still sleeping deeply. It wouldn’t do to wake her up, not yet, Ginny thought. Closing the door softly, she went upstairs to change and freshen up a bit. A nice warm shower would be just the thing. Heading back downstairs, her red hair still damp and clinging to her clothes, she heard low voices in the kitchen. Bill, Charlie, Percy, and Harry were all gathered around the table, drinking tea and eating a bit of toast. “Hey, squirt,” Bill said, standing up to give her a big hug. She gave him a sad smile and hugged her other two brothers. “When did you all get in?” she asked, sitting down between Charlie and Percy. “Early this morning,” Percy replied, absently stirring his tea. “We were all working together, so we were pretty easy to find.” “How’s Mum?” Charlie asked. “Not too good. I gave her a sleeping draught, and she’s sleeping fine, but when she wakes up….” Ginny’s voice trailed off knowing that her mum would most likely be in the same state before she went to sleep. Maybe it wasn’t wise to give her the draught. It would only delay the pain when she woke up. At least all her family would be here, however. They could get through this, together. “Dumbledore and Sirius have gone to get Dad,” Charlie said, a catch in his voice. “We were just talking about where to place him.” “What about the family plot?” Ginny asked, thinking of the small Weasley graveyard that was inside the small forest behind The Burrow. “We thought about that, but then Percy mentioned how much Dad loved that small hill that looked out over the village,” Bill said. “Think we should leave it up to Mum?” Ginny nodded. “Yeah.” Just then, the rest of the family came downstairs. They all greeted each other with hugs, red eyes, and a few sniffles here and there. As everyone ate the meager breakfast of toast and tea—no one had much of an appetite—an owl flew in, dropping the morning edition of The Daily Prophet in the center of the table. Nine pairs of eyes stared at it, no one daring to touch it. “Well,” Ginny said, brushing crumbs from her fingers and reaching for the paper, “One of us has to look at it.” She flipped open the paper and read aloud: Ministry of Magic Official Dies in Assassination Attempt By Rita Sweeter Arthur Weasley, Head of the Department of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts died last night in a botched assassination attempt against the Muggle Prime Minister, reports Rita Skeeter, special correspondent and editor of The Daily Prophet. Apparently, Albus Dumbledore’s Order of the Phoenix had been given word that He Who Must Not Be Named had plans to assassinate the Muggle Prime Minister and sent Arthur Weasley out to thwart the attack. Arthur Weasley died during the attempt, accused by the Muggle policemen of being the assassin. Several Ministry Wizards had to work ‘round the clock to perform mass Muggle memory alternations, as well as stop the Muggle news from broadcasting the information on their radios and televisions. Dumbledore has declined comment with The Daily Prophet and no contact can be made with the Weasley family. Arthur Weasley left behind a wife and seven children. The three oldest are also members of the Order of the Phoenix. It is of the opinion of this reporter that perhaps the Dumbledore’s Order, isn’t all what it the general public makes it out to be, especially with mistakes like this last one being made. “God, I hate her!” Ginny exclaimed angrily as she slammed the paper back down onto the table. “Botched attempt! Making it sound like those dunderheads at the Ministry had such a hard time erasing those Muggles’ memories!” Percy wrapped his arm around her. “It’s what I expected. That old cow has just been itching to get something on Dumbledore. Its because she’s being paid the Ministry to dig up what dirt she can on him.” Rita Skeeter was now editor of The Daily Prophet, having worked her way back up the ladder after Hermione exposed her for an unregistered animagus. The Ministry of Magic was in shambles, Cornelius Fudge was dead, and what was left of the Ministry were in the hands of the Death Eaters, still claiming that they weren’t supporters of Voldemort. The Order of the Phoenix was the widely recognized governing body during this time of chaos, and The Daily Prophet, in the hands of the Ministry, did its best to make Dumbledore look bad. “What did she mean by ‘no contact can be made with the Weasley family’? No one’s even tried to contact us, have they?” George asked. “Dumbledore placed a spell around the house before he left this morning. Only certain people can find us here,” Harry explained. The rest of that day passed very slowly. Dumbledore and Sirius returned, helping along with the arrangements for the funeral. Ginny spent most of her time taking care of her mother, who was not doing well at all. She refused to eat, she wouldn’t speak to anyone, and Ginny was at her wits end as to how to help her. In the end, it was Dumbledore who went in and spoke to her mother for quite sometime. When he came out, her mother was in much better spirits and insisted on cooking a delicious dinner for everyone. For the next three days, Ginny felt as if she was in a strange dream. Every morning she would wake up, and for one brief second, she would think that everything was like it had always been; she could almost hear her father downstairs talking over the morning paper as her mother clanked around the kitchen cooking breakfast. Then reality would hit. Her father wouldn’t be sitting in his place at the head of the table, fussing about the latest article in The Daily Prophet; no more would he tweak her hair and call her pumpkin. People from all over would stop by, with permission from Dumbledore, offering their condolences and asking if there was anything they could do. Ginny frowned at some of them, those were the wizarding families who believed that the Weasleys were lucky since they hadn’t lost anyone in their family before now. She completely ignored them, which wasn’t very nice of her, but she couldn’t hide how she felt about them. As for the rest of their friends, Ginny would paste a smile on her face and offer them tea and biscuits, smile, and nod respectfully when they would tell her what a good girl she was. Arthur was buried on the fourth day following the announcement of his death. It was a beautiful day, the sun shone brightly, the soft breeze was just enough to take the heat out of the air. It was the worst day of Ginny’s life. Her mum had agreed with the rest of the family that Arthur would be happiest buried on the hill that faced out over the village, his favorite spot to sit and think. Standing between her mother and Bill, Ginny waited for her turn to scatter dirt over the dark cherry coffin, her tears falling down onto the wood. Once again, she was forced to wear her “good Ginny” face and smile at all the appropriate times when the well-wishers at the funeral patted her and said how good she was. When the day was finally over, she felt like screaming. ******************************* The next three weeks following came and went in a rush. The Burrow, despite being filled to overflowing with friends and family, had never been so quiet before. Even the family ghoul had ceased his normal caterwauling and clanging about and had not made a peep, as if it too, was morning the loss of Arthur. Funerals normally provide some sense of closure for a family, help the family cope with the loss. This was not the case for the Weasleys. It only made it seem real that Arthur was in fact dead, and the entire family lapsed into a period of silence after the funeral was over. Arthur’s seat at the family table remained empty, despite the fact that they all had to crowd around the rest of the table. Sirius stayed the first two weeks, then had to leave to get back to his assignment. Dumbledore had to leave as well, school was not that far away and the duties as Headmaster and leader of the Order of the Phoenix would wait no longer. Percy, however, stayed behind, taking over the reins of the head of the family, trying his best to fill the shoes his father left behind. He was doing an admiral job of it; tying up loose ends, taking care of the bills, making sure his mother and siblings were all taken care of. Ginny was not doing well at all. She had lapsed into a fit of depression, and rarely ate or spoke to anyone. She mostly stayed out in the garden sitting on the bench, watching the gnomes play as Crookshanks, Hermione’s bandy-legged cat, chased them about. No one could cheer her up, although they did try. Fred and George were constantly pulling gags on anyone and everyone around. Ginny would laugh, but she felt as if she had to force it, rather than hurt their feelings. Her brothers did try so hard and she loved them for it. But she would get through this. She had to. Finally, it was time to leave The Burrow and go back to school and Ginny was glad to be starting back, hoping that the change of scenery would help her. Ginny woke up earlier than usual that morning of September 1, shaking. She had another nightmare. Ever since her father’s death, they were becoming more and more frequent. It was always the same: she was in darkness, her entire body unable to move and someone kept screaming her name. Bright green light flashed and Ginny felt a piercing pain in her chest. Walking into the kitchen, she noticed that most of the house was up too. Her mother was cooking sausages, while Hermione was pouring milk. Percy, Bill, Charlie and the twins were quietly talking. “Looks like you had a rough night there, Gin,” Bill greeted her. “Yeah,” Ginny yawned. “I haven’t been sleeping well, not that any of us have.” Percy was meticulously reviewing the household accounts, his books spread out everywhere. At Ginny’s words he looked up and said, “Ginny, you have us all really worried. You barely say a word, you still aren’t eating well, and now you’re having nightmares. Are you sure you’re ok?” Percy had even started to sound like their father. “I’m fine, Perce.” Ginny gave him her best smile. “Need any help, Mum?” “Sure dear. Get out the forks, knives and spoons, please.” Ginny walked over to the drawer and started counting out the utensils. Among the mismatched silverware, there were several plugs and batteries. Ginny bit her lip, fighting back tears at the painful reminder of her father and his hobby and began to laugh hysterically. “Ginny?” Charlie asked her, seeing her laugh and cry at the same time. “What’s wrong?” Ginny walked over to the table and placed one of the plugs in front of Charlie. “There,” she said, still half-giggling, half-crying. “I must have stepped on one of these blasted things about eight hundred times this morning alone, while packing my trunks. They are all over the house.” Her family stared at her, not know what to say or think. “And he never figured out what any of them did,” Ginny finished, wiping her eyes with her napkin. Ginny’s mum came over and sat down, giving her daughter a hug. “I thought he was crazy collecting those wretched things,” she said tearfully. “But he had thousands of them. And God help me when he found out that different countries used different plugs. He wrote every wizard he knew in America asking them to send him the plugs the Muggles used over there.” Soon the entire kitchen was filled with a mixture of laughter and tears. “What’s everyone laughing about?” Ron demanded, rubbing his eyes. Harry was close behind him. “Plugs and batteries,” Bill replied, wiping his eyes. “Ugh, I know,” Ron said, taking the chair next to Hermione. “They’re all over the house.” *********************** The trip to Kings Cross Station was not bad at all. Percy had managed to pull a few strings and they all traveled in a huge car together. Harry and Hermione called it a Limousine, whatever that meant. However, it managed to hold nine people and their trunks, and two owls, and a cat most comfortably. Ginny had to blink back tears when she thought how excited her father would have been to see this. Apparently, no magic was needed to make the car so big, it was built that way. Inside Platform 9 ¾, Percy pulled Ginny aside while everyone was saying goodbye and waving hello to friends. “Ginny, are you sure you’re ok?” Percy asked her once more. “I’m fine, Percy. Really.” Ginny said. “I think going back to school will be a good change.” Percy gave her a shrew look through his glasses. “You just look so pale and sick. It reminds me of…” he hesitated, obviously looking for the right words, “Of when you were in your first year again.” Ginny bit her lip. “When you were in your first year again” was how her family referred to her writing in Tom Riddle’s diary, that ended up endangering her own life as well as Harry’s in the process. Ginny normally didn’t flinch anymore after thinking of that, she had long put it behind her, but hearing that phrase now….it just brought back a bunch of unwanted memories. Mentally shaking them off, Ginny tried to lighten the mood. “I promise you, Perce, I sworn off diaries since the last time,” she grinned up at him. Percy didn’t return her smile. “You aren’t eating. You’re having nightmares, Hermione told me. You barely spoke to anyone for three days. Just promise me you’ll take care of yourself, ok?” “I will. Don’t worry about me, you’ve got to take care of Mum,” Ginny said as they walked back to the rest of the group. Ginny was pulled into bone crushing hugs from each of her brothers—honestly, those prats don’t know their own strength! She could hear Percy talking to Ron, “Watch after Ginny, she’s not well.” Ron nodded, casting Ginny a concerned look. If she didn’t love them so much, she would be seriously irritated at them. But Ron took his duty as older brother seriously, much more than he had before. Ever since Voldemort’s return to power, Ron insisted that Ginny spend her time with him, Hermione and Harry. She didn’t mind, although she did feel a bit left out being a year younger than the rest. She was also a part of their “circle” which was very nice, since she was now privy to some of the secrets that only the three of them knew. And Harry at least though of her as a good friend, which was much nicer than being Ron’s pesky sister. The whistle blew to warn everyone of the Hogwarts Express’ final boarding and there were last minute hugs and kisses. They all hopped on the train, waving goodbye out the window of their car. “Let us know when you get there!” Her mum called tearfully. “Behave yourselves,” Percy warned. “Send us a toilet seat!” cried Fred and George. They had a car to themselves. Hermione had discovered a useful little spell that would keep out unwanted visitors, meaning that no Slytherins would be able to enter the car during the ride. Ginny chose a seat near the window with Harry next to her, and Ron and Hermione facing them. Hermione had been wearing a very pleased expression all morning long, and Ginny finally had to break down and ask her what was going on. “Oh, well…it’s nothing really,” Hermione blushed. Ron looked at her. “Yes, it is. Tell us!” Hermione’s face now matched Ginny’s bright red hair. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a letter. Ron took it and read: Dear Miss Granger, We are most pleased to inform you that you have been selected as the Head Girl for the new school year. Enclosed is your Head Girl badge. We are looking forward to seeing you this year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Sincerely, The Faculty and Staff of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Everyone gaped at Hermione, who was now taking out her Head Girl badge and pinning it to her robes. “Why didn’t you say anything sooner?” Ron asked incredulously. “Well, I got it a few days after…” Hermione trailed off. “And then, there just wasn’t a good time to bring it up.” She squealed as Ron started kissing her. Harry and Ginny both busted out laughing. “Hide your eyes, fair Ginny!” Harry said as he placed his hands over her eyes. “They’re at it again!” Ron tried to kick Harry, which was rather awkward since he was still kissing Hermione at the same time. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: I have no idea what a note to a Head Girl/Boy would sound like, so that is totally made up. I’m sure there was more to it than that, however. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ « Previous Chapter ( 1 ) Next Chapter ( 3 ) » ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Review Story ( be a responsible reader and write a review) Title: The Scar **Expanded Version** Name: Email: (optional) Review: If you feel that this entry violates any of the guidelines set by FanFiction.Net please click here to notify the staff. The Scar **Expanded Version** Category: Books » Harry Potter Censor: PG-13 Genre: Romance/Action/Adventure Chapters: 4 Reviews: 91 Author: Firebolt909 Font Size: Bigger (+) - Smaller (-) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ « Previous Chapter ( 2 ) Next Chapter ( 4 ) » ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A/R: (author’s rant) I’m so sick and tired of this semester and I want to get out of this backwoods redneck town and go home. Oh, and uh…if any of you are religious, please pray that I will make it through the next five days (my two finals are due on Tuesday) without hurting anyone or ending up in another country (both of which are very likely at this moment). A/N: (author’s note) Ok, apologies to everyone for the rant, but I actually felt better bitching to a bunch of strangers : ) I’m so glad that everyone likes the new version and to be honest, this isn’t too much in this chapter that has changed, but it’s still worth a good giggle or two : ) ~~~~~~~~~~~ The train ride to Hogwarts was relatively uneventful, not counting the fact that Hermione’s announcement left Harry and Ron looking like Christmas had come early this year. “Don’t think I’m going to let you three get away with murder just because I’m Head Girl,” Hermione warned them. Ron and Harry each gave her a wicked grin. “You’ll just have to work extra hard to keep me in line,” Ron replied, giving her a wink. Harry and Ginny both laughed at her blush. Ginny ended up sleeping during most of the trip, she stretched out on one of the empty seats and managed to have a nice nap despite the constant noise coming from her other companions. Ron and Harry played exploding snap and Hermione caused quite a commotion when the snap cards landed on the book she was reading and caught the paper on fire. Ron didn’t help matters when he tried to stamp out the fire with none other than Crookshanks’ tail. By the end of the trip, Ron and Hermione had made up, although Crookshanks’ tail was still smoking a bit and Ron was covered in scratches. A squealing of breaks signaled the Hogwarts Express arrival at Hogsmead Station. Ginny nearly fell of her makeshift bed if it wasn’t for Harry who just so happened to be standing over her and managed to catch her at the last moment. “Are you ok?” he asked in what Ginny thought of as a nervous sounding tone. “I….I… I was just about to wake you up.” Ginny blinked, confused as to why Harry had been standing over her and why he was blushing so furiously. “I’m fine,” she yawned. The car was empty, Ron and Hermione had obviously retrieved their things and left. Shaking off the last remnants of sleep, Ginny stepped back and began to gather up her things while Harry waited for her at the doorway. Grabbing her trunk, Ginny slowly dragged it down the stairs. “Here Ginny, let me take that,” Harry said nudging her away and catching hold of the handle. “Thanks Harry,” Ginny said, blushing slightly as Harry returned her smile. Harry paused and looked at her. “I know you’re probably tired of hearing this, but are you sure you’re ok? You still look tired even though you just took a nap and you hardly said anything on the train. I know these past few weeks were hard, for all of us, but…..you really have me worried.” “I’ll be fine,” she assured him. “I think maybe a new change of setting will help.” “You still having nightmares?” “Yes, but they’re not anything to worry about. Just silly dreams.” She noticed Ron and Hermione waiting for them to catch up. “Well, if you ever want to talk--or anything, I’ll be right here.” Ginny’s heart flip-flopped at the thought of Harry being worried about her. Sometimes, during moments like this one, Ginny got the feeling that Harry just might think of her more than just a friend, but unfortunately, those moments never lasted long. “Hey, Potter!” the snide voice of Draco Malfoy called. “I see you found a girlfriend!” “Go to hell, Malfoy,” Harry retorted, “Before that thing you date decides to crawl back under her rock!” Those in hearing distance roared with laughter. Malfoy’s face twisted in rage. “Sorry to hear about your father Weasley,” he said as he came towards them, “Kinda ironic that he was killed by those Muggles he adored so, eh? What’s your family going to do now that no one’s bringing home any money?” Looking back on the incident that was to follow, Ginny never knew what made her do it. But before Ron or Harry could react to Malfoy’s insult, her wand was already aimed at Malfoy and “Glamoursi” escaped her lips. She watched Malfoy’s sneer slowly switch to a look of horror as the black of his robes turned into baby blue. Thick, rich rows of the finest lace appeared around the neck and cuffs and his expensive pair of dragon-hide boots transformed into matching lace slippers. The worst, or best part, depending on one’s point of view, was watching Malfoy’s short blond hair grow into long, curly locks as his cheeks and lips deepened into a dark shade of pink. Malfoy now closely resembled one of those dolls Ginny had seen little Muggle girls play with. Silence reigned across the station. Harry and Ron both stared back and forth between her and Malfoy, jaws hanging. A thin wisp of pink smoke lingered in the air. Thankfully, the new Head Girl took over, ordering everyone back. “Ron, you and Harry take Ginny and get on the next carriage,” Hermione ordered, sounding exactly like Professor McGonagall. “Malfoy, I don’t know the counter-curse so you need to get as quickly as you can to Madam Pomfrey.” Harry and Ron, still in awe, jumped at Hermione’s “MOVE”, each grabbed Ginny’s arm, and led her to the nearest carriage. Ginny was in shock herself. What was going to happen to her? Was she going to be expelled? Her heart sank and she turned a deep shade of green at the thought. Harry and Ron caught the first carriage they saw. Pushing Ginny inside, they both sat opposite of her and gawked at her, identical expressions of fear, shock, and absolute amazement on their faces. Then, after a few minutes of complete silence, Harry suddenly let out a hysterical laugh, which jerked Ron out of his stupor and pretty soon, the carriage was literally shaking with the two boys’ guffaws. “I’ve never in my life been so proud of my little sister,” Ron exclaimed, wiping tears from his eyes. “It was better than that time Moody turned him into a ferret,” Harry gasped clutching his stomach and giving Ginny an incredible smile. For once, she was not amused. “Now don’t worry, Gin,” Ron told her, still grinning ear to ear as he noticed her chewing her lip in frustration. “You’re not going to be in any trouble. Madam Pomfrey will just perform the counter-curse and everything will be fine!” “There wasn’t one,” Ginny mumbled, not looking at either boy. ”Wasn’t what?” “A counter-curse. That particular spell has no counter-curse.” Ron and Harry roared, collapsing upon each other as they both fought to breathe. When the carriage finally stopped, Ginny was forced to wait until both Ron and Harry had recovered before getting out. Professor McGonagall was waiting for them, looking as fiercely strict as ever with her eyes flashing behind her spectacles and her foot tapping impatiently. Harry and Ron were now fighting to contain their chuckles, and McGonagall gave them a very sharp glance before turning to Ginny, who was almost trembling with fear. “Miss Weasley,” she said firmly in her no-nonsense tone, “I’ll need to you come with me after the feast.” Ginny nodded tentatively, feeling as though she had just been told she was being shipped off to Azkaban. Hermione was waiting for them in the Entrance Hall. “I don’t think you’re in too much trouble,” she told Ginny, giving her a reassuring hug, “or Professor McGonagall would have taken you to the Headmaster immediately.” This did not make Ginny feel better as they found their seats at the Gryffindor table. Ginny could barely hear the Sorting Ceremony as the entire Gryffindor table kept on whispering “Good job!” and giving her the thumbs up sign and winking slyly at her. Harry and Ron couldn’t stop grinning even when Hermione kicked them soundly under the table. Even she wore a pleased expression as though she had just received top marks for all her subjects. Ginny felt the heated glares coming from the Slytherins burning her across the hall during Professor Dumbledore’s welcome speech. It was so unfortunate that new spread like devil’s snare among the Hogwarts students and teachers. She couldn’t even bring herself to glance up at the head table, where Professor Snape was sure to be wishing to force feed her his finest poison potion. Ginny could only pick at the sumptuous feast when it began and hardly spoke to anyone, despite her instant celebrity status that made her the talk of the Gryffindors. “Look Ginny,” Harry said as he stuffed roast beef into his mouth, “Ron and I have both been in enough trouble with McGonagall to know when she’s got it in for you.” Ron nodded as Harry continued, “You have a clean record, so there’s really nothing to get upset over. At the most you’d only get a detention.” Dumbledore stood up after the pudding had been served and all golden dishes were wiped clean. “Now all of you to bed! And I wish you all well during this upcoming semester.” The scraping of the chairs against the floors drowned out the students’ voices as the all began to file upstairs. Ginny, however, took a deep steadying breath and began to march towards the head table, where only a few professors were left. “You’ll be fine,” whispered Hermione as the three accompanied her. “We’ll see you when you get back to the Tower,” Ron said. “Good luck, Ginny.” Harry whispered, squeezing her hand. Ginny swallowed, fighting back the beginnings of what was sure to be another one of her blushes. Damn him for doing that to her just as she was going to be expelled! “Ah, yes, Miss Weasley,” McGonagall said when she noticed Ginny standing behind her, now looking quite green which contrasted with her bright red hair. “Come with me if you please.” Ginny could only pray as she followed. Up winding staircases they went, passing curious portraits of dead Headmasters who all stared down at Ginny in fascination. Stopping at a gargoyle, McGonagall gave the password “Sugar quill”, and marched into Dumbledore’s office. She had only been there once before, and the memories of her last visit to the Headmaster’s office swam through Ginny’s head, leaving her feeling extremely weak, like she’d been hit with a jelly-legs jinx. She wobbled over to the chair placed in front of his mahogany desk. “Thank you Minerva,” Dumbledore said. “Miss Weasley will return back to Gryffindor Tower once we’ve had our chat.” Ginny peeked up at the Headmaster as she sat down. The years of Voldemort’s return had placed a lot of stress on him. His blue eyes rarely twinkled anymore, he had lost a lot of weight, and now had the appearance of one who bore the weight of the world on his shoulders. “Now Ginny,” he said gently, “I know you’ve had a lot on your mind these past few weeks and I’m willing to believe that you weren’t…ah…aware of what you were doing, is that not so?” Ginny looked up at him and answered truthfully, “Yes, Professor. I didn’t really mean—“ “I know, I know,” Dumbledore cut in his blue eyes twinkling as he looked over his half-moon spectacles, “you’ve been carrying an enormous burden lately. Your mother wrote to me about you. Unlike your other brothers,” he said, smiling at her, “you’ve always been most well behaved here. Taking that into account, as well as the knowledge that Mr. Malfoy’s…er…ailments will fade in a few weeks, I see no reason to punish you.” Ginny sat there stunned. No punishment at all? “But Professor Dumbledore—“ Dumbledore interrupted her again, his eyes twinkling merrily, “That was quite a spell you cast. Good job of it too. I won’t even ask you where you learned it. Now, I’m sure your tired after the events of today, so why don’t you get to bed.” Ginny had learned the spell from a book her father had stashed up in the attic. It was an ancient tome and Ginny was just browsing through it, not really paying attention to what she was reading. Dumbledore walked her to the entrance, his hand on her shoulder in a fatherly way. “Goodnight, Miss Weasley.” Ginny could see Fawkes perched in his corner, the beautiful scarlet and gold plumage glinting brightly in the firelight. Ginny muttered a thank you and stumbled down the passageways that led to Gryffindor Tower. She couldn’t believe she got off so easily. “Password?” The Fat Lady asked as Ginny faced the portrait. Before she could explain that she didn’t know it, not having listened to Hermione when she gave it out during the feast, the painting flew open as a pair of arms snatched her inside the common room. “Here’s the guest of honor now!” her brother cried, leading her to the center of the room. What looked like to be a spectacular party was going on. A goblet of pumpkin juice was shoved into her hand as Ron jumped onto the table. Everyone cheered wildly as Harry lifted her up next to Ron. “Ladies and Gentlemen, fellow Gryffindors!” Ron shouted. “I would like to propose a toast to my sister, Ginny!” “Here, here,” came the replies as the entire room lifted up their goblets in salute. “Today, my sister, faced the enemy…and….I just don’t think I can go on….” …” Ron trailed off as he wiped away imaginary tears with the sleeves of his robe. “Get on with it, Ron!” Harry bellowed, sloshing pumpkin juice all over himself. ”Ok, ok, ok. My sister, my little sister, faced the enemy today and showed him never to cross a Weasley! And I, as Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, would like to declare this day Ginny Weasley Day. Now everyone, raise your goblets to my brilliant sister Ginny!” The entire room exploded with applause and the clanking of goblets. “Wait, I forgot,” Ron continued over the noise, “I would also like to propose a toast to our new Head Girl! You know her, you love her, God knows I do…Hermione Granger!” Ginny watched as Ron pulled a glowing Hermione onto the table as well and gave her a kiss. “I want to toast to Hermione because she has graciously allowed Harry and I to arrange this celebration!” The crowd roared, spilling pumpkin juice all over the furnishings and themselves as well. “Also,” Ron, now hoarse, motioned for silence, “I want to toast to the official Gryffindor photographer Colin Creevy, who, with his quick thinking and even quicker camera, managed to forever immortalize this glorious day.” As Ron finished, the Gryffindor banner above the fireplace raised halfway to show a large picture of Draco Malfoy. The Draco in the picture was trying desperately to cover his face with his hands, his golden curls cascading around his shoulders. Colin Creevy was looking quite pleased with himself, this was the most attention he had ever received in his life. Ginny tried not to smile when she noticed that Colin was taking rapid fire snap shots of Harry, who had just finished emptying his goblet of juice over Seamus Finnegan’s head and was now being chased about the room by an irate, wet, sticky, Irishman. “See, we told you everything would work out!” Harry gleefully declared once the party had calmed down a bit and Ginny gave the details of her meeting with the Headmaster. They were sitting in front of the fireplace, Harry and Ron still toasting their goblets to the picture of Malfoy, who had now hidden himself behind the frame. “So what did Dumbledore say about Malfoy?” Hermione wanted to know. “The spell would fade in a few weeks,” Ginny replied, finally giving in the urge to laugh as both Ron and Harry began to prod the photograph with their wands, trying to make Malfoy come out from his hiding place. ~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Thanks for reading! This will probably be the last installment of this story until next Tuesday when I will finally be done with this semester of hell. As for “La Belle et La Bete” and “Dear Tom…”, I don’t plan on writing any new chapters until next Tuesday as well. Oh, and for all the other college/university/high school students that have finals this week and the next, GOOD LUCK! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ « Previous Chapter ( 2 ) Next Chapter ( 4 ) » ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Review Story ( be a responsible reader and write a review) Title: The Scar **Expanded Version** Name: Email: (optional) Review: If you feel that this entry violates any of the guidelines set by FanFiction.Net please click here to notify the staff. The Scar **Expanded Version** Category: Books » Harry Potter Censor: PG-13 Genre: Romance/Action/Adventure Chapters: 4 Reviews: 91 Author: Firebolt909 Font Size: Bigger (+) - Smaller (-) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ « Previous Chapter ( 3 ) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It was funny how Ginny suddenly became an instant celebrity as the news of what she had done to Draco spread throughout the school. On the way down to breakfast that first morning, she was constantly being pounded on the back and yells of “Nice work!” followed her. Ginny was tired after last night’s celebration, and frankly, a bit nervous about starting her day. Hermione passed her the sixth year schedule and Ginny nearly choked on her bacon as she read it. Monday 9am-11am Double Potions with Slytherin Harry placed a comforting arm around her as he read over her shoulder. “It’ll be alright, Ginny,” he said. Ron, noticing how pale she had become, suddenly stood up and walked over to where the two largest boys in her year were. They were first cousins, named John and Paul, and “large” was the really nice way of describing them. Both boys would make Crabbe and Goyle look like house-elves. Ron said something to them rather quickly and then sat back down next to Hermione looking rather pleased with himself. He winked at Harry. “Don’t worry about any of the Slytherins, Gin,” he told her as he began buttering toast. “I got them taken care of.” “What did you do?” Ginny demanded. But before he could answer, two owls landed right in the center of the table. One owl was Hermes, Percy’s owl. The other owl was Errol, the Weasley family owl who was barely even able to stand as he leaned on Hermes for support. Both owls had several letters tied to their legs, holding them out for Ginny. She immediately scanned through them, looking for a red envelope that meant a Howler. None of them were. The first letter was from Percy. Dear Ginny, I’ve been really worried about you and I can’t even believe how close you were to being expelled. Do try to behave. Love, Percy “THAT’S ALL?” Ron exclaimed as he read the letter. “That’s all the prig has to say? ‘Do try to behave?’ I don’t believe it!” Ginny was rather amazed herself. If anyone was going to send her a Howler, it would have been Percy. Tossing the letter aside, she opened the next one. Our little sister has finally grown up! We are so proud of you! Love-Gred and Forge. Ginny couldn’t keep back the small grin as she read their note. Those two could always cheer her up. Knowing who the final letter was from, she could barely manage to open it, her fingers trembled so. Harry had to do the honors for her. Try to keep your older brother out of trouble, dearest. Love, Mum. Ron nearly fell out of his seat when he read that. “Reckon she didn’t know how to deal with you getting in trouble and thought best to pretend it didn’t happen,” he said, staring at the letter in utter shock. “We’d never get away with something like that,” he said with a hint of jealously in his voice. Harry chuckled next to her. Ginny blushed as she realized he still had his arm around her, his hand resting on her waist. She absently poked the food around on her plate, thinking about how to survive the next few hours. Having a class with the Slytherins was bad enough, did she have to have Potions who was taught by their house leader? Ginny stole a quick glance at the table where the Slytherins were sitting. Malfoy wasn’t there. Pansy Parkinson, Crabbe, Goyle and a few of Malfoy’s friends were giving her the nastiest looks imaginable. Ginny turned away, refusing to let them see how upset she was. “Don’t let them bother you,” Harry whispered in her ear, seeing where her eyes had wandered. “They’ll get over it. We’ll make sure of it.” Ginny smiled at the tone in his voice. He sounded like he’d enjoy nothing more than making them “get over it.” Always the hero. Harry gave her hand one last squeeze as they got up to head towards their classes. “We’ll see you at lunch, ok?” Hermione called after her. Ginny noticed Ron nod across the table. She tried to follow his gaze to see what he was up to, but lost whomever it was in the shuffle. Heading down to the dungeons was relatively uneventful, surprising since she knew for a fact that she’d be running into Slytherins. But no one seemed to even bother her, especially when she noticed that both John and Paul were right behind her. She looked around her; there was a small circle of Gryffindors surrounding her. Inside the dungeons, Ginny took her normal seat in the back of the room. She had learned from experience that it was better not to gain the attentions of the Potions Master, and for one with the brightest red hair in existence, it was best to be as far as one could possibly be. John and Paul took seats on either side of her, with Colin Creevey and a few of the other Gryffindors taking seats around her. The Slytherins couldn’t even see her. Ginny held her breath when Snape reached her name when taking roll, knowing for sure that he would make some sort of nasty comment, but he merely called out “Weasley?” and went on to the next name. She then knew she was a goner when the potion she was supposed to be making turned a bright blue instead of the muddy brown it should be. Her hands were shaking so badly that another bezoar had slipped from her fingers. “Do be careful, Miss Weasley,” Snape said walking by her cauldron. Ginny frowned. Why didn’t he yell at her? He had just told off Colin Creevy because his potion was too thick! What was going on? The rest of Ginny’s day passed by the same way. Her professors treated her like nothing had happened, although her classmates did continue to whisper congratulations to her and give her the thumbs up sign behind the teachers’ backs. John and Paul dogged her to every class, one on each side of her as if they were her personal bodyguards; letting up only when she was in the presence of Harry or Ron. To make things worse, the Creevey brothers had started passing around Ginny For President buttons that would change to Don’t Piss Her Off! By the end of the day, Ginny’s temper was on a short leash. “If you don’t make them back off, I swear I’ll give you worse than what Malfoy got!” Ginny nearly screamed at Harry and Ron as she walked into the common room, John and Paul on her heels. She was so mad, she was shaking. Harry and Ron, who were playing chess gaped at her. Even the chess pieces looked up in astonishment. “I’m serious!” Ginny roared. Harry slowly got up to his feet, almost as if he was afraid of her. “We’re sorry, Ginny,” he said in a low tone. “I’ll tell them to leave you alone if that’s what you want.” “We were just worried about you,” Ron added in the same tone that Harry was using. Ginny nodded, suddenly aware of how quiet it had become in the room. Everyone was staring at her in mild degrees of shock. Feeling suddenly very self conscious, she whispered a goodnight and went upstairs to bed. Maybe things would be better tomorrow. ******************************** Things did not get better. Hermione had managed to get rid of the buttons, and Harry and Ron stopped having her followed, but those were the only good things that happened. Malfoy finally made an appearance during breakfast that next Monday because Madam Pomfrey refused to keep him in the hospital since he wasn’t actually sick. The rosy blush to Malfoy’s cheeks and cherry lips were still highly noticeable. His hair had to be stuffed under a hat, since the locks would immediately grow back if cut with scissors. The hat wasn’t completely effective, however, because the curls constantly found a way to pop back out, causing the hat to fly off. Ron and Harry delighted in telling Ginny that even Snape had commented on her “handiwork”. Malfoy’s hat popped off during a Potions class, landing in Crabbe’s cauldron and splashing the contents all over. Snape then warned Malfoy that “if you can’t keep those pretty curls under control, you’re going to have to serve detention.” Snape had to take twenty points from the Gryffindors before they calmed down. Ginny soon learned that as a sixth year student, classes became harder than ever. McGonagall’s Transfiguration homework was relentless now that they had started to work on animal transfiguration and Professor Flitwick had them all practicing the more complicated charms (not that she didn’t already know a few good ones, the tiny professor winked at her). Hagrid’s Care of Magical Creatures included new animals such as Mokes, Jarveys, and Jobberknolls, and they all had to regularly take notes on each of these creatures during different times of the day. As the month of September rolled on, Ginny started to notice how differently her professors treated her from the other students. They all treated her as if she was made of glass, or a time bomb that was set to go off any moment. It explained why Snape never got nasty when she messed up in Potions, or why McGonagall didn’t say anything about her rock that was supposed to have been transfigured into a turtle, but Ginny had only managed to have a rock with a pretty shell. She knew she wasn’t doing her normal sort of work in class, she was actually quite good in both Potions and Transfiguration, but she couldn’t figure out why she was being treated so differently. Her friends treated her differently as well. She would constantly find Harry, Ron and Hermione staring at her with concerned expressions. Sometimes they would gaze at her as if they didn’t know her anymore, which she found quite unnerving. Ron, being Ron, finally commented on what was bothering them. “You look sick,” he said bluntly one evening as they were all sitting at a table working on homework. “Like you’ve been kissed by a Dementor or something.” Hermione and Harry frowned at his choice of words, but didn’t comment otherwise. Ginny didn’t need her brother to tell her she looked awful, she knew she did. A month of sleepless nights and endless homework had affected her body. She had lost an enormous amount of weight, her robes hung loosely as if she were a child walking around in its mother’s clothing. Her skin was sallow and colorless, blue veins and yellow splotches crisscrossed themselves throughout her skin, as though she was suffering from some dreaded disease. Her bright brown eyes no longer possessed any trace of spark, and became faded and bloodshot. Even her red hair, something that she had always considered her best feature, no longer held the shine and luster it once had and hung limply down her back. She didn’t need Ron to tell her what she looked like, the snickers and whispers behind her back from her classmates would give it away. “I’m just tired, Ron. That’s all,” she sighed. “You’ve been having nightmares ever since you got here,” Hermione said softly. “One of your roommates told me.” Ginny sighed. It was true, her nightmares were now nightly events and she would wake up sweating and shaking, never quite remembering what she had seen, only a pair of red snake-like eyes. Ron and Harry looked even more anxious and concerned at this bit of information and frankly, Ginny was getting very sick of those looks. “I’m fine!” she snapped, causing everyone to jerk. Ginny closed her eyes and opened them, “I’m fine,” she repeated more softly. “I’m just sick of school, that’s all.” She looked at them again, seeing that they weren’t convinced. “I’m going to bed,” she finally said, slamming her Transfiguration book shut and gathering her things together. Harry caught up to her at the stairs leading up to her dormitory. “Wait a minute Ginny!” Ginny stopped and turned, for once in her life, sick at the sight of Harry Potter. Why couldn’t she be left alone? “What?” she said harshly, looking down at him from two steps above. Harry paused for a second, his jaw working silently. “Goodnight,” he said finally. “Goodnight, Harry,” she said. ***************** As Ginny lay in her bed that night, the curtains pulled tightly around her, she tried to stay awake by reflecting on her first years at Hogwarts. She was so excited to finally be going to school with her brothers, especially Ron, whom she idolized. Ron had told her all about his new friend Harry Potter, the boy whose name she could pronounce before she learned to say her own, and Harry even came to spend the rest of the summer with them right before school started. Ginny smiled to herself as she remembered how different Harry was from her own imaginations of some tall, handsome boy like those described in the muggle fairy-tales her father adored. The real Harry Potter was short, skinny, pale, and wore glasses that showed off a pair of gorgeous green eyes. She found him fascinating. It wasn’t easy growing up as the youngest and only girl in a family of seven children. Ginny had to live with being the one who was constantly teased, tortured, and harassed. It was one of the reasons that her and Ron were close as children—besides being only a year apart—they banded themselves together against the twins, who were the source of the relentless teasing. She was so lonely when he left for Hogwarts, and it hurt when she realized that Ron no longer wanted to play with her; he had other friends to hang out with at school. Ginny thought that would change when she arrived—it didn’t. At Hogwarts, she was alone, scared, and friendless. Ginny had never been around other girls her age before and didn’t know how to talk to them. The girls in her year didn’t like her because she was so shy and silent. In retrospect, Ginny felt it was easy to see how she became involved in the Chamber of Secrets. The man in the diary was the only one she could talk to, the only one who understood where she was coming from. Tom Riddle was her own personal friend that she could carry around with her; he would always be there to listen to her. And so she poured out her heart and soul to him and he kept the pieces for himself, using her to hurt Harry. She was young and foolish, desperate for any sign of friendship, never realizing the consequences of her actions. Ginny shivered as she turned over under the warm covers. She remembered how terrified she was when she first came to the conclusion that she was the one who was doing all those terrible things to everyone. Ginny had never felt so trapped before. She was scared to tell the Headmaster, what if she was expelled? Fred and George probably wouldn’t have believed her if she went to them, “Ha, ha! That’s a good one there, Gin,” they’d say laughing. She couldn’t tell her parents, they would be so disappointed in her—“Don’t trust things unless you can see where it keeps its brain!” And of course she’d never tell Ron and Harry, what would the famous, good, great Harry Potter think of her if he knew she was evil? After that first year, Ginny noticed how differently her family treated her. Going from the one that everyone picked on to the one that everyone had to look after was not a good change. Ron resented her presence when she would trail behind him, Harry and Hermione. If she tried to hang around Fred and George, they would only pick at her even more and Percy was too busy being Head Boy to pay her any attention and would snap at her to go find the others. It wasn’t until the return of Voldemort in her fourth year that Ginny finally became accepted again as a sister and a friend. Ron, probably out of a bit of guilt for not being there when she needed him, practically insisted that she join his circle of friends. Actually his words were, “Ginny, I want you to start hanging around me, Harry and Hermione so we can keep an eye out for you. Things are different now.” Ron was right. Things are different, in many ways. With the Ministry of Magic in shambles and Voldemort in power, things were very different from the life that she had previously enjoyed. Laughter sounded harsh and forced in the streets of Diagon Alley. No one could trust anyone any more as everyone was suspected of working for Voldemort. The Dark Mark was a constant reminder of what was going on; it flashed almost nightly in the sky, signaling another death. The Daily Prophet, of course, kept the news on the quiet so information had to be passed along by word of mouth and through owls. Ginny rolled over, peeking through the curtains at her bedside clock. 5:45am. She could stay awake for another hour. She had to. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Ok, so this chapter is radically different from the original. In fact, only the last part where Ginny tried to stay awake was kept. This is also the part that inspired me to write “Dear Tom…” I’m so glad that everyone seems to like this version better. And I’m so happy to see that I’ve picked up a few new reviewers as well. Thanks for reading and reviewing, you guys are the best! GinnyPotter: I’m so glad you got chapter 25 of HP and the Dark Lord up! Everyone go read that if you haven’t already! Oh, and I just have to tell everyone to go read w&m_law’s “Heart in Hand.” It’s a D/G fic, and if that wasn’t enough, she’s going to pair Harry with Pansy Parkinson, and she’s making this actually work!!!! The Queen of H/G is absolutely shocked! I’m serious though, it’s really good as is her other stories, once you get over the fact that it’s Harry and Pansy….I’m just teasing you Amy! : ) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ « Previous Chapter ( 3 ) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Review Story ( be a responsible reader and write a review) Title: The Scar **Expanded Version** Name: Email: (optional) Review: If you feel that this entry violates any of the guidelines set by FanFiction.Net please click here to notify the staff.