Flower Petals

-22-

Paula, Ginny, Neville and Luna ate lunch together every day. They spent almost every night together, at least until Neville passed out, then Paula and Ginny went off together, and Luna took her walk along the forests edge.

They fit together like a family, Ginny was the protector, Paula was the lover, Neville the helper, and Luna was the dreamer. Every part of themselves complimented the other.

Luna loved healing wounded animals, bringing plants back to life, blooming flowers that glowed where there was only darkness. She loved stories, and rabbits and stars. She was misunderstood more then the rest of them, isolated, and yet she never isolated anyone else to make herself feel better. She was too kind.

Luna walked the forest more and more frequently, seeing the thestrals almost every night, as they were so lonely and unseen.

Neville visited his parents a lot. Not many people knew about them. Luna made him soup with magical ingredients, never giving up hope that they could be brought back, Neville hoped too, but in his head, visiting his parents at the hospital was like talking at their gravestones. They were there, but not really. He helped Ginny train for quidditch every Saturday morning at 6 am, Ginny asked him because he was a 'morning person', he definitely wasn't but he made himself one for her.

Ginny was stronger and more centralized then most students. She hated school, but loved to learn. She practiced every second of the day that she wasn't with Paula, and even sometimes when she was. They were best friends.

Both Paula and Ginny had a crush on Oliver Wood their first year,they spent time with him everyday after school at the fields playing quidditch together. Ginny felt fidgety and warm, happy when she was with him, and she knew what these feeling meant because she felt the same way about Paula, and Paula, about Ginny.

She spent every second with her because her life was so much better when she was around. She called her Love, sort of a friendly-affectionate nickname, that if overheard by a passerby would seem harmless, but to her meant everything.   

When Ginny told the twins she thought she liked both men and women they said 

"Just more opportunity for lovin'"

"See i was gonna say more opportunity for sexin', but that's good too Georgie"

Ron said;

"I knew you were staring at Mione's ass! Wicked."

Luna and Neville were anything but shocked.

"Well Gin, if that's your truth wonderful! More fish swimming about the sea i suppose" Luna said 

"We both know she only wants the one though." Neville teased. She punched him in the arm which sparked a "Merlin! Always resorting to violence Weasley! Seems awful aggressive!"

Her family and friends were accepting, but she hadn't told Paula, she wasn't sure if she'd want to be around her, or do the things they always did together, sleeping together for example, she didn't want to lose those things, and in turn that meant that she wasn't completely honest with Paula.

Though Paula was not honest with her either. Not about what mattered.

The first time she saw it Paula was throwing bludgers at her during practice, her sleeve slipped down, and there it was, the very picture of darkness and hatred, the dark mark.

she already knew by then. 

Ginny already knew that Paula was a death eater.

 Ginny knew everything, well maybe not everything. She knew about Mason, that his letters stopped arriving. She knew that Paula wasn't in her dorm most nights, and she knew who the Abbotts were. They were just as notorious as the Malfoys, the Notts, The Parkinsons, just as destined to want to protect the legacy of pure-blood dominance and grace. The difference was she didn't care. She didn't. She loved Paula Abbott, and love makes you do crazy things.