𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 || 𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗇𝗒

𝘏𝘌𝘓𝘗

| 𝙂𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙮 |

There were only two weeks to Yule,
and three to the Yule Ball. Any student under normal circumstances would feel cheery and relieved. Ginny only felt miserable, and like there was a ball of iron in her stomach.

How the hell was she supposed to sort through  (probably literally) a million papers? That was the most boring and grueling punishment she could think of at the moment. And the dance! How could she not go to the dance?! It wasn't just the dance she was worried about not going to. It was Luna. She finally had a girlfriend, someone to go with. She was finally HAPPY.

Some old fool couldn't just take that away from her. But they did. Snape did.

Ginny clenched her hands when she thought about him. That man. This is why she dated girls, she thought wryly.

She was interrupted from her thoughts by the bell. Telling her to go to third period.

Third period. Transfiguration. Cool.

She was finding it hard to ve excited about anything. Her life seemed seemed pretty miserable and bleak at that moment. Ok, maybe that sounds a bit much. But it felt that way, and she couldn't lose Luna because of Snivelly Snape.

***

Ginny's head was somewhere on Jupiter when Professor McGonagall repeatedly called on her, eventually snapping her back to Earth.

"W-what?" Ginny stammered.

"I said," sighed the woman exasperatedly, her lips ad thin as needles, "what is the wand movement for the conjuring spell?"

"Er-"

"May I?" interjected Hermione, rescuing Ginny.

Mcgonagall sighed. "Yes, go ahead Ms. Granger." She shot a piercing glance at Ginny. "And see me after class, Ms. Weasley."

Ginny's heart leapt. Maybe she could get Professor McGonagall to convince Snape to let her out of her horrible detention.

Hermione stood up, and, to no one's surprise, did the correct wand movement for the conjuring spell, earning five points for Gryffindor.

***

Why did she always feel like people were targeting her. laughing at her. Making sure sge had the absolute worst time if her life. Literally always. Sure, Ginny attracted trouble to her like a magnet, but wasn't there always a reason for it? She had (rightfully so) attacked Zacharias Smith, but hadn't he been the one to harass her these past years? Yet she was the one who always got the punishment. She was pictured as the firecracker.

She was sitting sedentary in the library. She preferred to be alone. She didn't feel like receiving any pep talks or motivational speeches.

Suddenly a head popped through a gap in the bookshelf in front of her. Man, how could this day get any worse?

"Harry!" She hissed through her teeth, shooting daggers at him.

"Hey," he perused.

"Usually... when someone is alone in the furthest, darkest corner of the library, it means they wants to be left alone."

"Oh, really?" He said stupidly, washing Ginny in frustration.

"Go away, please," She said, about to lose her cool.

"Something's up," he prodded.

"The sky dumbo."

"I meant with you," he said.

Ginny sighed, closed the book she was pretending to read, and looked up at Harry. "No, no, nothings wrong at all," She began softly, "Its just that I hot a detention for setting off a totally harmless charm, got put with Professor Snape, and he's making me organize all these stupid fucking papers and now I can't go to Yuke with my girlfriend, when things were finally getting good for me."

She took a deep breath, having said that all in one, her voice rising steadily louder.

Madam Pince gave them a piercing glare and pursed her lips, but didn't make any move to reprimand them any further. Perhaps because she felt bad for the girl.

They both held their breath while that happened. When she finally rounded the corner of one of the tarnished bookshelves, Harry sat down slowly with worried look on his face. He looked like he didn't want to cause another explosion.

Ginny looked away. She didn't like the pity in his eyes, or the way his hands were fidgeting. Suddenly she wished she had a time-turner so she could reverse the clock and take back the guts she had spilled, though it felt good to get that of her chest. a mountain of anxiety in a single breath.

"Ginny..." "No; stop, don't pity me," She interrupted him.

He looked fake shocked with wide eyes.

"I'm not-! Ok, maybe I am, a little," She shot him a look.

"I want to help you."

This took Ginny off-guard. She felt like she was stranded in the middle if the desert and he just carried her back to safety.

She just started at him.

"So, when do we start?" He offered.

"W-what?"

"When does start filing those paper thingies?"

"You would help me with that?!"

"UT looks like it," he shrugged and held up his hands, "if you want, if course."

"Then we can start anytime, Snape put them in a spare dungeon- so-"

"Alright, then how about thought now?" He put on a little mischievous smile.

"I like the way you think."

***

"Wow. You didn't tell me there were this many."

"I didn't know! The ones in Snape's office were just the tip of the iceberg!"

The whole room was filled with boxes, and when they opened the door it was like they were walking into a wall, the amount stretching to the ceiling.

"How the hell are we supposed to do this all.."  Ginny's heart sank.

"I know just how," Harry said.

Ten minutes later Ginny, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Neville, and Draco were standing facing the boxes.

"Holy shit that monster," Ron goggled.

"I'll go get Luna," Hermione told Ginny.

Ginny held out a hand to stop her. "No, plrase... it would crush her heart if she knew I might not be able to  go to the dance."

"But Ginny-"

"Please, guys," She looked at all of them, "please, trust me."

"Well, Blimey, we should start," said Neville.

They all nodded.