Cinderella and Persephone

The elation and relief had faded, only to be replaced by grief. Fred – her brother – was dead. Her ex-teacher Remus Lupin and his wife, Tonks. Classmates and friends were all...gone. It was too much to deal with, all at once. She had to escape her pain, at least for a moment.

She searched the Great Hall for Harry, but couldn't find him anywhere. Ron and Hermione were missing, too. The three of them were probably off celebrating and mourning on their own. It wasn't fair, really – wasn't Harry supposed to be in love with her? He should have been there comforting her, not...off with her brother and best friend. Or at least, he should have invited her along.

Ginny wandered the Great Hall for a while longer, but eventually had to escape. There were too many families torn apart; she felt like she was going to choke on all the misery in the air. She practically ran out the door, but once she was out she wasn't sure where she was going. The grounds were out – there were still bodies out there. There were bodies here, too. But where wouldn't there be empty shells of her old comrades?

The library, she thought. How many people would have decided to fight in there? There were too many books in the way.

She ran for the library, trying desperately not to see the corpses as she jumped over them. Once in the library she took a deep breath. It wasn't fresh air, but it was better than the smell of blood and sweat that filled the corridors.

Ginny wandered around the shelves upon shelves of books, trying not to think. Instead she looked at the titles. The Dark Arts Outsmarted, Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection, Defensive Magical Theory, a Collection of Greek Myths...wait, that one didn't belong. She slowly reached up and pulled the book off the shelf. Dust flew up into the air. Ginny wondered how no one caught this book being shelved wrong.

She brushed the dust off to reveal a worn leather cover, with a picture etched in gold. It was of a young woman holding what seemed to be an oddly-shaped apple. She hesitantly opened the cover and read through the index. Zeus and Semele, Narcissus and Echo, Clytie, Hades and Persephone...she swallowed hard at the last one. She was starting to feel dizzy...she should probably go find some chocolate or something.

She slipped the book under her arm and headed for the kitchen. There would probably be some chocolate there, somewhere, and she'd have a chance to sit down. She'd read the book, too...it would be a way to escape.

She somehow managed to avoid Peeves – who she heard singing up and down the corridors – and walked into the empty kitchen. The house elves were probably off celebrating, too. She searched the cupboard and managed to find a collection of chocolate bars. She grabbed one and tore it open and took a bite. She walked back into the kitchen and took a seat in a rickety wooden chair. She put the chocolate on the floor beside her and opened the book to the page containing the story of Hades and Persephone, but could not see the words at first. Her eyes were blurry with tears, and she saw other words swimming before them.

Tell me your favorite story, he had written, all those years ago. Back when she'd just been an innocent, naïve little first year. Back when Harry hadn't even noticed her, though she so desperately wished he would.

Why do you want to know? She had asked him, her hand shaking a little. She had just finished ranting to her dear friend about Harry – how it felt like he would never, ever see her, and how jealous she was of Cho, and how much it hurt her to see him even as she wished she could always be beside him. She'd been crying while she wrote down all her feelings, and she wasn't sure if she was finished weeping yet.

I'm just curious.

She'd hesitated a moment, gulping hard. Well, I really like Cinderella. She remembered how difficult it had been to admit that. She didn't want him to think she was childish, but she also didn't want to lie to him. He was the only person she felt she could confide in.