In the Melancholy Moonlight, Part 5: Dark Matter

Chapter 271: My Grown Up Christmas List

GINNY:

"Hey, hey, it's okay," a gentle yet persistent voice said from somewhere nearby.

I jerked awake, lunging in the direction of the voice. A hand grabbed me by the wrist, which only made me panic more. I shot my leg out and made contact with whoever was attacking me, who stumbled and let me go. I scrambled for my wand, but —

"Ginny, it's me!"

In the glow of the early morning light beginning to slip through my curtains, I could just make out the silhouette of Fred, or George. No, Fred, he had both of his ears.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he was saying, his hands held high in surrender, "but we just got here, I was heading upstairs to check on the ghoul when I heard you crying and — "

I rushed forward to hug Fred, choking out a sob as I did so.

"Hey," Fred murmured as he held me tight. "Hey. It's okay."

"They got — they — Fred, they got Luna," I whispered.

"It's not your fault," he replied.

"I keep — I keep seeing it in my nightmares, and I can never — I can never save her — "

Fred pulled me even closer, not saying anything. There wasn't anything to say.

Luna had been snatched off the train by Death Eaters, right in front of me. We'd tried to save her, all of us, Neville put up a particularly good fight, but it wasn't enough, none of it was enough.

They said it was because her father was using The Quibbler in support of Harry, and I believed that, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it was my fault, too. We'd been scheming together, working together, fighting together, rebelling together, failing together. It was only a matter of time before they got Neville too, and Hannah, and Cam, and Lavender and Seamus and Parvati and Padma and Michael and Ernie and Terry and Anthony and and and and and. We'd kept Gretch out of it, thank Merlin, but it was only a matter of time before they got her too. It was only a matter of time before I was left behind again.

I just latched onto Fred and let him hold me, because he felt like the only solid surety in the world in that moment.

"Merry Christmas," Fred commented in a slightly-teasing way.

I snorted. "Yeah. Merry Christmas." I sniffed hard and pulled away, scrubbing at my cheeks even though no tears had actually fallen. "Sorry for attacking you."

"No, don't be. Sorry for startling you. That was an impressive fight you put up, Gin, my knee will rue the day it ever crossed paths with your foot."

"Yes, well, these days, it can't hurt to be careful," I replied with a sheepish shrug. "My roommates have started throwing pillows at me to wake me up so I don't break anyone. I thought about mentioning it to Mum and Dad, just in case they tried to wake me up, but I thought I'd feel safer at home and less... combative upon waking."

"It's okay," Fred assured me. "Last week, Archie was eating a bowl of cereal in the kitchen in the dark in the middle of the night when Henry crept down to get a snack too. They each thought the other was an intruder."

I clapped a hand over my mouth to stifle the horrified half-laugh that threatened to escape me.

Fred grinned, nodding. "Yeah, it went about how you thought it would. I got there to find Henry trying to set the kitchen right again while Archie frantically flipped through one of our books looking for the Skele-Gro recipe."

"Henry vanished Archie's bones?" I asked incredulously.

"Yes, yes he did, Archie's wand hand looked rather like a webbed duck foot. Henry said it's like a more effective Disarming Charm. He felt awful about it, of course, but Archie broke Henry's nose so badly it was easier to vanish his bones and take Skele-Gro too, so they thought it was rather fair. They've both been jumpy too ever since they got back. It should please all of you to know that your Christmas gifts this year contain nothing flashy, noisy, or otherwise startling in any capacity."