In Finding My Honor

Chapter 12: I Promise

As the days went on the more the distance between Violet and Ginny grew. If not talking to each other was not enough, now the two girls had cut off almost all contact, only seeing one another when returning back to the dorm after classes, but still never speaking. The first Monday after the quidditch game, Violet had entered into her History of Magic class only to find that someone entirely different was occupying Ginny's seat next to Violet's. Violet raised a questioning eyebrow and Emma had pulled her aside explaining that Ginny asked them to switch seats. Fine, two can play at that game, she thought, sitting down with a heavy feeling weighing in her lower jaw.

Later that same day, Ginny would return to Gryffindor tower only to find that Violet, and the rest of her belongings, had moved to the other side of the room, taking Alyssa's place by the window.

When one girl entered the room, the other one left. When one girl started a conversation with the group, the group divided. There was no denying the small wounds that appeared in their friendship. Both girls knew it, yet kept feeding the fire.

Violet was finding it especially hard to concentrate on her homework, today. As much as she ignored Ginny in person, the ginger was always on her mind. An hour didn't go by without, Violet thinking about how angry and annoyed she was with her friend. Friend... could she even call her a friend anymore? She told herself over and over again that she didn't want to.

She let out a long frustrated breath, rereading the same passage of her textbook for the fourth time, but still not grasping any of it, her eyes running from word to word but never processing the full sentence. No matter how hard she tried, she wasn't able to see the big picture.

"It was not until the late 1700's, with the birth of the Salem Witch Trials, that the..." Violet spoke quietly to herself, in hopes that speaking the lesson aloud would help her pay attention, "...that the—a new order started...a new order started to rise in Northern America, The MACUSA." It was no use; she continued to butcher through the paragraphs.

"Will you be quiet," Ginny said dryly. Violet tensed and she saw Emma look up and grab her wand "discretely" as if she knew this would end in a duel. It was the first time Ginny had spoken to Violet in over a week, and it took all her energy to suppress the feeling of happiness that so desperately wanted to shoot to the surface, deep within Violet's body.

"Sorry, I'm studying," Violet answered, matching Ginny's tone.

"Well," her jaws visibly shifted against each other, "Can you go somewhere else?"

"You go somewhere else," Violet was well aware of how childish she sounded, but she did not care. Ginny looked at her for a moment, her bottom lip curling into a frown, before standing up sharply.

"Yeah maybe it's best that I'm the one to leave. We don't want Violet running off with anymore boys, she'll taint her innocent façade. I mean...it explains the bruises on her knees." Not waiting to see anyone's reaction she slipped out the doorway. Violet kept her gaze on the book that lay in front of her, her skin burning with anger and her jaw clenched tight, swallowing a scream of frustration. Although, she could not see her, Violet could feel Emma's gaze resting on her back.

"She's just upset, ignore it," Emma began gently, "It'll be better—"

"Please, just leave me alone," Violet breathed, blocking out her friend's words of comfort, "I want to be alone." She prepared for Emma to protest, but it never occurred.

The Gryffindor waited for the dorm room door to swing closed before leaping up from her seat with the speed of a wild animal. Lightning shot through her veins as her hungry eyes scanned over Ginny's side of the room. Her mother always said, "Anger can be our friend if we know its strength and how to aim it," but that was not the case at the moment. Violet was fuming and everything was at risk.