𝐀 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐋𝐄𝐒 | h. potter

11 | Sacrifice

CHAPTER ELEVEN: SACRIFICE

───── ⋆★⋆ ─────

"Ginny?"

The red-head's brown eyes snapped up, expression instantly switching from contempt to shock as the focus of her gaze changed. Her mouth hung open, but no words spilled out, quite unlike the sinks of the bathroom they were currently in. It was as if the words were stuck in her throat.

Maya glanced at the black leather-bound book clutched tightly in her hands. "Are you alright?" She asked, slowly approaching the jittery girl.

Ginny swallowed thickly, pressing the book to her chest. "I'm — I'm fine," came her quiet response. "Do you—" She paused, avoiding Maya's gaze. "—Can you come over here for a second?"

Furrowing her brows in confusion, she asked, "Ginny, what's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Her response was immediate, her tone sharp. She continued, but Maya frowned at how quickly it had shifted to a softer, more pleading voice. "I just need you to stand here for me," she said.

Maya narrowed her eyes. In the library she couldn't really tell, but now she was alone with her she knew Ginny's behaviour was borderline abnormal. Her gaze fell to the book again and a cold settled deep in her chest.

But they weren't really alone, were they?

"I think you should step away from that book, Ginny," she said, fingering her pocketed wand.

"What—? No," she said, startled.

"Drop it, Ginny, you know something is wrong with that diary — it has Voldemort's bloody name engraved in it, for Merlin's sake!"

She flinched at the words, "Don't say his name," she growled, eyes flashing with fear. "Just come here, please. He told me he'd let me go if you listened..." she finished in a desperate whisper, her words stirring alarm.

"Who?" Maya asked urgently, subconsciously stepping towards her.

Ginny stayed silent.

Heartbeat thrumming under her skin, Maya stepped right up to the quivering girl. "Ginny, who told you that?"

"I didn't know," she blurted all of a sudden, voice teary as if she were holding back a sob. Her eyes were screwed shut as if to prevent her tears from spilling. "I didn't know what the book could do! I'd just found it in my cauldron, and I thought mum bought it for me as a surprise... I just started writing in it, and it started responding and I felt like I had a friend — and I was so happy, but...

"But then it started asking me to do weird things," she paused, lips trembling.

"Ginny, what—?"

"—He said he's not bad," she said desperately, "and that he just wants to talk to his daughter and that this was the only way."

A shiver ran down Maya's spine. "Ginny..." she whispered, "you didn't..."

"He said he wouldn't hurt you so I—"

"You didn't tell him where I was, did you?!"

She suddenly stopped talking. Her silence told Maya the answer.

"Ginny," she started desperately, reaching forward and gripping her shoulders, "do you realise what you've just done?!" She yelled.

Maya was shaking, her entire body trembling with fear and anger. Gods, she was so angry. If the ministry found out about this, used this to lock her up...