Ginny's Sixth Year

Chapter 31

I slid the compartment door closed and sat down hard across from Luna and next to Neville. "We're going home."

"Yeah. I never thought I'd want to leave Hogwarts as much as I do now," Luna confessed. 

"Do you have any plans for Christmas?" Neville asked, changing the subject.

"Nothing special. I know Bill is spending it with Fleur, but he'll probably pop in at some point. And Charlie's staying at home right now. It'll be just the twins, Charlie, Mum, Dad, and me."

"I think we're just going to stay at home as well. It's safer," Luna said what all of us knew: it's safer to hide.

"Yeah, us too," Neville said. "I don't think we'll even go to St. Mungo's this year."

Just then the compartment door slid open. We expected to see Lavender and Parvati, but instead we saw who we least wanted to see. "Why, look who it is," Carrow sneered. "Weasel and her little friends! What do you say, sis?"

"I say we give Weasel a piece of our mind, brother dear!" Carrow pulled me up by my hair, and I was too weak to fight. Her brother leaned in and looked me straight in the eye.

"What do you have to say, Weasel? Would you like to beg for mercy?" he asked. 

"Never," I gasped. Carrow hit me right on my jaw. I heard a sickening crack as my jaw broke. My mouth hung limply open while Carrow pulled something out of his pockets— a vile of what looked to be poison. He was going to kill me. 

Carrow had stunned both Neville and Luna, so I was left on my own. I began to struggle and kick, but it was no use. He tipped the liquid into my mouth, and it was the most disgusting thing I had ever tasted. Carrow jerked my head back so I had to either choke or swallow, and I knew what she had intended me to do. When I couldn't prevent it anymore, I swallowed.

I choked and gasped for air. Seemingly satisfied, Carrow threw me onto the ground, and both of them left. I writhed in pain, it was worse than the Cruciatus Curse. I wish it had killed me. With poison, you choke and then you're done, there's no long-lasting pain. After about five minutes, I knew the potion wasn't poison. It wasn't intended to kill me. It was intended to put me in as much pain as possible. At some point, Neville picked me up and spread me out on the seat. Lavender gave me a blanket she had brought...wait, when did Lavender get there? In the intermittent moments I was aware of my surroundings I heard worried voices muttering incoherently. Finally, after an eternity, I gasped and sat up.

"Ginny!" Parvati cried. I realized how bad I must have looked, shaking uncontrollably and struggling to keep myself upright and conscious. "What happened?"

"You expect me to know?" I snapped, though it didn't sound harsh at all. I remembered that my jaw was broken. They probably couldn't even understand me, much less have known I was trying to snap at Parvati.  "How far are we from London?"

"We were going to fix your jaw up, but we decided it was best left to better healers than us. Sorry," Neville told me. They clearly hadn't understood a word I said.

"No. London," I repeated, trying my hardest to enunciate clearly. By the looks on everyone's faces, I wasn't doing a very good job.

"Oh! London! About fifteen minutes now," Luna said after about a minute of awkward silence, everyone trying to figure out what I had said.

I pushed the blanket off myself and struggled to stand up. I leaned towards my right and would have fallen, but Neville caught me. 

Lavender took her blanket and folded it. "You sure you're okay, Ginny?" 

I just nodded my head, because I couldn't have said anything that they could understand. Lavender, Dean, and Parvati left, leaving Neville, Luna, and me alone.