Difficulties of Avoidance by chaiteelatte
Chapter Notes: I don't know why I stopped posting on here. I suppose I may have been waiting for a beta or something (that happens to me a lot), but nonetheless it has gone a long time without update, which is a shame because I have a lot more written! Anyways, I can promise more quick updates for a little while now, at least until I catch up to where I am writing at the moment. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Tom’s glare was haunting her. Ginny had written Harry at least five letters in the last three days, all of them reiterating the same basic idea. She had paced the length of the common room for about an hour before she had sat down to write this one. At the moment, Dear Harry was all that this parchment said. She tickled her nose with the quill, trying to think of the best way to begin, and then finally touched nub to paper and let her fears and frustration flow.
Harry, I’m going out of my mind. Half the time I want to march up to the seventh floor and hex him out of his mind. The other half, I’m so terrified I want to hide under my bed like a first year all over again. And I haven’t even talked to him properly!
With a jerk, Ginny realized she had written a near replica of her last letter. Scowling, she Scourgified the paper, crumpled it up, and threw it across the room. Then she bit her lip, retrieved the paper, fixed it, and then re-wrote the letter with an obligatory apology for being so annoying. She gave the letter to Pig, who Ron had sent her during the second week of school.
In the far recesses of her mind - the one section not preoccupied with Tom Riddle - she wondered if Ron had sent the little owl to her because it made too much racket for them to care for in a dangerous area. That small section of Ginny’s mind was constantly berating her for being so inconsiderate; Harry was off facing a full-grown Tom Riddle who was intent on killing him, and here she was complaining about a prisoner who had done nothing to her since her first year. She almost took the letter away from Pig, but he darted eagerly out the window before she had a chance.
The Quidditch tryouts had been a welcome distraction, although she had quickly wished to be back in her room biting her nails over Tom Riddle. She had to replace a Keeper, a Chaser, and a Seeker (or two Chasers, if she decided to play Seeker), but her organization skills left something to be desired and the pitch erupted into chaos. Her original plan had been to test herself against both the potential Chasers and Seekers to see where her skills would be put to the most use. She loved the thrill and competition of being a Chaser, but she had confidence in her ability as a Seeker and was not about to give up one of the most important positions to a halfway decent flier. Ginny was lucky enough to find a third year girl who shot around on her broom like a rocket and had a sharp eye, and - delighted - Ginny gave young Arabella Jones the position. Ginny felt her Keeper and Chaser selections had been less than satisfactory. By the time practices began, she found Quidditch to be less of a distraction and more of a reminder of how much she missed Harry and how jittery she became on a broom when she was consistently nervous.
Luna was little help in the whole situation. She had taken to eating meals with Ginny in the corridors because Ginny was having trouble handling the constant noise in the Great Hall. –It must be rather distressing,†Luna mused, –being seventeen and suddenly being pulled out of time to a place where you’re suddenly in trouble for everything you’ve never done.â€
–Yeah, about as distressing as being possessed by a diary during your first year,†Ginny grumbled.
Luna looked hurt. –I was only trying to look at it from his perspective. It would be a very terrifying situation for any normal person.â€
Ginny speared a strip of bacon, clearly closing the matter. –Tom Riddle is not normal.â€
As usual, Luna was not perceptive of the finality in Ginny’s voice, or else she ignored it. –Of course he is,†she persisted. –He’s not anything different than a normal human boy.â€
–No,†Ginny replied, just as forcefully, –by this point of his life he would have already killed several people. And the part of him that he put in the diary did not show a shred of guilt about it. That is not normal.â€
Luna said nothing more, although it was clear she had a lot that she wanted to say. Frankly, Ginny did not want to hear a word of it. They finished breakfast in silence, and she had just begun relaxing when her friend spoke up again.
–Maybe you should go talk to him.â€
–No!†Ginny cried, slamming down her fork on the stone floor so hard that the other girl jumped.
–But if you talked with him, maybe it would help--â€
–No, it would not,†Ginny ground out.
–It could help,†Luna said. –What you’re doing right now, it’s not healthy.†The Ravenclaw girl caught Ginny’s gaze with wide eyes and Ginny shrunk back. One of the occupational hazards of being friends with Luna was her unabashed honesty. –You’re hardly eating, you just stare off into space, you barely talk… If I didn’t know any better, I’d say a Knarkle had stolen part of your brain.â€
–It’s a good thing you know better,†Ginny said sullenly.
–I just want you to be okay,†Luna said slowly, –because I don’t think he will be going away for a long time.â€
Because Luna was her friend - and only because Luna was her friend - Ginny took a moment to turn Luna’s suggestion over in her head. It was true that she had never truly received closure over the whole first-year incident. It had faded into the background, but the current situation had made it clearer than ever that she had not fully recovered. She could boldly face a Tom-boggart, but when the real deal showed his face, she was a weak-kneed, trembling eleven year old all over again.
Ginny opened her mouth to relate these thoughts to Luna, but her friend’s attention had abruptly shifted away from Ginny. –Hello, Harper!†Luna chirped. There was a sharp intake of breath from somewhere on their left, and Ginny followed Luna’s line of sight to a suit of armor standing in a nearby alcove. She was confused until she spotted a pant leg hanging back in the shadows.
–Hello! Harper? Hello?†Luna called, starting to get to her feet. Ginny didn’t bother; she reached for her wand and one well-aimed spell spilled Harper out of his hiding spot.
–Oh, I knew I recognized your shoelaces,†Luna exclaimed. –Do you eat in the hallway also?â€
Harper shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny of both girls, trying to look authoritative when he was obviously embarrassed. –I--â€
–Obviously, he was eavesdropping,†Ginny snapped, crawling to her feet. Depending on how long Harper had been listening, they might have a problem on their hands.
–That’s ridiculous,†Luna said. Turning to Harper, she planted her fists on her hips. –Harper is very responsible. He’s Head Boy.â€
–How long were you listening?†Ginny said, stepping between the pair and leveling her wand at the Head Boy. Luna answered before Harper got a chance to draw a breath.
–He came up while we weren’t talking, so he’s probably very confused,†she said. –Do you think we should explain?†Luna shouldered past Ginny eagerly, ready to explain the full complexities of Ginny’s situation before Ginny pulled her back.
–Luna, don’t,†she hissed.
–Why not? He’s Slytherin, so he might have some valuable insight into this.†Once again, she turned toward Harper. –Have you ever killed someone before?â€
Even Ginny was taken aback. Harper actually sputtered and backed away from the two girls. –You’re plotting to kill Potter?†he asked incredulously.
Both girls blinked and exchanged a confused glance. That had certainly been out of the blue. –We weren’t talking about Harry,†Luna said slowly. –We were talking about--â€
Ginny clapped a hand over Luna’s mouth. –Someone else, though we aren’t planning to kill him either.†In a hushed tone, she hissed at Luna, –What are you thinking?â€
–I thought he might know what Tom had been thinking, being a Slytherin and all,†she answered.
–They don’t all go around killing people!â€
–That’s why I asked first.â€
Harper was shamelessly trying to follow their whispered conversation, leaning so far toward them that it was a wonder he had not fallen over. Ginny shot him a glare, and he snapped back to attention.
–Nevermind, Harper,†Ginny said. –Just don’t eavesdrop on us again, or you’ll pay for it.â€
Harper managed to get back a little of his authoritative footing. –Threatening the Head B--â€
–Ten points from Slytherin for suspicious behavior, by the way,†Luna said abruptly, and Harper sputtered to a stop mid-sentence.
–But--â€
–We can’t have people lurking behind suits of armor at Hogwarts,†Luna explained. –That’s how the armor-spirits incited the student revolt in 1652.â€
Harper looked strangely at Luna and Ginny struggled not to join him. Hogwarts had never experienced a revolt, especially not one led by the castle’s suits of armor. Still, Ginny was not one to argue when Slytherin was losing points, so she made an affirmative sort of sound and nodded her head in Luna’s support.
–If you’re going to be Head Boy, you had better start setting a better example for the students,†Luna finished, and Harper desperately looked like he wanted to hex her. Luna looked unaware, because she sat down once again and patted the ground next to her as if to invite Harper to sit with them. He sneered and swept away.
–Nice boy,†Luna said as she resumed sipping her morning coffee. –He’s a very good organizer, you know. He keeps everything in color-coded folders. I think he quite dislikes me.â€
Ginny hoped Luna would forget their conversation, but the Ravenclaw had a keen memory when she wanted. She breached the subject no less than thirty times by the end of the day, until, finally, Ginny snapped.
–If you want to talk to him so badly, go ask Dumbledore yourself!â€
It was the worst advice she had ever given. After pestering Dumbledore for a few weeks, Luna went to speak with Riddle. She spent the afternoon with him while Ginny paced the common room in anxiety. When Luna turned up outside Gryffindor tower (they had just changed the passwords and she was not privy yet), Ginny was both relieved and annoyed - Luna was fine, but she would not stop talking about the young Dark Lord.
–He was quite pleasant to talk to… Didn’t respond much, but he seemed very interested in the many conspiracies taking place in the Ministry. Did you know his favorite vegetable is a carrot? He didn’t say, of course, but I could tell.â€
–Luna, please stop.â€
–He was particularly interested in you,†Luna continued, and immediately she had Ginny’s attention.
–Why? What did you tell him?â€
–I was telling him about my friends and he was just interested in you. I think it’s because your hair is red. Anyways, I told him all about you - how you’re a good hand at Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts, but not feeling very well lately.â€
–Luna…†Ginny groaned. –You didn’t tell him about our first year, did you?â€
Luna cocked her eyebrow in confusion. –Why would I tell him something like that? It’s hardly a matter for idle chit-chat.†Ginny heaved a deep sigh of relief until Luna added, –He asked if he could meet you, though. You could tell him yourself if you’d like.â€
–Of course he’d like to meet me…†Ginny mumbled.
–Pardon me?â€
Ginny turned and faced Luna head on, staring straight into her friend’s eyes. –Luna. Please. Promise me you won’t see him again. You met him; isn’t that enough?â€
Luna did not speak, but Ginny could see in her eyes that the answer was no. Over the next month, Luna visited Tom every three days. Out of respect for Ginny’s wishes (it had only taken her a week to realize that Ginny truly felt uncomfortable talking about Tom Riddle), Luna never mentioned what went on between her and Riddle. It was common knowledge to both girls that they disagreed about him, and although they never talked about it, it became a point of contention between them. Every so often, when she thought Ginny’s convictions might have changed, Luna suggested Ginny accompany her on one of her visits. Every time, Luna would insist on Riddle’s humanity. Her crazy ideas got wilder with each rendition, until finally the Ravenclaw was convinced that they should smuggle Tom out to go with them to the Halloween feast.
–But he’s so lonely all cooped up in that room all by himself. He’s a seventeen year old boy who hasn’t had any fun in two months.†She glanced both ways down the aisle and pushed her escape plans at Ginny one more time. Ginny felt like something of a conspirator, surrounded by musty books in a darkened corner of the library.
–Luna, his idea of fun is different than ours,†she whispered. –I know it doesn’t seem like it, but he is evil. Now, forget about those…†She reached for Luna’s plans with the intent of shredding them.
Luna saw straight through her intention. –You don’t even know him!†she said sadly, pulling the papers away. –You refuse to go see him.â€
–I know him better than anyone! I spent an entire year with him in my head!†Ginny ripped the drafts from Luna’s grip and whispered, –Incendio.†She dropped them to the ground, smirking in satisfaction as they smoldered, and then stomped out the ashes. When she looked up at Luna, she was shocked to see that her best friend was smoldering with anger.
–Luna…†Ginny had never seen her friend so enraged. Luna’s usually porcelain skin was a blotchy red color and her already thin mouth was pressed in a nearly non-existent line. Then, abruptly, Luna spun on her heel and walked quietly away.
–He’s doing this on purpose!†Ginny screamed after her. –He’s manipulating you!â€
Madam Pince was behind Ginny in an instant, her nostrils flaring. –Fire in my library! Why I never--A detention! Fifty points from Gryffindor! Out of my library. Out!â€
After that, Ginny had no choice but to tell Dumbledore what Luna was planning, and he quickly discouraged Luna from those endeavors. To Ginny’s dismay, he did nothing to disallow Luna from visiting Riddle, and so Luna left the feast early with an armful of sweets to share with him. She refused to speak to Ginny, and for the first time since her first year, Ginny felt lonely at Hogwarts.