Work Text:
Long Live.
A missing moment from GOF - Ginny/Hermione friendship (after Rita Skeeter’s article)
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Ginny did not quite know what to do with herself. She was hearing whispers in the corridors. Copies of Witch Weekly everywhere. People talking about Hermione and not in a nice way. Usually they would talk about how smart she was and how sometimes it went to her head but this time it was nasty. All because of Rita Skeeter’s article about her, Harry and Victor Krum.
She automatically did not believe it. Due to knowing Hermione as a person. She would not be a two-timer. She knew Hermione would not do that to Harry as she was a good friend. She knew Hermione liked Victor. They went to the Yule Ball together. Also, she knew though she had been scared to admit it Harry fancied Cho Chang and did not see Hermione that way. She was adamant on that last part. It had to be the truth. She also hoped, if it was to happen, Hermione would come and talk to her first and not allow her to read it in a magazine.
‘Maybe she doesn’t want to hurt your feelings’, a voice inside her head said. She was currently walking to Care Of Magical Creatures and had to stop.
‘But you always knew this was going to happen,’ another voice said in her head. The cold, high voice that haunted her mind and dreams. The voice she had only managed to shake off recently after three years of toture. Her chest felt tight. She made excuses to her friends and managed to make it a broom cupboard.
‘He’s never going to like you. It was always going to be her. You know that, Ginevra. There’s no point in denying it’ the voice spoke again. Her chest was tight.
She leaned against the wall of the cupboard, crouching and held her head in distress ‘please stop. You’re not real. You’re not real. Not real. Not real’
‘But I am, Ginevra. I am the darkest parts of you. I’ll always be here,’ the voice replied. She held onto her head and started to cry. She slid down the wall and chanted ‘not real, not real, not real’.
Ginny did not know how long she was there for and eventually she stood up once the voice had stopped. She walked out of the cupboard and as if to taunt her, she saw Hermione coming out of the great hall, shortly followed by Harry and Ron. She whipped around and wiped her face.
‘Give me a minute would you?’ she heard Hermione say and a few moments later she felt a hand on her shoulder.
‘Are you alright?’ Hermione asked. Ginny turned, sniffed and nodded. She could not tell her. She could not tell anyone. No one would understand.
‘Tell you what, meet me after class in the library. It will be a good cover to talk’ Ginny nodded as Hermione spoke. The brunette gave her arm a squeeze and walked down to the dungeons for potions.
After the lesson, Ginny sat in the library waiting for Hermione reading a copy of Qudditch Through The Ages.
‘She’s not coming, you know? She doesn’t care about you. Poor, defenceless Ginny. All on her own. No one to love. Never smart or pretty enough!’ She closed the book with a snap and gasped when she saw Hermione sitting opposite her.
‘Sorry, drama in potions. Had to calm Ron down’ she told her, with a reassuring smile.
‘She’s lying to you. You know who she was with’ Ginny tried to ignore the voice.
‘Anyways, how are you? You looked a little… out of it earlier and you have been quiet all week’ then said Hermione. Ginny hated the voice in her head. It was making her doubt her friend and she did not like that. She knew Hermione. She did.
‘But do you really? You did attack her. She could have died. I should have chosen her to die. This is her revenge’ she shook her head and looked out of the window.
‘Ginny?’ Hermione leaned across the table and gave her hand a squeeze ‘has the voice… has it started again?’
Ginny looked back at her and flashbacks of the summer came flooding back to her. How she would wake up screaming from a nightmare after the Dark Mark and the World Cup. How she did not sleep for days. How Hermione had to calm her down whilst de-gnoming the garden then again on the second day back from school because she woke up from another nightmare that the attacks were going to happen again. She eventually nodded.
‘I guess Skeeter’s article won’t have helped either’ Hermione sighed.
‘I know it is all lies though. She’s a bitter woman. I know you’
‘Thank you. I needed to hear that. Regardless, I was wanting to come and talk to you anyway, because I was worried you would think differently and I know if you are hearing him again, there is a small part of you that believes that I would…’
‘Hermione, I-’
‘Don’t apologise. We all have a negative voice in the back of our minds sometimes. Yours, well, it is worse because of what you went through. You have to ignore it’
‘I can’t - ‘
‘You come and find me. Don’t worry about the boys, I won’t tell them’ Hermione said as a look of worry came across Ginny’s face.
‘Harry is like my brother, that would never happen. Ever. And besides, I wouldn’t do that to you’ she continued with a warm smile.
‘But we aren’t ever going to happen so it is fine if you wanted to’ Ginny said in a quiet voice and shrugged.
‘Time is a funny thing. Keep doing what you’re doing. Your confidence is growing massively. What was it you said last summer even if you don’t end up together you would like…’
‘To be friends with him at least’ Ginny finished and for the first time all day her chest felt lighter.
‘And he needs a friend like you. I think eventually… not even Ron or I will be able to help him with some of his trauma. You’ll be a good friend for him’
‘You think so?’
‘I know so and you keep telling that voice in your head to shut up. He doesn’t know what he is talking about’
Ginny smiled and nodded. She did know Hermione. Truly. And she knew she had a friend for life in her.