The Boy who lived
Ron is finally old enough to go to Hogwarts and with him goes the last one of my brothers I can count on to talk to about Mother's wrath. I mean I don't talk to him about her but I'd still enjoy the option. It's always made me envious how excited the boys are to go back to school. Fred and George tell me stories about the hijinks they've pulled in that school and the way they know exactly how to irritate Professor Snape just enough that his nostrils twitch into braids (their words not mine). I always felt just a little safer knowing that I had Ron in the house dealing with our overbearing mother but knowing I was about to lose my companion in suffering was more heartbreaking than I'd let anyone in on.
Mother was always rushing everyone out the door when it was time for them to go back to Hogwarts and being Ron's first year she had the twinkle of mind breaking stress in her eyes that was the most comforting sight on such a gut wrenching day. Of course Ron was feeling the stress of his first year that he had woken up just 20 minutes early (believe me for him that's astonishing) to make sure he had everything in order. We were nearly out the door when he realized he'd forgotten Scabbers, the family rat. Mother got into a panic, the Twins and Dad helped him look for him and of course the little rat found his pet somehow hiding on top of the fridge. Sometimes I worry that rat's going to end up killing me in my sleep.
We made it to the train station for the Hogwarts Express and every step filled me with agony. They are torturous, mind numbingly painful little demons to deal with but the house is so quiet without my older brothers. Who's Mom going to dote on for being such a rule following snooty little prat if Percy's gone? Who's going to irritate the ever living day lights out of her if my favorite clown's are gone? With Ron being gone, it's going to be my first year alone with her and I'm utterly terrified. She's going to more than likely be forcing me to be more ladylike and all of this bullshit that's absolutely going to drive me insane. I just want to be myself and she's never listening no matter how many cries of agony flutter from my lips. I wish Ron wouldn't leave me alone with her like everyone else already has. Honestly, I wish I could just go with them.
We arrived at Platform Nine and Three Quarters when a boy with glasses appeared wondering how to get through the gate. There was something about this boy that I knew I knew of him but I didn't understand how or who he was. Percy, Fred and George had already gone through. Mother went ahead and explained to this clueless boy how to get through to the Hogwarts Express. The boy looked so afraid as he ran through the barrier, like he had expected to hit the wall instead. Once he'd gone through, Ron went charging in next and then it was me and Mother's turn. As we got out to the train, Mom was doting on Ron again. Honestly the best gift he'd given me all year was this moment of her off my back and rubbing his nose red. The twins came out and tortured Ron as they always do when they see the chance for a good taunting. Percy was changed into his prefect robes and I almost felt like they'd given him magical powers! Where moments before he looked like a plain old person, now it was like his nose was turned up so much that I almost felt his nose was going to inhale me. The twins started to explain to us that they had helped the boy carry up his belongings into a compartment on the train when they asked if we knew who the boy was. I did the math quickly in my head and in a hopeful guess asked if it was the boy who survived Nosferatu. Of course I was right and begged Mother to let me go talk to him. I still wanted to know more about this boy and honestly I'd found him quite cute. There were still tons of questions I had about that night and I was in arms reach of being able to get the answers but of course my buzzkiller just had to deny my curiosity. My heart was already breaking and this made it shatter. The second my brothers were out of sight, I couldn't hold all of my pain in anymore and I broke. The realization that I'd be stuck with her until next summer, that I wouldn't seem my brothers until the next break they had, the fact I couldn't talk to the boy who lived all snowballed me into an overwhelming wave of agony. I felt like the world was ending until a familiar voice screamed through the veil, "Don't cry Ginny! We'll send you loads of owls!" my brother Fred yelled. Then of course George piped in like the other half of a coin, "We'll send you a toilet seat!" Of course that sent mother into an angry mood swing. They were barely gone and I already knew what the next year of torture looked like.