Amnesty
Ginny felt uncomfortable.
Sure living with a family composed of seven children with multiple personalities and the fact that her father worked in the ministry made Ginny learn to adapt to different types of people. She knew when to flash a smile or when to just hide her irritation in order to make sure that things will go ‘smoothly’ in the end.
Due to her trying to put on the ‘meek daughter’ charade at home as soon as she was in school her bottled emotions would sometimes implode resulting in some of her year-mates avoiding her because she was just too ‘emotional’ or ‘dramatic’.
This was probably one of the reasons why she and Luna got along so well. Luna wasn’t someone who would judge you right away. She was the type of a person if given the opportunity would spend the whole day with you before giving a verdict on what she thought of you. In fact, one of Luna’s greatest traits was the fact that she was a very good listener. She wouldn’t interrupt you, she would interject only when needed, and no matter how useless or dumb your rants would be she would always make you feel like you didn’t waste her time.
While this was a trait that wasn’t known by the masses it was a trait that had made the girl obtain a unique set of . . . acquaintances. This was especially true when referring to her association with the Slytherins, especially a certain group. While most people in her year would shiver in fear of being in the same hall as Draco Malfroy Luna would have no problem bumping into him and asking the boy for quail eggs to complete her Blibbering Humdinger trap.
Despite this though when Luna had called her up to the library for a study session with a friend she really didn’t expect said ‘friend’ to be no other than Pansy Parkinson.
“Luna” the redhead whispered to her friend hiding her face with a large volume of Legendary and Fabled Creatures: Special Edition vol. 7 “Are you . . . sure about her?”
The Ravenclaw was busy looking over old versions of the Daily Prophet and some other magazine that seemed to be in French “Well yes she is slightly older but I think she still has some knowledge to bestow”
Ginny paused for a moment before replying “I’m referring to Parkinson”
“Ohhhh” Luna nodded as if in sudden realization “Well you see she’s actually quite lonely”
Ginny turned to the Slytherin who was glaring at a couple of younger Gryffindors “She seems to want to be alone”
“What you see is not always the truth,” Luna said flipping over a couple of pages on the French magazine before stopping on a page “Hmm . . . I wonder if they would mind if I ripped a page. It is for educational purposes after all”
“I don’t think they would allow that” Ginny replied.
“Hmm maybe if no one is looking” Luna mused.
At this Pansy noticed the Ravenclaw “What on earth are you doing Looney?”
“Oh it’s research for Dabberblimp breeding” Luna pointed at the page “According to this article their eggs have been used in several beauty products in France and some parts in Europe”
“What is it with you are made-up creatures?” Pansy asked.
At this Ginny dropped her giant volume which created a loud thud “Listen here . . .”
“Oh like you seriously believe that those Dapper creatures actually exist,” Pansy said with a sneer.
“Whether or not I believe in it doesn’t mean I have to be rude about it” Ginny replied back with a glare.
At this, the Slytherin chuckled “Of course you lot know when to suck up to people to get what you want”
The youngest Weasley snorted “Like you of all people don’t do that yourself”
This made Pansy’s face turn a shade of red “Don’t you dare compare yourself to me” she pointed a finger at her “I come from a pureblood family and you’re just a bunch of parasites sucking up to the Ministry”
“That’s it!” Ginny slammed stood up and slammed her hands on the table at this point there were a couple of students already looking at them “Enough of being polite!” she grabbed Pansy by her robes “I’ve been trying to play nice but you’re seriously crossing the line!”
“You know she is right somewhat”
Both Ginny and Pansy turned to the blonde girl.
“Who?” both girls asked.
Luna placed a finger on her chin “You two are similar in some ways”
Pansy removed Ginny’s hands from the collar of her robes “Now what non-sense are you . . .”
“Well I could be wrong though” Luna cocked her head “I mean in the end it’s the connections we make that matters”
Ginny let out a sigh “Look I don’t know what you two bonded over . . .”
“We never bonded” Pansy sat down “If anything Looney just picked me up from the streets like I was some abandoned cat”
“I wouldn’t say abandoned” Luna interjected “More like . . . ran away”
At this Ginny snorted “What did Draco kick you out of the group?”
Pansy clenched her jaw “I wasn’t part of the group, to begin with” she then gathered her things “Now excuse me because I’d rather not associate myself with a peasant and a lunatic”
After she left Ginny let out a sigh and sat down her chair “I honestly don’t know what her problem is”
Luna looked at Pansy’s retreating figure with a somewhat glum expression “She’s lost”
Ginny turned to her friend with a raised brow “Lost?”
“You see she . . . isn’t very good with people”
“I’ll say” Ginny crossed her arms “She’s nothing but a spoiled brat who thinks just because she’s some rich pureblood she’s better than everyone”
Luna’s gaze shifted to the ceiling “You haven’t seen when Draco embarrassed her in front of everyone at Great Hall?”
Ginny frowned “Draco isn’t that much better than her”
“Yes he does have a temper” Luna stood up “But it just seems wrong to see someone kick an already beaten horse”
The redhead gave her a confused look.
“When you transform one object into another say to turn a quill into a clock it requires knowing various variables like the structure of the object and the object you are to transform it into, your wand power and many other things” she brought out her wand and tapped her quill and immediately turned into a small wooden cuckoo clock “Sure if you describe the whole process it seems quite difficult and confusing but once you actually try it, it becomes second nature”
Ginny pursed her lips “What does this have to do with Pansy?”
Luna tapped her wand on her forehead “Hmm . . . maybe I should have worded it better” she gave her friend an apologetic smile “Sorry for troubling you”
She was definitely better off alone. Friends? Who needed friends? They were just a bunch of useless annoying people who were going to leave her anyway. She was better off alone. People didn’t like her anyway, not the boy and not even the girls. She was really better off alone. Her own family doesn’t even like her so why even bother with a bunch of strangers? Being alone was better. It’s easier to make people hate her because no one would ever like her anyway. She’s just gonna be alone.
“Why do you keep following me!?” Pansy angrily turned around to see no other than Looney Lovegood trailing behind her.
Luna stopped skipping and turned around “Are the Nargles following you too?”
Pansy stomped her foot “Enough of that Nargle business!”
The girl turned back to her “Well I can’t say I didn’t warn you”
She let out a sigh “Why are you such a pest?”
“Maybe it’s just something that comes to me naturally”
The Slytherin girl just sighed “Aren’t you tired?”
She coked her head “The library isn’t that far?”
“Why do you keep trying to be nice to me?!” Pansy yelled, “Like all I’ve been doing to you is insult you, make fun of you, and I dunno if Fowl told you but I was the one who made the damn potion that transformed your head!”
“Oh . . .” Luna nodded as though she had just been told this “You must be very good at potions then”
“Urgh!” Pansy growled before sitting on the floor and covering her head with her hands “Why can’t you just hex me or try to beat me up like Weasley?!”
“I don’t think Ginny is a ‘beat-up’ sort of person,” Luna said before approaching Pansy and squatting across her “Do you want me to become angry at you?”
The Slytherin quietly answered “Yes . . .”
“Well . . .” Luna frowned “I can’t say I know how to be angry. I have been angry before” she continued “I can try to be angry but I don’t think I’m a very good actress and even if I was you probably don’t want that either”
Pansy just remained silent.
Luna looked at the girl, it was as though she were those creatures she saw in muggle studies that turned into a ball when they see predators approaching. Luna didn’t think she could be a predator but this defense tactic might not be directed at her specifically.
“Sometimes I wish I were you” Pansy muttered.
At this Luna smiled “You want to be a lunatic who chases imaginary creatures?”
“At least I’d have imaginary creatures who’d comfort me” Pansy lifted up her head tears were now flowing from her face “At least I’d have a friend who would fight for me . . . at least I’d have parents who despite being dirt poor would actually care for me . . .”
“You really are self-centered”
Both girls turned to see Ginny had also followed the out of the library.
“Ginny . . .” Luna tried to stop her.
“Just because your parents are terrible people doesn’t mean you have to terrible as well!” Ginny went over to the two girls, it was a good thing there weren’t many people in the corridor.
Pansy removed Luna’s hand on her head “It’s not that easy . . .”
“I know it’s not!” Ginny clenched her fists “You come here to Hogwarts thinking that you can change whatever you were at home only to realize that it’s not what you expect and suddenly the whole world thinks you’re just some pitiful brat” she continued “I don’t know what you got going on with your life and I don’t think I’ll ever understand you purebloods in general but I know that if you actually put effort you can actually change for the better. Look you probably aren’t even that bad of a person so if you could just stop pushing people away then maybe you’d have a friend. I’m not saying you would have but it’s better to actually try than just wallowing in one corner and feeling sorry about yourself.”
There was silence after Ginny’s rant and after a few moments a cough was heard and the redhead’s face turned crimson “I just started rambling didn’t I?”
“Yeah you did” Pansy stood up “And your point was really all over the place”
Ginny’s face turned even redder “Well sorry for trying to motivate you!”
“Thanks”
“You know you rea . . .” Ginny stopped in her mid-rant “What?”
“Look Weasley I don’t want to repeat myself” Pansy’s lip trembled, “I said thank you”
Ginny blinked in confusion “Umm . . . I guess. . . . You’re welcome?” this was probably the first time a Slytherin was thanking her.
“I mean your motivational speech was kinda crappy” she raised her chin “But it did kinda make me feel better for some reason”
Luna looked at the two girls and couldn’t help but laugh “Now I know why I said you two were similar”
“That doesn’t mean I’m gonna stop insulting your family . . .” Pansy met Ginny’s gaze “I mean . . . your brother is just too easy of a target”
Ginny just smiled “Yeah, I can’t argue with that”
“Would be so kind as to get the parchments I left at the library?” Luna asked the two girls “Also hide the magazine, I actually ripped three pages off Femme épaisse”
“Seriously?” Pansy sighed and marched to the library “Looks like we have to hide her property damage”
“Oh right and I haven’t finished my Care for Magical Creatures homework!” Ginny’s face turned pale.
“Were you looking up the lifecycle of a unicorn?” Pansy asked.
“Yes” Ginny replied “For some reason, I couldn’t find a single book about it, it just described what they were and that’s it”
Pansy sighed “Hurry up then I’ll lend you my notes from last year, I still have it in my trunk”
“Well thanks” Ginny seemed really grateful.
Pansy grumbled something about not telling the other Gryffindors what she did as they went back to the library.
Once Luna was sure the two girls were gone she turned to the window at the end of the hall “You can come out now”
“How can she?”
“It’s probably because she heard you cough Potter,” Artemis said removing his invisibility cloak.