only just a dream (Harry)

[ginevra molly weasley]

She was back in the Chamber of Secrets. Only this time, she wasn't a first year. Instead she was walking through the Chamber as a fifth year, her current age, but just as helpless as ever. Ginny couldn't do anything she really wanted to. She'd thrown all of her trust into a stupid diary – a diary that was under her arm at this very moment. She had confided in it. She thought what she and Tom had was something real. At least as far as friendship went. In her mind she was the fifth year version of her first year self – an awkward girl with red hair and an unrequited love interest. She was the self-conscious girl of her first year stuck in her fifth year body; the youngest Weasley and the only female child to the family. While those last two things might have still been true, the real Ginny was no longer the self-conscious little girl that she had been her first year. She'd come into Hogwarts a but shy, embarrassed because her brother had gotten a howler and confused about what to do around Harry. But now, aside from this moment, she was a popular fifth year. Someone who took after Fred and George in the pranks department and managed to look half-way attractive on a tight budget. Just, not right now. Right now she was terrified.

Her body moved to the floor. Tom was standing over her, just waiting for her to die. Ginny had guessed the plan by now. He didn't really want her friendship; he just wanted to get to Harry. And it was all her fault. She was on the floor, motionless, her skin growing even more pale by the minute. The book was placed under her arms on top of her chest, just soaking in her strength. That was when Harry, now his sixth year self, came in. She could sense he was there, but there was nothing she could do about it. She wanted to scream out that this was all her fault. She was so sorry. But nothing happened. She couldn't even make herself open her eyes.

Finally she was able to scream. She sat upright on the couch in the Gryffindor Common Room, covered in a thin film of sweat. The red-headed girl looked around. She was alone, at least for now. She wondered if that scream had been out loud. Yes, it had most definitely been out loud. She wondered if anyone had heard it. There were probably some people in the dorms, but maybe they thought it was just another fifth year freaking out about the fact that they had OWLs this year. Her chest made dramatic movements up and down as she attempted to control her breathing. Despite popular belief, Ginny was not over the fact that Lord Voldemort had actually possessed her. She had frequent nightmares, but she rarely woke up screaming about them. This was embarrassing. She ran her hands through her hair and looked at the floor. She had in fact dropped a diary-sized book, but it wasn't Riddle's diary. It was just a Charms book from the library. She picked it up and sat it on the table next to her, she was going to have to go to the Hospital Wing sometime soon and get a no dream potion.