Life Is Cruel

*~*~*~*~*~*

Ginny stuck out her tongue in concentration while she scribbled quickly across a sheet of parchment. She was in the library with Parvati and Padma Patil, whom she had been quite eager to sit with, and they were all working on their homework. That is, Ginny was pretending to work on her homework while the other two girls were whispering things about the people who walked in.

Seamus Finnigan walked in.

"Ooh! Parvati, did you hear about that Finnigan boy? I heard that he sneaks into the Gryffindor girls' showers and looks at them washing."

"Are you joking?! I'M A GRYFFINDOR!"

"Well, I don't know if it's true..."

Ginny spoke without looking up from the work she was pretending to be doing.

"It is true. I saw him watching me once about a week ago." Parvati and Padma looked scandalized.

"You just let him?" Padma asked incredulously. Ginny shook her head.

"No, I told Dean to beat him up for me."

"Oh. So that's why he was sent to the hospital wing..."

Ernie Macmillan walked in.

"That boy is so odd."

"I heard he showers with the Hufflepuff girls. And they don't even care!"

"Well, why should they? He is gay, after all."

Padma and Parvati stared at Ginny for a few moments. Finally Parvati spoke up.

"That does make sense... I've always wondered about his lisp."

"His choice in clothes is definitely... interesting." Ernie walked by the table, smiling good-naturedly, his gray uniform sweater cut off just above his navel. He strutted over to the table Millicent Bulstrode (who was looking quite menacing with a scowl plastered on her features) was sitting at and sat down next to her.

"You're right. He must be gay." Padma scrunched up her nose in agreement.

"Any boy who fancied girls would definitely not sit next to her of their own free will."

Lisa Turpin walked in. Or stomped in. Both, really.

"That girl's in a right state."

"Mmhm. I wonder why?"

"She just broke up with her boyfriend last week. Caught him snogging another girl in the loo." Ginny had trouble keeping a

straight face, seeing the shocked expression on Parvati's.

"The loo? Boy's or Girl's?"

"Girl's."

"Hmm. Who is- er, was, her boyfriend? I never even knew she had one." Padma looked over at Lisa, who's blond hair was in a tangled mess.

"Terry Boot. Look over there, in that corner. He's the one with the large book covering his face."

"I don't blame him. Looks like Lisa's ready to rip it right off his head."

Draco Malfoy walked in.

Parvati and Padma both sighed and rested their heads in their hands, looking at him dreamily. Ginny looked up at this, confused

by her friends' sudden silence, and saw Malfoy walk to the other end of the library. As he sat down, they caught each others' eyes, brown locked with grey.

He stared at her for a moment with no emotion evident on his face, and then looked down at his bag and slowly began unpacking his things. That's strange, Ginny thought, as she went back to looking at her parchment. She looked over the list she had been making and grinned, all other thoughts disapparating with little imaginary 'pop's.

Padma sighed wistfully while Parvati batted her eyelashes over toward the table Malfoy was sitting at.

"What is it you two are all worked up about?" asked Ginny curiously, noticing their extreme change in behavior. "Not Malfoy over there?" Padma tore her eyes away from the Slytherin for a moment - which seemed to be a rather difficult task - to stare at Ginny as if she were mad.

"Are you kidding? Draco Malfoy is positively gorgeous!"

"Stunning," agreed Parvati, not looking away.

"He's got the perfect body..."

"He's the perfect height..."

"He's blonde..."

"He's rich..."

"He's handsome..."

"Not to mention a sizzling personality...-"

"Personality?!" spluttered Ginny. "He's a Sly-ther-in," she said slowly, emphasizing each syllable. "All he does is mock people and humiliate them!" The memory of Draco Malfoy at the entrance of Flourish and Blotts those three years ago popped freshly into her mind.

"Bet you loved that, didn't you Potter?"

It was the first time she had ever seen him, after hearing about him all summer from Ron. She had only heard bad things about him of course - how he was a stupid prat who needed a good punch in the face and hex in the gut. How he was an ugly git and that Ron wished he would fall off his broom to an untimely and painful death. Ginny had to admit, though, the first time she laid eyes on him, he was not at all ugly. He wasn't 'positively gorgeous' then either, though. He was only twelve, after all. He was certainly better looking now. That sneer he usually had plastered on his face seemed to distort his good looks, though.

"

Famous Harry Potter," he had said. "Can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page." She had to agree with him. He was the legendary Harry Potter after all. But that didn't mean he could make fun of him for it. She had taken a stand.

"Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!"

Ginny had had her eyes narrowed and was glaring at him menacingly. Or what she tried her best to be menacingly. He had just looked down at her, a smirk on his face.

"Potter, you've got yourself a

girlfriend!" Over all, this was not one of her worst memories. Being called Harry Potter's girlfriend wasn't something that happened to every girl. Of course, it would have been better if he had said it not trying to embarrass him. She had gone completely red. She was the only one, though, that knew that she had blushed from pleasure, not embarrassment. Well, it was a little embarrassing too, but this was Harry Potter. A petty little emotion like embarrassment wasn't going to stop her from enjoying the unexpected, but delightful, moment.

Then Ron came over with Hermione and Malfoy had said something snarky about their family, whereupon Ron had tried to give him that promised punch in the face. A hex in the gut wasn't allowed - it was still summer, after all. She couldn't really remember much after that. Sure, Malfoy was a rotten bastard to Harry and his friends, and she would always hold that against him, but he had never really done anything to her personally. Insults about her family, insults about Ron, but not her. Yet.

Oh.

Wait a moment.

Oh, she remembered now. Some part of her must have tried to block it from her memory.

Lucius Malfoy had come in, bringing with him the worst times of her life. He had come in and insulted her father, his work, and

everything he lived for. He had sneered at everyone in her family as if they were a piece of grime on his shoe. He had given her the coldest look she had ever received, making her shudder involuntarily. He had handed her that little book, that little diary that had done so much damage, that had manipulated her and used her... Tom...

"Oh, he can be rude and obnoxious at times, but just watch him with his friends. He looks like an absolute blast to be with." Ginny jumped as she was brought back to the present, almost knocking over her ink bottle. She pushed the thoughts of Tom into the back of her mind and once again remembered where she was. She looked over at the table Malfoy was sitting at. He was staring intently at a book that was easily double the size of any of her own, each of which she had figured weighed more than her. He was scribbling furiously on a sheet of parchment, and Ginny turned back to the list in front of her. She shrugged and began writing again.

"If you say so." She paused in mid-word and added, "You know, I heard that he's been out with all the Slytherin girls-"

"That's not so bad."

"-twice."

"Oh." Parvati watched glumly as Malfoy reached for another sheet of parchment, but Padma was looking at Ginny inquiringly.

"Been?" she asked. "So who's he with now?" Ginny shrugged again, not looking up.

"Nobody, I think." The twins both squealed with glee, and then commenced giggling into their hands. Ginny rolled her eyes and looked over at the reason for this behavior for the third time. Malfoy was still looking down, still writing, making no signs whatsoever that he had heard anything going on over where she sat.

"How do you find all this stuff out?" asked Padma, absently wiping drool from her lower lip.

Ah, thought Ginny as she grinned to herself. Finally, an open door. She looked at the ceiling in a bored manner, saying loftily, "Oh, I have my ways." Padma and Parvati looked at each other for a moment, and seemed to reach a conclusion. They huddled in close to Ginny so she could hear them whisper.

"What else do you know?" Ginny looked hesitant for a moment, which was really her trying not to jump up and whoop, but eventually leaned in closer to the two girls, who were both fidgeting in their seats in anxiety. Ginny looked at them with a very solemn look on her face, and began to recite what she had been planning out for the last day and a half.

"Well," she began slowly, "I did hear something about a girl... now who was it... Chong? Chang?"

"Oh! I know her!" Padma squeaked. "Cho Chang! She's in my house!" Ginny nodded seriously.

"Well, I've just heard the most awful things going around about her..."

That night, Ginny went to bed smiling.

Evilly.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Ginny awoke the next morning to the sounds of excited whispers coming from the bed next to her. She rolled onto her back and stared at the top of her four-poster.

Another day. Another day, filled with the malicious contempt life seems to hold for me. I wonder what Harry will find more interesting than me today? Perhaps I can lure him into a corner after Care of Magical Creatures and talk to him alone. I hope Cho is deadly ill. That way he would at least-

Her thoughts froze as the dormant parts of her brain came awake. The left side of her brain had seemed to just click into place with her right, and she suddenly realised what the whispers were about. She jumped out of bed and tore open the curtains to the bed next to hers.

About eight girls were crammed onto the bed, and they immediately stopped talking and stared blankly out at her, waiting for her to say something. Ginny spoke breathlessly.

"Well?! What's all this whispering about? Let me in on it!" They exchanged nervous glances at each other for a moment, and they whispered quietly to each other. Ginny's heart was racing. If her roommates were already talking about it...

"Well," said one girl hesitantly. Ginny let out an exasperated sigh.

"Come on, I promise I won't tell anyone." The girl seemed to believe her, and began to talk quickly.

"Last night, I was in the common room when Parvati came in. You know her, don't you? She's a fifth year. Well, I heard her talking to her friend Lavender Brown. She said that she had just been in the Great Hall telling some people something, and-" The girl paused. "Are you alright?" she asked Ginny, who had just fallen off the edge of the bed in her excitement. Ginny stood up quickly, brushed herself off, and sat on the bed once more, a little further from the edge this time.

"Fine! I'm fine. Please continue." Before she could continue, however, a first year who had been sitting near the back suddenly let out a high-pitched squeak, which sounded oddly like the air being let out of a pinched balloon. A few more people toppled off the bed in surprise, three jumped, and one let out a shriek that caused the rest of the girls to fall over. In fact, the only one left sitting upright on the bed once the pandemonium had ceased was the girl who had squeaked in the first place.

From the floor, Ginny heard her blurt out in a high-pitched voice, "Cho Chang is a whore!" Immediately afterward, the entire room was filled with chattering girls, all talking at an alarming speed. Ginny could vaguely make out fragments of sentences out of the ongoing natter.

"She's a skanky tart -"

"I heard that she's slept with every boy in the school -"

"-more like every male in the school -"

Ginny nodded reflectively. Everything was going well so far.

"I heard she shagged Snape her first year to raise her potions grade -"

"She charms her chest to make her baps bigger -"

Ginny let out a surprised, "Really?" She hadn't made up that one. She had to remember to find out who did and congratulate them. A fake bosom was always an ear-catcher.

"She uses people-"

"-lures innocents into the forest and-"

"-sneaks up on passers-by and throttles-"

Ginny tried to stop everyone, but it was no use now. She wanted to hear the person who said 'uses people', but she had no idea who said it and the chatter was getting louder by the second.

"She plays with boy's hearts-"

"-wants Harry for his fame-"

"She knows he likes her-"

"-right bint if you ask me-"

Ginny started dancing around in little circles. This was what she wanted to hear. Everything else was fine too of course, the more the better. But all she really needed going around was that small bit right there. She wanted Harry for his fame. She let out a triumphant cry that no one heard. She would have to remember to get the twins something very large and nice for Christmas.

She thanked everyone for their time and headed out the door and down the steps leading into the common room, leaving the girls in the dormitory, who were still blabbering on about Cho.

She walked through the common room, ignored the whistles coming from the corner, and went straight to breakfast. In the corridors she saw girls whispering to each other and giggling into their hands. Ginny smiled broadly. Wonderful. Everything was going perfectly.

She quickened her pace, and practically ran into the Great Hall. She burst through the doors a little more forcefully than she'd planned on, causing them to hit the wall. Fortunately, no one noticed. Everyone was chatting happily away, and to her complete delight, Ginny found that Cho was sitting alone at the end of the Ravenclaw table, looking very sad and confused. Good.

She made her way to her usual seat at the Gryffindor table, which was near her brother and Hermione. Oh, and the body of Harry Potter, since his mind seemed to be out wandering again.

Wait.

No.

No, no, no, no, NO!

No, his mind shouldn't be wandering! It should be tucked away, safe and warm in his head! His eyes should be on his food, or Ron, or even Hermione! He should not be looking anywhere other than this table! He should be sad, or mad, or both!

She looked at him, fearing what she might see. His eyes were glazed over, and he was staring just to the right of her. She turned around.

Right at Cho Chang.

Well, bugger that.

Something was obviously amiss, and she intended just what it was. She strode over to Parvati who was eating cheerfully - obviously proud of a job well done. Well, thought Ginny, it wasn't done quite well enough.

"What's going on?!" Parvati jumped as she heard Ginny right behind her, and spilled eggs down her front. She brushed them off briskly and smiled innocently.

"I don't know what you mean, Ginny." The redhead pointed a menacing finger at her.

"I know you told everyone what I told you," she hissed, "so why isn't Ha-" Ginny was cut off by a seemingly hurt Parvati.

"Why Ginny, that's the most awful thing you've ever said to me!" Parvati's eyes were full of fake innocence. "How could you accuse me of something so horrible, so vile? I would never, ever, ever-"

"I wanted you to!" Ginny snapped.

"Oh." Parvati seemed to relax considerably. "Well then, yes. I did. So did Padma, as you can probably see. But I still don't know what you mean. Everyone knows about... Cho Chang." She whispered the last part quietly so as not to start some sort of riot.

"Everyone but Harry!" Parvati suddenly looked nervous and started to stammer.

"Yes. Well, you see, I - um, well, we... tried to tell him... but...-"

"But what?!"

"Well, as soon as someone mentions Cho, he stops listening. I tried to talk to him before, and he started drooling all down his front. Quite disturbing, really." Ginny slumped and smacked herself in the head. How could she have forgotten? Harry Potter, The Boy Who Hears Only What He Wants To Hear.

Ginny straightened up and held her chin up high. She knew what she had to do - it was the only way. She would have to talk to him herself.

She slowly walked back to where Harry was seated and sat down next to him (after Dean pushed Neville out of his spot and into the floor to make room for her). She moved the plate in front of her away and cleared her throat nervously. Even in this moment, she couldn't help but feel slightly breathless. She was sitting right next to Harry. Not that she hadn't done this before, but every time she did, her heart started beating a little faster, and her hands became cold and clammy. She could feel the heat radiating from his arm onto her own arm, which were both resting on the table next to each other. She could hear his steady breathing and could see his pulse beating in his neck. She licked her suddenly dry lips, batted away Dean's roaming hand, and took a deep breath. It's now or never, she told herself firmly, forcing the lovely image of Harry holding her close to him out of her mind. Here goes nothing.

"Good morning Harry."

No one in Gryffindor, or even the rest of the school, had tried to talk to Harry after Parvati's failed attempt. Hermione and Ron, who had been eating peacefully, froze in mid-movement to stare at them both. Hermione's fork was halfway to her mouth, and Ron, who was holding the salt, was continuously (and obliviously) pouring it onto his food.

In fact, everyone stopped talking.

The entire school, except for the teachers, who were blissfully ignorant of the situation, was silent. Ginny felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. She quickly glanced across the room. Yes, even the Slytherins were watching. She saw Blaise Zabini looking at her with contempt, Draco Malfoy looking at her with a dubious curiosity, and Pansy Parkinson sneering at her, looking as if she knew Ginny was going to back out. She wouldn't - she couldn't - give her the pleasure of being right.

"Morning Gin," said Harry, completely unaware of the numerous pairs of eyes locked onto the two of them. Ginny, unfortunately, noticed quite clearly, and she was losing her confidence.

"How, um, how are you?" she asked lamely. He shrugged distractedly, his line of vision unwavering. Ginny swallowed a lump in her throat. This was no time for lumps! She had a job to do!

"I see that you notice Cho Chang over there." Harry nodded dumbly. His mouth opened slightly, but to Ginny's immense relief, no drool made its way out. It seemed to give her courage.

"I recently heard that she wants you for your-" Harry sprayed his pumpkin juice all over the table and Ginny. She blinked a few droplets out of her eyes and sat in mild shock. The entire school was watching her, and Harry had just drenched her in pumpkin juice. Wonderful.

"She wants me?" Ginny soon realised the error of her wording and quickly tried to rephrase it.

"No, no, Harry, she wants to use you-" Ginny stopped as soon as the words left her mouth. That sounded a lot different out loud than it had in her head.

"She wants to use me?" he repeated faintly. Ginny knew that if things didn't turn around soon, she was not going to win this battle.

"For your fame, Harry, your fame!" But it was no use. Harry had that distant look in his eyes again, and he smiled dreamily over at the Ravenclaw table.

Ginny saw Cho run out, crying, hiccoughing, and generally looking humiliated. Well, at least one thing went right. Harry stood up and clapped a hand enthusiastically on Ginny's shoulder.

"I'll be right back Ginny," he said, quite proudly. "Someone wants me." He walked out of the Great Hall with Ginny staring after him. Then, just as she let out a colourful stream of swears, the large room was filled with laughter. Ginny couldn't even hear herself scream in the din.

Of course everyone's laughing, she thought angrily. It's nothing but a game to them. One day, the school is filled with new rumors, new gossip, and the next - gone. Forgotten. Ginny swore again.

Colin Creevy, who was rather short for his age, came up to Ginny. He was looking at her in awe - a look he usually reserved for Harry. His eyes were wide and Ginny looked at him in what looked like a very bad temper. He took her hand regardless.

"You're my hero!" he squeaked. "Will you marry me?" Ginny sat there, not quite sure of what to do. She didn't have to do anything, actually, because a few moments later, Seamus punched Colin in the face.

"She's mine, Creevey!" Upon hearing this, Dean landed a blow in Seamus's stomach.

"Bugger off, Finnigan!" Then Neville joined (who was surprisingly a lot stronger than anyone had expected and knocked all three of them out in less than ten seconds), then Dennis, then Lee...

Soon, almost all the Gryffindor boys were rolling about on the floor, with a still very wet and angry Ginny sitting right in the middle of the conflict. Even Ron had started fighting with the others, completely ignoring Hermione's protests. She heard him yell something about 'no one putting one slimy finger on his sister'. And so the boys fought all through the meal. All the boys - with the exception of one raven-haired, emerald-eyed fifth-year.

Life, Ginny thought to herself, is most definitely cruel.

*~*~*~*~*~*

It was eleven at night, and Ginny was lying on her bed, feeling utterly and completely miserable. She could hear the other girls sleeping peacefully in their own four-posters, not a care in the world. Ginny envied them all.

Oh Harry, if only you loved me. If only you were mine, and mine alone. If only Cho was not the center of your heart-felt affections. If only she were not so nice, so pretty, so available, so-

Ginny blinked. She blinked twice, just for good measure, since she couldn't tell whether she had blinked the first time because the room was pitch black. In the dark recesses of Ginny's mind, an idea had formed.

She hopped out of bed, and started pacing the floor, tripping over the bottom of her nightgown and numerous articles of clothing in the process.

Available

? Where did that come from?

Then again, what did it matter?

In her mind - her brilliant, amazing, and most definitely ingenious mind - another plan had formed. She walked out the door and down the stairs leading into the common room and sat on the couch that sat in front of the now cold and dark fireplace. The pale moonlight drifted in through the castle's large windows, casting an eerie glow around her head. Her hair shone like cold fire - a burning red, outlined by a frozen ice blue. Her eyes snapped open, and a lightning bolt illuminated the room and her immobile figure in an unworldly light. Thunder crashed over the grounds, and Ginny threw back her head and cackled.

Tomorrow, Cho Chang might still be pretty, and nice, and all that other rubbish that usually came with being her, but she would no longer be available.

Ginny would see to that.