Jigsaw

Chapter 5: Secrets Revealed

Ginny collapses onto a scarlet chair in the common room, sighing loudly. Hermione glances over at her, raising one eyebrow, but saying nothing before turning back to her own homework.

She looks around the room. Looks at all the people she has known for years. Colin Creevey is helping his brother learn how to operate his over-large camera. Seamus Finnigan is the target of doe-eyed gazes and giggles from Lavender and Parvati, both of them wearing their hair in perfect plaits.

And there is Harry.

He is sitting in a chair next to the window. Gazing out of it. He appears completely lost in thought. She wonders what is occupying his thoughts now. Whether it is Ron, Sirius, or Voldemort.

He has been noticeably subdued lately. He barely speaks to anyone. Not even Hermione.

She considers going over and attempting to engage him in conversation.

But at the same time that she pities him, she wants to smack him across his perfectly innocent face. Make him realize that he is not the only person who has suffered losses. Far from it.

So, she opens her Potions book and flips to the page about Truth serums. The assignment is to write a foot on the effects of the different ingredients in Veritaserum.

Sighing one last time, she begins to read.

--

She isn’t sure what brings her to the Muggle Studies classroom that night. Nothing outstandingly bad has happened.

But since that summer, no matter what kind of day she has had, nothing feels quite right.

And she is starting to find that once the wounds begin to heal, once they fade, her skin doesn’t look right either.

And so, she shuts the door behind her and sinks to the floor, sitting with her knees drawn to her chest.

She shrugs off her robes, taking the razor from the pocket.

But this time, it is only after she has made the first gash that her mind travels back to her childhood, and she begins to cry.

"Ron?"

Her brother glances over at her, as they both lay on their backs on the grass.

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever kissed someone?"

His face flushes slightly red. "No. Why?"

Blushing slightly herself, she says, "I just wondered what it was like. It must be nice."

There is silence for a moment. And then, he is lifting himself up and leaning toward her.

And his lips are brushing against hers. Lightly, so lightly.

It is innocent and sweet, and everything a first kiss should be.

"So," he says, sounding uncomfortable, turning his face back to the sky. "Erm.. Was it nice?"

"Yeah," she says, smiling slightly. "It was."

She drops the razor and cradles her left arm to her chest as blood flows down it, crying and quietly sobbing.

She doesn’t hear the door open.

--

After a half an hour, Draco is getting impatient. He turns the tiny blade over in his hand.

What in hell was she doing with this?

He finally decides to walk in and see what is going on.

To his surprise, the door isn’t locked.

He opens it and steps in, glancing around.

She is in the middle of the room, where Professor Vector must stand during lessons.

She has one of her arms held to her chest. And something is on her arm. Something dark.

Something red.

Blood.

"Jesus, Weasley, what the hell are you doing?"