Flipside

Chapter Four

Miraculously Ginny made it through the day without hexing someone into the next millennium. She didn't know how it had happened, but it seemed like everyone in the school knew about the breakup. How could that be when only Ginny, Harry, Hermione, and presumably Ron knew. 'Wait,' she told herself, 'you yourself told Malfoy about it last night. Of all the people...' Ginny reprimanded herself mentally for her slipup. She gave an involuntary shudder as his haunting words flashed through her head.

She could really care less that the whole school knew she was no longer seeing the famous Harry Potter, but what irked her was the way that everyone was treating him as the injured party. It was obvious that the students knew that she had ended things, but apparently not why she had. Now every time she saw him, he had the female population flocking about comforting him; and how Harry had always loved playing the tragic hero.

Even worse was the way that Ginny was now being treated. Everyone she passed in the halls - the other students in her classes even - were all talking about her in hushed tones. In the morning the students were at least showing her the courtesy of abruptly stopping their conversations when they spied the redhead. But by the end of the day they didn't seem to care who heard them, some even getting points taken off by teachers when they were caught gossiping.

One thing that warmed her heart was seeing Hermione and Ron taking off points when they heard people insulting Ginny. By dinner Ginny even noticed a few people sporting black eyes, and Ron nursing sore knuckles. It was nice to know that even though the two were loyal to Harry, they weren't jumping on the bandwagon and picking sides.

That night, not wanting to have to face the stares of the school, Ginny snuck off after classes. She grabbed some fruit from the kitchens before heading off to hide at her table at the back of the library. Madam Pince didn't even bat an eye when Ginny walked past her munching an apple; she merely nodded sympathetically at the girl.

The amount of work she had to do amazed Ginny. Even though she worked diligently every night, the pile never seemed to get any smaller. And to think, this was her year off between the workloads that were given during the OWL and NEWT years. She chuckled to herself, thinking how frazzled Hermione looked already and it wasn't even Halloween yet.

'Speak of the devil,' thought Ginny, as none other than Hermione turned the corner and rushed over.

"Oh Ginny! I've been looking everywhere for you," Hermione cried, throwing herself down across the table from the other girl. "You can't imagine how long it took me to shake those boys! No excuse I gave them seemed to work, until homework that is," Hermione added with a wink.

"Well Hermione," Ginny said slowly, "unlike you I suppose I actually have homework to do right now. If you'll excuse me..." she trailed off in a matter-of-fact voice; she was in no mood for companionship right now.

"Ginny stop it! I need to talk to you," Hermione said. "Look, I just wanted to let you know that I talked to him - that git - and he told me everything, well as much as I could take."

"So he told you about Parvati then?" Ginny questioned a pained look on her face.

"Yes," she replied. "And about-," but she was cut off as Ginny raised her hand to silence the girl.

"I don't want to know anything else Hermione," Ginny said softly.

Hermione nodded. "I understand. But do remember that I'm here for you, if you ever need to talk about it."

"Thanks," Ginny said giving her a half-hearted smile. "But I really don't think there is anything to talk about."

Hermione nodded slowly, and the pair sunk into an awkward silence. The Head Girl began staring out the window and was absentmindedly twirling a strand of bushy brown hair around her finger. Ginny on the other hand looked down at the table and interlocked her fingers in her own red tresses. She yanked at it slowly until a burning sensation spread across her scalp.

"Oh Hermione!" Ginny burst out causing the girl to jump in her seat. "If only I knew why! What did I do to him to deserve this?" Tears began to cascade down her cheeks, taking her mascara with them. Soon black rivers were snaking down her face contrasting with the ivory of her skin.

"It's not your fault Gin," Hermione comforted. "I got the impression that he doesn't even know why."

"Thanks 'Mione," she gulped, "but that really isn't much help or comfort to me right now. I - I think I'm just going to go to bed."

She wiped her cheeks clean on the back of her hand. Shutting her books and stuffing them into their bag Ginny stood. She muttered goodnight to Hermione.

"'Night" the other echoed back in a barely audible whisper.

With that, Ginny walked away from her friend for the second time that day. Upon reaching her room she collapsed in bed. It was then that she realized that, for the second night in a row, she was in bed before dinner was even over. Ginny knew that she would get as little sleep tonight as she did the night before.