What Anger Is

Ginny is walking onto the train, her heavy trunk grasped with two small freckled hands. She's told Harry she's gone to find Dean, but she really can't be bothered. Wondering if there are any compartments left, she stops at a random one and peaks inside the slightly open door. Hufflepuffs. She pulls away, contemplating, then opens the door.

- - - - -

Ginny is clenching her wand and Zacharias is still looking accusing. She just doesn't want to hear him talk anymore, he is loud and obnoxious and RIGHT and it makes her see little fuzzy white spots that float in front of her eyes and make them unfocused. He wants to know what Happened at the Ministry. He wants to know and he's INSISTING and she just wants him to SHUT UP. His eyes burn little holes in her jumper and make her twitch, he wants to know.

It's not her story to tell, she says. The wand is still in her hand and tightly, knuckle-white tight. Her eyes are bright with - something - not just anger but something else - and Zacharias is angry too. What right? What right does she have to withhold information from him? Weren't they in the D.A. together? He will defend Cedric's honor, and he will until his dying day. He wants to know.

It's nothing to do with Cedric. Defensively.

But it is, really. How do I know it isn't?

He is still bothering her and her wand is pointed in his face and Justin and Susan and Hannah are shouting and his eyes are crossed.

Ginny is angry again. Sometimes it shocks her how absolutely angry she can get. It hits her like a lightening bolt, a single vein of white hot anger that engulfs her entire body and burns her up until she's only a pile of ashes. The whole thing is over in a single moment, her wand is by her side again and the Hufflepuffs have stopped shouting.

It's really none of your business. Ginny's got that dangerous look in her eye and Zacharias is looking disagreeable and the others are wary.

How do we know you aren't just making the whole thing up. Zacharias has somehow backed Ginny up right against the compartment door, and she's having trouble breathing. She opens it and Zacharias follows her out, asking his question again, only shouting this time. Ginny sees the anger then again and then she sees for only a second a flash of desperation.

She blows up then. Just because Diggory's dead because of You-Know-Who doesn't mean that everything concerning Him concerns Diggory as well!

Zacharias looks shriveled and Ginny feels oddly triumphant then horrible. She turns to leave, but she sees Zacharias reaching for his wand out of the corner of her eye. She knows he is a crap dueler from the D.A. and he is well aware of how good Ginny is. Before he's even gripped it properly, she's hexed him.

Zacharias gives an odd yell as the Bat Bogies attack him savagely. Ginny stares. Ernie grabs him and pulls him back into the compartment.

"Miss...Weasley?"

Ginny turns to see a portly man with his eyebrows slightly raised.

"Could I have a word?"