Ginnarella

Ginnarella

Based on Rodgers & Hammerstein's musical "Cinderella"

Ginny Weasley stood in the huge kitchen at Hogwarts, her crimson hair falling in sheets against her cheeks as she negotiated a midnight snack with a house-elf. Her bright blue eyes sparkled with mirth as she joked with Dobby, appealing to his pity.

"Alright, Miss Ginny Weasley," Dobby agreed, "Dobby will bring Miss Ginny Weasley a cup of hot chocolate with extra chocolate powder and three marshmallows right away."

"Thanks, Dobby," Ginny smiled, before taking a seat on the floor next to the hearth. She rubbed her hands together in an effort to keep them warm. She watched the house elves go about their work, busying themselves with preparation for the day's menu ahead. Cries of "Sugar!" and "More peas!" echoed across the huge kitchen. Ginny soon found herself alone as more and more house elves disappeared. Preparations were dying down, and soon it was just Ginny and Dobby.

"Miss Ginny Weasley will please excuse Dobby," Dobby said gravely, trying to smother another yawn, "but Dobby is much tired and would like to retire before the breakfast rush begins. Does Miss Ginny Weasley require anything else?"

"I do not. See you tomorrow, Dobby." Ginny patted his hand. "Thank you."

Dobby blushed, much pleased. "You is welcome, Miss Ginny Weasley." With a snap of his fingers, Dobby disappeared, presumably to bed.

Ginny let out a tiny yawn herself, clutching the still-warm mug between her fingers. She gazed around the kitchen, now cloaked in darkness save for the dying embers from the fire. She shivered as she felt the cold infiltrate her cloak. She pulled it tighter about her, not wanting to sleep yet. She wasn't on the best of terms with those in Gryffindor House at the moment, and it was entirely her fault. For two months now, she'd spent all of her time studying. Nothing mattered to her anymore but her grades. She'd learnt quite awhile ago that she couldn't have Harry Potter, and got involved in a series of not-nice relationships before giving up entirely and focusing on her upcoming N.E.W.T. examinations. She wanted to be an Auror, and to be an Auror required much skill and many good grades. She had been spending more time in the library than Hermione Granger herself, which would have been commented upon had Hermione not abandoned the library most evenings to spend time with Ginny's brother, Ron.

Ginny stood up, discarding her mug, and went to a corner of the kitchen to sink against the wall into a wooden chair and rest her eyes. How easy it would be to just sit here all night, Ginny thought wistfully. Reminded of an old song her father used to play on the Muggle gramophone, she began to sing softly to herself.

"I'm as mild and as meek as a mouse but I know of a spot in my house where no-one can stand in my way..." Ginny broke off, her voice trembling with the effort. She swallowed and cleared her throat, licking her lips and trying again. "In my own little corner, in my own little chair, I can be whatever I want to be. On the wing of my fancy, I can fly anywhere, and the world will open its arms to me."

Gaining confidence, Ginny stood up and swished the hems of her robes. "I'm a young Norwegian princess or a milkmaid! I'm the greatest prima donna in Milan! I'm an heiress who has always had her silk made; I have my own flock of silkworms in Japan."

Ginny began to dance, turning a mad circle in her jubilation. She batted her eyelashes as she sang, "I'm a girl men go mad for, love's a game I can play with a cool and confident kind of air, just as long as I stay in my own little corner all alone in my own little chair."

Feeling mildly rebuked by the lyric, Ginny retreated to the chair, softly murmuring, "I can be whatever I want to be..."

Her eyes brightened with determination and she swung around, kicking the mug out of the way and striking out with flamboyant motions. "I'm a slave from Calcutta; I'm a queen in Peru! I'm a mermaid dancing upon the sea. I'm a huntress on an African safari! It's a dangerous kind of sport and yet it's fun. In the night I sully forth to seek my quarry and I find I forgot my gun!" Ginny giggled as she pretended to run from her quarry.

Spinning back to face the empty gloom of the kitchen, Ginny ran her hands up and down her arms, pretending to shiver violently. "I am lost in the jungle, all alone and unarmed when I meet a lioness in her lair! Then I'm glad to be back in my own little corner..." Ginny stopped dancing, the smile fading from her lips. "All alone in my own little chair..."

She bit her lip, and pulled her cloak about her. She took her wand from her pocket and, pointing it at the broken shards on the floor, whispered, "Reparo!" and watched as the mug repaired itself. "Wingardium leviosa!" The mug flew over to the sink and clanged gently against the metal. Ginny winced at the noise, a tear shining brightly in the corner of her eye. She turned and left the kitchen, headed for the Gryffindor Common Room to further study Potions.