Disclaimer: In No way is J.K's stuff mine, I will only state this at the beginning of the fic because 1) it is pretty obvious I am not J.K or my writing would have an english accent (ha ha) and 2) if it were mine I'd be vacationing somewhere expensive and not sitting in my cold basement to write this, so despite that rant, please enjoy:)
Cry Wolf
I: "But Nothing Miss Weasley."
Crawling onto the large feather mattress and pulling the blankets up over herself before snuggling into the warmth of the large bed, Ginny settled and stared through the open hangings around her bed and out through the window at the full, harvest yellowed moon. With a sigh she rolled over and buried her face into the pillow.
Hogwarts was going to be so different this year, her brother Ron and her friend Hermione had not come back for their seventh year, but had gone to search for the Horcruxes with Harry. Harry, just the though of his very name made her sad. She hadn't seen Harry, her Harry, in nearly a month, and what was even worse was his refusing to be with her. Didn't he understand that she didn't care about the danger of him being Voldemort's number one target? She only wanted to be with him.
Shaking her head she drove those thoughts from her mind, pitying her situation and feeling glum was not the way to start off this school year. She should be happy that she would get to see her other friends like Luna and Neville for a whole extra year, as well as some of the girls in her dorm like Anna-Rose, who she talked to every now and then. Managing a small smile Ginny closed her eyes and fell into a light, half sleep like state.
"What subjects are you taking this year Ginny?" Anna-Rose asked as she accompanied Ginny into the crowded great hall. The students around them were busy chatting and gossiping about who knows what while they waited for their time tables.
"Same subjects that I took last year. Why would they change?" Ginny asked confused, they were allowed to drop subjects that weren't core subjects, such as divination, they weren't allowed to actually change their subjects between fifth and sixth year.
"Well I know they don't change but I was just wondering if you'd dropped any. I dropped Divination because I was so horribly bad at it." She commented simply.
"Oh, okay." Ginny commented before sitting down and pulling some toast towards her. Anna-Rose waved a quick good bye before going to sit with her friends in a younger year. Sighing Ginny ate in silence as she waited for McGonagall to come around with the timetables. Her thoughts drifted back to last nights feast and the speech Dumbledore had given about dangerous times and the need to unite as a whole school and not just four houses. She smiled to herself, she wished it could be so, but Slytherins would never unite with the Gryffindors, and vice versa.
"Miss Weasley, are you going to take this time table from me or shall I stand here with my arm out all day?" McGonagall's Irish voice asked irritably.
"Sorry Professor." Ginny said after starting from surprise. She took the time table from the transfiguration teacher blushing slightly. Looking it over she gave an inward groan when she saw what it was that she had first, potions with the Slytherins. "Great way to start a year." She mumbled to herself before gathering her things and leaving the hall. She was not going to be late, especially as Snape was not at the staff table and was most probably eagerly awaiting those who dawdled.
Shivering in the chilly dungeons, Ginny took a table at the back of the classroom and waited. Just as she thought, when she had arrived Snape had been standing outside his classroom door as if he were a medieval knight that had been posted there.
"In." He had said strictly when she had paused to watch him. Rolling her eyes so that he couldn't see she had gone in and settle herself far away from the Slytherins.
Eventually, after all of the students had arrived and Snape had yelled and awarded detentions to more than a few who had arrived late, the darkly clad potions professor had swept into the class room and closed the door behind him.
"This year," He began, silencing the class immediately, "I will not be taking any drivel from any of you. You are all sixth years now and must prepare for the N.E.W.T.S that you will be taking next year, if you all, if not any of you, prove smart enough." He sneered. The class groaned at what sounded like a promise of much more extra work and a much stricter Snape but he silenced them all with a glare. "That is exactly the drivel I am speaking of." He warned before marching to his desk and picking up a pile of manila envelopes. "When I call your name come collect an Envelope, Miss Awlyr." He instructed.
Ginny's dorm mate Anna-Rose got up looking exasperated and went to collect her envelope.
"Mr. Binnetly." Snape called the next name on the list. Ginny sighed as a kid in Slytherin who's first name was Barry went to collect his envelope. Twirling her red hair around her finger she waited while the whole class proceeded before her. Being a Weasley she was most always last.
"Miss Weasley." Snape drawled as he held out the last envelope for her to take. Slowly she got up. "I do not have all day Miss. Weasley." He snapped. Ginny rolled her eyes and proceeded to the front of the room. She grasped the envelope but Snape did not let go.
"Five points from Gryffindor for rolling your eyes at a professor." He said harshly before letting go. Ginny sighed and returned to her seat.
"These envelopes," Snape began as he went to sit behind his desk. "Contain a research project that each of you will be required to complete and hand in first day back after Christmas break." This received another set of groans from the entire class. "A point from each of you." He snapped. "I should not have to tell you twice that I will not put up with this drivel. You all have more than four months to complete this project which is more than sufficient as it is only meant to be worked on twice a week. Now, open your envelopes and read the project over, you have between now and the end of class to go over it and then come to me if there are any issues." He said in an end of discussion tone.
There was a rustling of papers as everyone opened their envelopes and took out the parchment inside. Ginny stared down at the project outline in shock. The 'outline' was nearly six pages long and required her to do a range of things from completing essays on three different potions, explaining their properties, brewing techniques, anything special about their timing, a complete and full summary of their ingredients and their magical properties both alone and when combined with the other ingredients in the potion, down to complete a list with explanations of the major mistakes made while brewing the potion and plus the list even went on from there.
"Professor!" Barry spoke up from his corner of the room.
"What Mr. Binnetly, and next time do not yell across the room." Snape answered. Ginny huffed, if anyone in Gryffindor had done that they would have lost points.
"Sorry sir, but how come everyone's project is different?" He asked. Snape scowled and dropped the quill he had been writing with.
"Because, Mr. Binnetly, this project is designed to help each student reach an improved understanding of the three things that they did worst on last year. Clearly not every student is the same, so every student cannot have the same project if they wish to improve." He answered.
"Oh." Barry mumbled before turning back to his envelope. Ginny scowled at the complexity of the project before flipping to the back page to see what three potions it was that she would have to complete all of this 'important' work about. She nearly screamed with exasperation. The list read:
1) Draught of Peace
2) Strengthening Solutions
3) Confusing and Befuddlement Draughts.
Those three potions had been hell last year and now she was supposed to do them all over again? There was no way she was going to be able to do this, Hermione wasn't even here to help her this year, and she'd barely managed to not screw them up so badly last year because of Hermione.
"Class is about to end, so I suggest you pack your things. I will add that there will be no class time permitted to use towards working on this project so do not put it off." Snape said warningly. Ginny quickly packed her things and headed towards the front of the class.
"Yes Miss Weasley?" Snape asked with a raised eyebrow as she stood in front of his desk.
"I- well- I don't think-"
"Out with it or you'll lose your question to the bell."
"I can't do this project." She said quickly.
"What do you mean you can't do this project? Either you will or you will fail." Snape said. Ginny could almost hear his already non existent patience thinning.
"Well, these potions, last year the only reason I got the mark I got on them was because Hermione helped me, I don't think I will be able to do these without her help." Ginny explained quickly, knowing that would not make the professor any happier.
Snape sneered, "You mean to tell me, Miss Weasley, that even with the help of little miss know it all you could not pass these potions?"
"It's only with her help that I got the mark I did." Ginny repeated.
"I would hardly consider a D a mark Miss Weasley."
"It is still better than receiving a T professor." She replied quickly. Snape's lip curled.
"Fine Miss Weasley, if it is help you need you can come to me on Tuesday and Friday nights for tutoring." He snapped quickly. "The only time I am offering this is between six and eight pm, if you are late I will assume that you are not coming and the office will be locked so I advise you not to do so." Ginny's mouth fell open in surprise.
"But professor, I was just hoping that maybe you could give me something easier, that way I wouldn't-"
"But nothing Miss Weasley." Snape interrupted. "You can either take this tutoring and complete the project or you will fail, I will not give you a project easier than everyone else's just because you are incapable of completing your assignment." He sneered. Ginny ignored the Slytherins that were snickering behind her.
"I'll see you at six tomorrow then." She said spitefully.
"Do not be late, I have more important things to do with my time than wait for you, and I warn you I will not wait while you dawdle." Snape scowled at her as the bell rang. "I expect to see a brief rough outline by the middle of the month!" He shouted to the class as they rushed towards the door. "Leave Miss Weasley." He said to a frozen Ginny who scoffed and left the room.
"Five points from Gryffindor." Snape said to the closed door before turning back to his paperwork.
HI! I'm feeling really good about this fic, and do not worry, I have the entire story already planned out so it will not unexplainably end like An Imposter did. Anyways, please, please, please read and review, this is going to be my first attempt at a romance fic, I realize it is not very romantic right now but it will get better (wink) Thanks for reading.
-Darth Depravious.