Ginny Weasley was terrified. She was scared her parents wouldn't like her anymore now that she was in Slytherin, even though they seemed to still love Ron just the same. She worried that Fred and George wouldn't talk to her at school. She worried about if she would even make any friends since the Sorting Hat told her she'd 'be much happier in Gryffindor' where she supposedly belonged.
But she could be happy here in Slytherin. With Ron. And Harry Potter. She would be.
"Hey! Pay attention!" The seventh year prefect, who Ron whispered was named Hezekiah Williams, stood in the front of the room and glared at them all after Professor Snape left.
She didn't think she liked Williams much. Percy was probably a much friendlier prefect.
"If anyone wants to chicken out- now is the only chance you get to do it," he sneered.
Ginny looked up at Ron, who shook his head quickly at her. A few kids, mostly other first years, headed quickly for where she assumed the dorms were.
"Excellent, the cowards are out of the way," Williams laughed. "Now, I'll tell the little firsties the rules since apparently they're fair game for a duel." Ginny heard Draco Malfoy chuckle and Ron elbowed Harry with a grin.
"If you're challenged and you turn it down then you can go cower in your bed but don't plan on being welcomed warmly by the rest of us. Once a duel ends- it ends. I don't want to hear any whining about a rematch until next year," he clapped his hands and leered around the room. "No spells are off limits, besides Avada Kedavra- I'd hate to tell Snape if any of you happen to die."
Ginny didn't think it was very funny but apparently a lot of the other students did because the room rang with laughter.
"Seconds are volunteer only. First challenger can speak up."
Ginny gave another nervous look to Ron, who was interrupted from telling her anything by an older boy, a 7th year with a huge scar down his right cheek, stepping forward.
"I challenge Ronald Weasley," he drawled.
Ron, who suddenly looked really pale, stuck his chin out and said he accepted.
Harry hissed and immediately snarled, "I'm his second." He whispered something to Ron who nodded to Harry and clapped his shoulder lightly.
Another older boy offered to be the first boys second. Draco Malfoy whispered that his name was Zachariah Dolohov.
"Theo- hold on to Sevvie." Harry carefully cradled his cute little black owl before handing him to the brunette boy standing beside them.
"Alright, let's do it mate," Ron said to Harry before turning to Ginny. "Don't freak out and don't be scared, okay?" he whispered.
"What's going on?" She whispered back tearfully.
"It's just a duel, Gin. Stay by Blaise and do not freak out," he said seriously.
Ginny nodded and backed over to Ron's friend Blaise, a dark skinned boy with light golden eyes.
"Harry won't let anything happen to Ronald," Blaise whispered reassuringly to her. "Lestrange is just looking for an opportunity to hurt Harry for what he did to him last year."
Ginny glanced at Harry, who was twirling a knife in his hand and glaring at Lestrange. "What'd he do to him?" she whispered back.
Another boy, Theo, the one holding Harry's owl, laughed and gestured towards his own cheek. "Cut him open like a Yuletide ham, didn't he?" Ginny gave another startled glance at Harry and the knife he held.
She thought he was a hero, did heroes usually cut peoples faces open?!
"If he wants to hurt Harry why didn't he say his name?" Ginny asked.
"Because he'd lose," Theo said simply. "Harry's completely mad and wicked powerful. This way Lestrange can hurt his friend, win the duel, and pay back Harry for what he did."
Ginny looked at Ron, who was standing by Harry with a stiff smile on his face. Did he know that he was about to be hurt because Harry Potter cut a boys face open? He was still really pale so she thought he might, but then why is he acting friendly with Harry?
"Wager on Weasley's strategy?" Blaise murmured to Theo.
"2 galleons that Harry told him to drop out immediately so he could take his place," Theo said quietly.
"Alright, but I've got 5 galleons that Ron fights until he can't and that Potter leaves the room covered in blood again," Blaise said.
"Deal."
The two boys shook hands, ignoring Ginny's fearful gaze.
"Step back if you don't want to be hit by spell fire," Williams barked, startling Ginny into stepping back directly on to Theo.
"Sorry," she mumbled, red faced.
He waved off her apologies, his eyes focused on the four boys in the center of the room.
Ginny watched too and felt her stomach do a somersault as Ron was trapped inside a protective dome with the mean looking older boy. Harry was pacing lightly outside the dome, glaring darkly at Lestrange's second.
"Begin," Williams drawled.
Harry immediately growled in anger as a quickly fired red curse hit Ron in the shoulder, cutting through the new robes he bought himself, and making him bleed.
"Shame Potter can't help you," Lestrange said mockingly. "Guess he'll just have to watch you bleed out instead."
"Piss off," Ron said roughly before firing a spell Ginny didn't know, and that Lestrange easily moved away from.
Ginny's heart constricted painfully, did Ron even know how to duel? Did Ron know any advanced spells to protect himself?
"Little Blood-Traitor doesn't have the same style your Master does, do you?"
Ron barely ducked from another burst of light and laughed. Which Ginny thought was really brave, and kind of daft, considering he was dodging curses that Lestrange wasn't even speaking out loud.
"Harry's my friend, not my master. I don't suppose you'd understand what a friendship is," Ron taunted him.
Ginny cried out when the next curse hit Ron, who dropped to his knees and started screaming.
"Quiet," Draco Malfoy hissed to her, not unkindly. "You'll embarrass him."
"Why isn't anyone helping him?" Ginny whimpered, eyes on her big brother screaming in pain.
"Watch," Blaise murmured, his eyes on Harry.
"Ron gives," Harry snapped, tugging roughly on his dark hair. "He fuckin' gives. Put me in, you god damned coward."
Lestrange ended the curse on Ron but looked at Harry with a smirk that made Ginny want to slap him right in the face.
"That's not how it works. A second can only enter a duel if one of the challengers is unable to continue- and Ronald clearly can." He gestured towards Ron, who was groaning but determinedly getting to his feet.
"Ron I'm serious, stay down," Harry hissed. "You're being stupid."
Ron turned slightly and rolled his eyes at Harry before facing Lestrange. "Is that the best you have?" He scoffed weakly, his voice sounding rough. "My brothers have ganged up on me tougher than that."
Ginny didn't think her brothers had ever used a curse like that on him before. Mum would have skinned them alive.
Lestrange ignored Ron and smiled at Harry, a cold mean smile that sent a shiver down Ginny's spine, before he slashed his wand quickly and Ron hit the floor in a dead faint, blood spurting from his chest.
"Ron!" Harry howled, bursting through the barrier. "Draco, come help!"
Williams called out over the students' chatter, "Lestrange- winner."
Ginny ran to Ron's side and grabbed his hand.
There was so much blood.
His eyes were closed and his chest was moving weakly.
He was dying.
"Ron," she whimpered, "don't die, please."
Harry- who she was starting to think was not a hero- laughed after waving his hand over Ron's chest.
... which immediately stopped bleeding.
"I hate you," Ron mumbled, his eyes opening.
"I fuckin' told you to give," Harry said coolly.
"He'll be fine," Malfoy whispered to Ginny, grabbing Ron by the arm. "C'mon, help me get him to the Healer to be checked over."
Ginny gave him a skeptical look, she didn't think the sixth year girl standing in the corner counted as a Healer, but she obediently grabbed Ron's other arm and drug him over to her.
"Quit crying Gin, I'm fine," Ron whispered weakly. Ginny wiped at her face and tried to give him her best glare.
He wasn't fine. He got cut wide open.
"Lestrange, as the winner, has the choice to continue with Weasley's second," Williams said in a bored tone, as if one of the students hadn't just nearly been killed.
"I decline." Lestrange laughed at Harry, who snarled at him.
"Then I challenge Zachariah Dolohov," Harry said.
Now Draco Malfoy laughed and Ginny stared at him incredulously. How could he laugh when Harry just challenged a boy in 7th year to a duel?
Why were any of them laughing?!
"Accepted," Dolohov grit out with an angry glare towards Lestrange who shook his head slightly.
"I'll be his second," Williams offered.
Blaise Zabini stood up and walked up to Harry. "I'll be Harry's second. Even though we all know he won't need it. Didn't Harry throw you in to a wall last year or was that a different sixth year he embarrassed?"
Ginny thought that the Slytherins must all be completely mad because half the room chuckled at Zabini's words.
Williams put up a new barrier and Ginny watched closely as she clutched Ron's hand.
"C'mon Dolohov, do something," Harry said softly after they both just stood in their place silently for a few seconds after Williams said to begin.
"Ron he doesn't have his wand!" Ginny whispered to her brother. How could he be so stupid??
"Shut up and watch," Ron whispered back.
"What's wrong Potter? Too scared to make a first move?" Dolohov sneered. Ginny thought he was the one who sounded a little scared as he held his stiff pose, eyeing Harry carefully and twitching every time Harry moved.
"Yep. Terrified," Harry said in a bored tone.
Dolohov slashed his wand over his head, sending a dark purple spell at Harry. Harry just raised his empty hands and the purple spellfire just disappeared. Ginny was suddenly struck with a terrible thought. Maybe... maybe Harry Potter didn't defeat Voldemort because he was a hero. Maybe he defeated him because he was a bad guy too. He certainly looked dangerous as he adjusted his glasses, dodging oncoming spells, before flicking his hand casually at Dolohov. The older boys screams of pain echoed around the silent room, hurting Ginny's ears.
Ginny wanted to go hide in her bed. Or maybe even go home. She wanted her Dad.
"How long can someone stand a crucio before they lose their minds?" Harry called callously towards his friends over the sounds of Dolohovs shrieks.
"Eight minutes," Malfoy said with a wide and toothy grin.
"Shame." Harry yawned. "I'm tired and don't want to do this that long."
He ended the curse on Dolohov, who struggled to stand back up, and glided slowly right up in front of him. Ginny couldn't hear what he said to him, he spoke so softly, but she saw Dolohov attempt to send another spell back at Harry.
"You can thank Lestrange for this," Harry said loudly, his green eyes flashing as he side stepped the oncoming spell.
"Bleed," he hissed.
Ginny thought maybe Harry's nonspell didn't work, and clearly Dolohov did too if his smirk was any indicator, because nothing happened for a split second. Then, suddenly, the older boy shrieked once, as if his body was on fire, and crumpled in to a ball on the floor, moaning in pain.
Harry reached down and took his wand right out of his hand and laughed.
"Winner- Potter," Williams spat before quickly dissolving the barrier and dragging Dolohov towards the corner Ginny and Ron were in with the student healer. Ginny didn't see any blood coming from Dolohov and wondered what spell Harry used, hadn't he said bleed?
"Go get Snape, now," the older girl told Williams after waving her wand over Dolohov. "He's hemorrhaging from his internal organs."
"Duels are over," the girl called to the rest of the students, "go to your dorms immediately."
Ginny watched as William's disappeared through the portrait door, sprinting towards Professor Snape's office.
"Ron, you okay?"
Harry was walking right up to where Ron and Ginny were seated on the floor. Ginny looked up at him fearfully. He didn't even seem concerned that Dolohov was hurt so bad that Williams went for Professor Snape.
"I'm fine," Ron grinned up at him. "What's wrong with him?" He jerked his thumb towards Dolohov. "Thought you would make him bleed."
Harry smirked, he looked like a mischievous boy playing a prank, instead of the cold hearted kid who probably killed another student.
"He is bleeding, just from the inside, isn't he?"
Ron chuckled and Ginny had enough. "I can't b-believe you guys are so m-mean."
Percy was right. Slytherin was horrible.
Ron gave her a guilty look, "Gin, Lestrange was trying to bloody kill me. Harry just got him back for me through Dolohov. It's fine. It's not like this every night, I swear."
"Is Williams getting Snape?" Harry asked abruptly, his green eyes narrowed and trained across the room.
"Yeah, should be back any minute. Wanna head to the dorms?" Ron looked uneasy.
"Yeah, hold on, get ready to go," Harry murmured before shouting, "Hey Lestrange!"
The Lestrange boy stood up from where he had been leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the room from them.
"Sorry Potter," he drawled. "I'm not interested in a rematch and the rules say we only duel on the first night."
Harry tilted his head to the side and Ginny's breath caught in her throat, he looked so powerful... even if he was a horrible person.
"Yeah? Fuck the rules and fuck you," he spat, flicking his right hand.
Every student left in the common room gasped when Lestrange let out a startled yell of pain as the left side of his face started bleeding from a huge gash that ran from his forehead to his jaw bone.
"Now you have a matched set," Harry laughed coldly, unconcerned with the bloody disfigurement he just caused.
"Gin, go to your dorm, now, before Snape gets here," Ron hissed urgently in her ear.
Ginny didn't need told twice.
She ran up the stairs and blindly looked around for the girls first year dorm room. She didn't know when she started crying but she couldn't stop.
Ginny was sure that she made the wrong choice coming to Slytherin. None of it made any sense. All the laughter, and the smirks, and the way people kept saying one thing but their eyes were saying something different. Nobody seemed to care about Ron being tortured. Or Lestrange's face. Or the fact that Harry Potter was the reason Ron got cut open in front of a room full of people.
When she finally wiped the tears from her eyes, she found the girls dorm and quietly grabbed her diary out of her trunk and opened it to a new page. She carefully wrote the date before viciously writing;
'Dear Tom, I hate Slytherin and I hate Harry Potter.'