Chocolate ♕ Ginny Weasley

twenty two

Chapter Twenty-Two

Patricia had never headed to Hogwarts with dread sitting heavy in her stomach before. She felt like she'd overeaten, even though she'd only nibbled at her toast that morning – and she felt ready to throw even that up.

Hogwarts was going to be different this year. Now that You-Know-Who had taken over, everyone in the Burrow knew instantly that he was going to try and control the student population. Patricia had already received the hint with several questionable titles in her school booklist.

Even the euphoria of Bill and Fleur's wedding had dissipated in the wake of this shift of power, and the murder of Rufus Scrimgeour. Patricia still clung to the way she and Ginny had danced under the white canopy; how her breath had been stolen when Ginny walked through in her gold bridesmaid dress that Daisy had to remind her to breathe. Those were few of the precious moments of happiness Patricia had found in the holidays – everything else had been ruined by the Death Eater gate crashing, being interrogated profusely about the whereabouts of Harry Potter.

Patricia only considered it fortunate that they'd convinced Daisy to hide in the woods surrounding the Burrow. She felt sick to imagine what might have happened to her otherwise. Surely the Death Eaters already viewed her as a traitor.

It was with great apprehension that Ginny, Patricia, and Daisy packed for Hogwarts. Mrs Weasley hovered nearby constantly, smoothing out their folded clothing and crying as she embraced them all in turn. Tensions had been running high. Even Fred and George had been subdued as they watched the trio leave for Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

"There hasn't been a year," Ginny said lowly, "since my brothers went to Hogwarts that I haven't desperately wanted to go to Hogwarts. Now, all I want to do is Disapparate as far away as possible."

Patricia rested an arm around Ginny's shoulders, and they continued to walk in that fashion on to the train.

They were hailed by Luna and Neville, who had already snagged a compartment on the train. Before the trio could sit down, Neville practically thrust the latest issue of the Daily Prophet into their faces. "Have you read the Daily Prophet yet?"

Ginny's face scrunched up in disgust. "We don't buy it anymore," she said acidly. "Why do you ask?"

Neville was grim as he pointed to the headline. "Look."

Patricia exchanged a glance with Ginny and Daisy before they peered at the newspaper.

SEVERUS SNAPE CONFIRMED AS HOGWARTS HEADMASTER.

"What?" they all screamed in unison. Patricia felt bile rise up in her throat and had to work to swallow it down.

"Read on," Luna said softly.

They did so. By the end of the article, Patricia was shaking.

"Snape, Headmaster!" she seethed. She kicked out at the wall of the train and yelled as pain flared through her body. "I won't stand for it."

She knew that this year was going to bad. But now, knowing exactly whose hands Hogwarts rested in... Patricia didn't know how she was going to make it through the year, knowing Dumbledore's killer had now taken his place.

Ginny's eyes were narrowed. "He was vile when he had the authority of a professor. I hate to think what he's going to do with the power of a Headmaster in his hands."

"Make life miserable for the rest of us, I bet," Daisy commented. Her expression clouded over and she folded her arms.

"And who are these people?" Neville asked. "The Carrows?"