pariahs // a linny story

lonesome

it was september first.
ginny was still silent, and was extremely nervous for the new school year because of it.
molly had considered keeping her at home because she was worried for her daughter, but in response to this idea ginny had shaken her head. so they went to the platform as if nothing was different.
there was chaos all around them, families talking and laughing and crying. everywhere children were saying goodbye to their parents, calling out last minute reminders and telling their parents they loved them.
ginny simply hugged her parents and waved. as she stepped away, molly wiped her eyes, knowing that the next year would bring so many struggles to her daughter.
she couldn't loose another child.
arthur bit his lip and called over the crowd, "goodbye, gin."
there was no answer.
as ginny boarded the train, she looked back at her parents. her father had her mother in an embrace, hiding any tears that they both had. ginny pressed her lips together. even if she didn't talk, she could still cry.
tears rolled down her cheeks against her will, and she turned to face the window.  she fingered the necklace fred and george had given her for christmas, the christmas before...
don't think about it.
a voice interrupted her thoughts. "hey, ginny!" it cried, and she turned around to face talin vanburen, a gryffindor in her year and one of her best friends. behind talin were two of their other friends, alina callaway and saige perkins.
ginny waved to them.
"how've you been, gin?" saige asked, taking the seat next to her. talin and alina took the seats across from her, eagerly awaiting her answer.
ginny shrugged.
"are you holding up okay, after, you know..."  talin questioned further.
ginny said nothing.
"ginny, seriously, how are you?" alina looked a bit irritated.
ginny remained silent.
"ginny!" talin cried, now clearly annoyed.
ginny pointed to herself.
"you..."
she made a slashing motion across her throat and shook her head.
"no..."
she opened and closed her hand like a mouth.
"talk."
"ginny, you can't talk? do you have a sore throat or something?" alina cried.
she shook her head.
"what's the problem, then?"
ginny took out her wand, and, as if with a sparkler, wrote four letters in the air.
"f...r...e...d. fred. oh, gin, i'm sorry. can you really not talk?" saige looked slightly confused.
ginny shrugged and looked down at her feet.
"well, get well soon." alina patted her on the shoulder.
soon the other three girls had struck up a conversation about classes. ginny, however, did not, she could not, join in.
ginny was surrounded by her three best friends, and yet she felt very, very alone.