Hushed Whispers. Pointed Stares.

No matter where she goes, Ginny is always greeted by whispers and stares. Ginny unconsciously ran her fingers gently over her cheek, feeling the rough bumps and uneven skin. Sometimes she felt to just cover herself from all these prying eyes. There wasn't a time when Ginny didn't wince when she looked at herself in the mirror.

It was a miracle her skin healed even after the dark fire he slashed upon her. That's what the healers said. Maybe just trying to make he feel better. Her left cheek was of crinkly, new skin, which cannot develop further. So she was stuck with the scar forever. Her face was half distorted. Thus the stares.

Wizards and witches walked past her, after giving pitiful glances, leaving Ginny limping painfully towards the lift. She has learned not to flinch as while walking, and leaning her weight  over her left foot, dragging the right foot forwards, ignoring the sharp pain shooting through.

Her right foot had some weird muggle metal like crutch wound over. No matter how much she protested, no matter how much she hexes Ron or threatening Hermione to burn her books, the healers put that crutch on her foot. She is going to deal with them one day.

Brushing back her red hair, Ginny limped inside the lift, and waited along with some weird looking witches, ignoring the paper airplane which was poking in the back of Ginny's head. Ginny sighed inaudibly once the lift jerked and started moving upwards.

She knew how her brother and Hermione would react when they would see her. Ron was in too much pressure from the press and the people. And Ginny knew she was just another pile of problems on Ron's head. Ron was hell bent on 'protecting' her as he called it, and Ginny always felt to hit him with a rock on the head. One incident, just one incident left Ron more shaken than her.

"Muggle artifacts office, third floor." The cool female voice said, and two wizards carrying huge boxes tripped their way out of the lift, mumbling "excuse me" all the way.

Hermione was seriously considering to send Ginny for some therapy. "Her mind has gone a bit haywire because of that incident," Ginny heard Hermione whisper to Ron one day. But she just couldn't forget him. No, she still had feelings. Oh, that terrible night, when she finally saw him after years, it still sent her heart to flutters.

That messy black hair she loved, those emarald eyes she could lose herself in, those cute round spectacles, his personality. Everything made her swoon. Ginny closed her eyes, and flashes of that night surfaced her mind. He looked so different. His eyes were so dark with anger, that insane grin he sported.

It shocked Ginny to the bone when he just slashed his wand through yhe air mercilessly, killing the Aurors without a second thought. He wasn't the Harry she knew. No, her Harry, that selfless, loyal, loving Harry. She knows he is mislead. Her Harry could not be that sadist. Her Harry would never assault her and inflict such pain.

A cold hand gripped Ginny's arm, and she jerked her eyes open, her hand hitting the metal rod besides her as she lost her balance and her weight shifted to her injured leg. Ginny hissed with pain, as the cold pair of hands supported her.

"Are you alright dear?" A tentative voice said, and Ginny turned her head slightly to see an elderly looking witch staring at her with concern. "You suddenly swayed and....your leg..."

Ginny stood upright, and brushed off the woman's hands off her shoulder. She managed a small smile. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you."

"Auror department, fifth floor." The cool female voice said, and Ginny limped her way out alone, not before hearing someone whisper: "Really, Kelly, that was Ginny Weasely, how could you help her?"

Ginny gritted her teeth, and walked towards the meeting room, occasionally bumping into the crowd sending a sharp pain in her ankle. She was here, only because Shreya told her about the new mission, and it doesn't matter whether she can be a part of it, Shreya told her that Fernandez had gotten hold of some new information. And if anything is about Harry, Ginny is ready to do anything.

She was quite late anyways, but who cares? Ginny swung the door open, and twenty faces turned to look at her, some alarmed, some confused. Charles stood in the middle on the long, rectangular table, where all the Aurors were seated, in mid hand gestures and was looking at Ginny bewildered.

"Ginny?" A voice asked full of incredulity, and Ginny turned her head to the voice to find a brunette looking at her with eyes wide. "What are you doing here?"

Ginny limped her way towards the huge table, whipped out a wand and conjured a chair. Ignoring the piercing stares, she settled herself on the chair, adjusting her right foot encased in a crutch with a grunt, and looked at Charles. "Please continue."

Charles tilted his head a centimeter to gaze at Ginny with a calculating look, and opened his mouth to say something only to be cut off rather rudely by Ron. "Ginny what are you doing here?" He asked angrily, getting up from his chair, blue eyes narrowed.

Ginny shrugged. "Apparently I'm here for the same reason you are, brother."

"Relax, Weasely," Charles said, putting a huge hand in Ron's shoulder when he went red in the ears. "Let her be. I think she has a right to know about this." He said, glancing at Ginny with a look she couldn't decipher.

Ron sat down slowly on his chair, glaring at Ginny. Charles clasped his hands in front of him and continued, "As I was saying, I have found a connection between all the murders from after the battle, till date. The minister is too afraid to even listen to me, let alone take measures to protect those who are in danger,"

"Who do we always go running to the minister of we want something?" Shreya asked, sitting on the first seat of the table, her face full of disbelief. "We can take care of it by ourselves, the whole world is too blind to notice that Potter is just a human trying to scare the others by murder," she paused, scratched her nose, then added uncertainly, "Okay he's not a human I take that back."

Charles looked at Shreya, again sporting his famous deadpanned expression. "To answer your question of 'why do we keep running to the minister if we want something', tell me Kumar, who is controlling us again? Who is giving us all the gears? If we proceed without the Minister's permission, he will think we are with Potter, rebelling, and won't give a second glance at what we are doing."

"Common sense which is not so common," Someone snorted, and Shreya snapped her head at the voice glaring at no one.

"I must remind you yet again, that Harry Potter is not like Voldemort. He defeated him for Merlin's sake, he knows very well of Voldemort's mistakes and he will not repeat then again," Charles paused, glancing at Ginny who was sitting silently and listening with rapt attention. "He will not give a warning before he kills. He is a sly man, with brains to formulate plans. Don't underestimate him."

"So the main idea is we defeat him the way he attacks us," Hermione piped up. "Like slyly."

"Precisely."

Ginny sat there, her leg throbbing, absorbing everything around her. Defeating Harry does not mean kill him right? They couldn't kill him. They just can't, Ginny would plead with them.

"We start working on this, all of us," Charles said, pointing to all. "Even you Weasely." He added, nodding at Ginny. As expected, Hermione and Ron immediately protested, Ron being the loudest.

"What the bloody hell, no!" Ron yelled, slamming his fist in the table, rattling few quills. "She is still ill, she can't do this with us."

Ginny got up abruptly from her chair and wobbled a bit, but her dangerous glare didn't waver. "You have no right to decide whether I'm capable of something or not," she hissed. "I'm big enough to decide for myself Ron."

Ron visibly clenched his teeth, while Charles simply cast a bored look at Ron. "Really Weasely, she's right. Lay off her for once."

Ginny shot a grateful look at Charles.

"Further information will be provided," Charles said, collecting the stack of papers on his desk. "Thank you for your time."

The air was filled with the sound of scraping chairs as the Aurors headed out of the room, and Ginny noticed Neville in the crowd, realizing he was quiet throughout the meeting. Neville had come in the newspaper once, and it wasn't exactly pleasant. He hadn't come to office for days from the humiliation.

She forced herself to walk faster, dragging her goddamn crutched foot and panting, as Neville exited the room.

"Neville!" Ginny called out, and Neville turned, his blond hair falling over his forehead and eyebrows furrowed with confusion as he searched who called him. Spotting Ginny, the creases of his brows eased, and he gave a tiny smile.

"Ginny," He acknowledged, and Ginny smiled back, and once she reached near him she nearly dropped with shock.

He had dark circles beneath his eyes, blond hair messier than ever, his cheeks were hollow and body was thin. Ginny always knew Neville to be that chubby and cheerful boy in school, but now he was close to unrecognizable.

"What has happened to you?" Ginny whispered, surveying him with parted lips. Neville gave a tired laugh and waved a hand.

"What this?" He pointed to his face and chuckled. "Aftermath of Fernandez's tiny work. You know how tiny his work his." He raised an eyebrow and Ginny laughed. It was good to be back laughing with her best friend. How much she missed those days with Neville and Luna.

Ginny looked at Neville with sad eyes. "Neville.....about your mom and dad, I'm so sorry." Frank and Alice Longbottom had been reported dead a week back, and according to the prophet, it was due to the carelessness of the healers. They didn't pay much attention to them, considering the amount of patients st. Mungo's.

Neville shrugged indifferently. "They were always considered a burden on them. Why waste their healers and resources on insane people rather than those who are dying? Heard the minister telling this to someone. Busy saving his own skin, probably because he thinks he's going to be the next one to be killed."

Neville looked at his feet before smiling again at Ginny, squeezing her shoulder. "It was nice to see you again Ginny. In all this mayhem, it's good to have a friend."

Neville walked off, not giving a chance for Ginny to say something and Ginny stood there in the middle if the atrium, people bumping past her and hurrying away, while Ginny simply felt herself trembling.

Her own friends didn't have time for her, and life has just been a mess.

Why, Harry, why? Why would you do this?

                                  *
Another chapter of vacant soul!Vote and comment if you loved reading it!