Purple Rain.

Chapter Thirty-One.

"My license! I never took the test," (Y/n) murmured. Ginny snorted from behind her.

"This is the right thing, right?" Ginny asked, holding a stack of cups and a pitcher of Butterbeer.

"Mhm," (Y/n) nodded. Ginny set down the pitcher and drinks before sitting down beside (Y/n).

"What're we talking about?" Ginny asked.

"Parties," Hermione answered. Ginny rose an eyebrow. "(Y/n) was telling me that she thinks she'd enjoy her party more if it was postponed a year." (Y/n) stared at Hermione in betrayal.

"Ah," Ginny hummed. "It was an attempt to cheer you up... A failed one, I guess," she shrugged. (Y/n) looked extremely tense, frightened she upset Ginny. "What?" Ginny blinked.

"You aren't mad at me?"

"Why would I be?" Ginny snorted. "I didn't plan it and Luna's dad even advised heavily against it... but Mum was insistent... Don't tell her I said this, but... I reckon she was trying to get you to lash out so she'd have an actual reason to dislike you."

"Huh?" Hermione and (Y/n) asked at the same time Harry and Ron finally reappeared with their presents for Hermione.

"What makes you think that?" Hermione asked. "I thought your mum got over her dislike for (Y/n)..." Ginny half-grimaced as though she didn't want to talk about the matter.

"Well... Mum thinks (Y/n)'s going to unintentionally use someone to get over Warrington," Ron said slowly. (Y/n) frowned deeply, pausing her action of cutting Hermione's cake.

"Why's everyone dismissive of her feelings?" Hermione asked.

"I know..." Ginny agreed. She paused and turned to (Y/n). "But you already know what Mum's been saying, don't you?"

"I do," (Y/n) said quietly. "I know what everyone says and, gosh, I just want to close my stupid mind but Dumbledore's doing nothing to help..."

"I can't tell if he's slacking off, too caught up with the Order, or purposefully trying to get us riled up," Harry said furiously.

"I doubt Dumbledore's slacking off," Ginny said. "And why would he want us riled up?"

"Isolation," (Y/n) said.

"Huh?"

"Make us think no one's there to help us and then swoop in at the end to be the valiant hero and that we need to pledge our loyalty to him," (Y/n) said.

"No..."

"Is it that far-fetched?" (Y/n) frowned.

"Ginny?" Hermione gaped. Her jaw was practically on the floor at the sight of Ginny strolling into the Gryffindor common room with a fennec fox in her arms. Harry's mouth fell open and Ron rose both of his eyebrows. 

"What a cute cat!" Parvati exclaimed from where she sat with Lavender, Dean, and Seamus.

"Cat?" Hermione repeated, dismayed.

"I don't think that's a cat, Ti," Lavender said.

"It's a fox," Dean instantly concluded. "Where on earth did you get one of those?"

"This is (Y/n)," Ginny said simply, setting (Y/n) down on one of the couches in the common room. (Y/n) stretched her hind legs out and tucked her front legs beneath her, resting her head on Ginny's lap and, despite being a fox, looking as though she was going through it.
(Y/n) was the size of a kitten due to the fact that her Animagus was only two years old. Even as she grew, whenever she was a fox, she would not get larger than a cat.