Emerald Slippers- [Ginny Weasley]

Ten

The now acting headmistress Professor McGonagall had decided to draw the summer term to a close early. Deemed necessary for the safety of students, following the events at the Astronomy tower, it was the best cause of action. The Headmaster had been killed on the school grounds by a team of the evil wizards. And what was once considered the safest place in the country for young wizards and witches had overnight lost that status. Major reworks needed to occur for that to be reinstated. They needed all the time they could get in order to do so. Therefore, two weeks before the normal date, the Hogwarts Express arrived to take the students home, and hopefully back to somewhere safer then they were at present. 

Stood on the station waiting to place her bag in the baggage area, Naomi took a moment to look back at the castle itself. From a distance, it looked no different to how it did at the beginning of the school year. Yet the atmosphere and the feeling it gave her, one of the people responsible for this predicament, were completely different. She used o feel such joy and comfort looking at the building. Now all she felt was pain and guilt. You could not tell either, that this was now a future base for a war, a place where both sides would be desperately trying to dig their claws into to own stakeholders of the place. She knew that when she returned in September that nothing would be the same again. 

After successfully loading up her trunk, Naomi finally clambered aboard the train and into the carriage where Astoria was waiting for her. The ever familiar blonde Slytherin was animatedly talking about wha this extended summer holiday would mean for her. How she was going to be taking an extended holiday to France. Naomi wanted to shake her head for the blatant innocence her best friend was showing in believing she could have a normal summer holiday. But she couldn't blame Astoria for trying to focus on something positive by trying to see things remaining as normal for a little while longer. 

But Naomi knew they would have very different summers. Sure Astoria might actually have a pretty normal summer holiday considering she wasn't an active Death Eater and Naomi knew that her parents wouldn't allow her to join up until after she had finished school. But for Naomi, she knew returning to Malfoy Manor would only bring her pain. She knew she was about to face the consequences of disappearing on that night, for not helping to fight against the order members. That she would have to join in with more Death Eater tasks, and that it was highly likely that blood was going to be on her hands by the end of the now eight week holiday. 

Naomi decided to take herself out of the carriage and into the bathroom for a small break, and a chance to try and calm herself down. Once inside Naomi walked her way over to the sink and its adjoining mirror. She took a moment to study herself in the mirror. The girl staring back at her was her, there was no mistaking. She still held the same long hair and her eyes had not changed colour. But the girl looking back at her no longer looked like the youthful and joyful girl who had stared back at her only months ago. No matter how much concealer she had used that morning, she could still see the black circles under her eyes ebbing their way through. The exhaustion and guilt that had been her main feelings for the last few months were not just evident in how her eyes had become dull, but also in her face as it became more sullen. 

Naomi did not know how long she had been stood in the bathroom just staring at her reflection. She didn't really want to dwell on that fact, rather trying to focus on anything else. She didn't even bat an eyelid when she could hear someone shuffle in and out. But she did listen to them as they ran their way down the corridor speaking to someone who had waited for them outside the bathroom.

"I saw Naomi Nott in there, the 5th year. I've seen dementors who look happier than that."

"You ain't seen shit Dean." The two dismembered voices echoed throughout the corridor and Naomi had to hold in the urge to follow behind them and show them just how miserable she could be. Though she took another moment rather enjoying the silence of the bathroom.

She was suddenly hugged from behind, Naomi tensed at the motion at first not knowing who it was. But when a small ginger head popped its way onto her shoulder she felt herself relax. One of her hands which had been so tightly gripped to the sink she stood at moved to card its way through the locks of ginger hair they could reach from the slightly smaller teenager's position. When the other hand which had also been tightly gripping the sink was removed in order to hold onto one of Ginny's hands Naomi took a moment to take in the comfort the touch provided. But the moment was all she got as she was spun around. Coming face to face with the young girl Naomi wanted to show off to the world as her Girlfriend, Naomi went to lock her hands around Ginny's neck. She have the younger girl a few seconds notice before she threw the remaining part of her body weight on to the girl bringing her into a crushing embrace. Naomi wanted to saviour this time in the other girl's arms not knowing when the next time they would get to be this intimate would be. Her fingers that were once locked behind Ginny's head were now making their way through the girl's hair which was for once down from the high ponytail the girl nearly always wore.

"What's got you so upset Ni, you know you can talk to me." Ginny tried to console and force it out of the taller girl, Naomi only responded by pushing herself even closer to the ginger, nuzzling her head into Ginny's shoulder. Trying to etch every single nerve's feeling at this moment into her long-term memory. 

"Just hold me please." Naomi's small voice was one she found herself speaking in more and more at the present. The confident brash tone she used to always use was fading out replacing itself with this nervous unsteady voice that was uncertain of everything she was saying. The voice of someone she never used to be. 

"I've got you Ni. It'll only be the summer months and then you'll be back in my arms. Safe with me." Ginny attempted to reassure the brunette but she couldn't be sure her words of reassurance were landing. 

"Are you sure you're going to even want me after the summer. I can't promise what I'm going to have to do." Naomi felt as though the bathroom wasn't the most appropriate place to be having this conversation, sure to an outsider it looked as though the two girls were just in a forbidden love story. But it was way more than that.

"I will always want you Naomi. I love you now and I will love you then. No matter what you've done." Naomi suddenly lifted her head from Ginny's shoulder as she went to look the other girl in the eyes. This was the first time either of them had said those words to one another. She chose to ignore Ginny's comment regarding what she was going to have to do over the summer. But instead focused on what those words meant. Naomi smashed their lips together, which was probably not her brightest idea, kissing the daylight out of her girlfriend. She then pulled back just as quickly as she had moved in, in order to look at the chocolate brown eyes that swirled with little lighter patches, like the most beautiful kaleidoscope. 

I love you too Ginevra." Naomi wanted to say the words back to the teenaged girl, she wanted Ginny to know that the feelings were mutual. That they were both in the deep end. That she would no longer allow others to dictate their relationship. Naomi was not going to let this slip away for either of them. 

If there was only one life that Naomi could save in this war. It would be Ginevra Weasley.