Learn to Love by Loving You (An IWDTLY Sequel)

Chapter 9: Softly

Violet had never felt so soft in her entire life. Her emotions stayed hazed, always a little clouded by sadness. She slept little in the following two days and when she did it was lightly. She'd wake surrounded by her warming charm, stifled but not quite feeling it. It was luckily the weekend, with low expectation and nowhere to be.

Luna visited their room frequently, consistently leaning against her and read silently to herself. Violet always made sure to expand her warming charm to include her. Smiled small when Luna would hum and burrow deeper into the shared space.

Ginny was hardly around. Violet knew it was due to the upcoming Quidditch match on Sunday, but missed her friend nonetheless. Maybe her brutal honesty would snap Violet out of this slump quicker.

Violet kept reminding herself that Ginny had some talking to do about Parkinson. That it wasn't going to slide without talking with the group. No matter how infrequently Gin had discussed her problems with the three of them. On-again off-again Dean Thomas had hardly warranted a mention during the entire tumultuous relationship. Ginny had only been caught crying in the showers once.

Hermione was around the most, despite her frequent trysts with Zabini. She did what Hermione did best when she was nervous and didn't know what to do, she talked. Violet learned so much about Stoddard Withers that she never wanted to hear the man's name ever again. But she appreciated the effort.

On the third day, Violet decided it was done.

Okay, she thought to herself bitterly, and we're done.

Showered, dressed, and hair braided into two tight French braids, Violet was sat in the Library. The Quidditch game wasn't until after dinner and Violet had an Astronomy essay to write. And a Charms practical exam to study for. No one was going to do them for her, she supposed. She had to rebuild herself this afternoon.

Halfway through writing her essay, she looked up and found she wasn't alone. She blinked bemusedly to herself. Zabini was across from her, his own work spread across the table and a pile of books on Herbology to his left. He seemed settled in enough, with over twelve inches of essay written before him.

"I did say hello," he mutters down to his paper.

"Hello," Violet instinctively says in return.

His brown eyes are piercing when he glances up at her. "I've been here for nearly half an hour, Jesperson."

"As if that's my problem, Zabini," Violet snarks back.

He snorts, shakes his head. "Haven't seen you in a few days." Zabini puts off an air of not that I care why. He quirks an eyebrow at her. "Hermione was worried."

"Ah, yes, I'm sure she was." Violet spins her quill in between her fingers, nodding. "Well, I'm back."

"Good," Zabini says, a grin stretching across his lips. Violet can see the worry deep in his eyes, knows that he knows what she and Draco spoke of. Knows he knows more that she does. Can almost hear the question in his statement.

She swallows, looks softly down at her hands, sees ink staining her fingertips. She's smiling before she knows it. Violet looks back up at him and says gently, "Yeah, Zabini, it's good."

He nods.

---

Ginny can't feel her fingertips. Can't even feel her nose. The wind is brutal and they aren't even in the sky yet. Her heart is beating almost through her chest with excitement. Adrenaline will propel her forward for the remainder of the night, she knows it.

Hermione, Luna, and Violet had all wave at her enthusiastically from the stands as they sit comfortably in the Gryffindor section. Violet looked good, if withdrawn. She looked like Violet from First Year, uncertain but faking certainty until it worked. Ginny's just glad she'd made it out of the room today.

"You ready?" Harry asks from beside her.

Ginny turns to grin at him. His hair is a mess and his cheeks are flushed red. They both were already in full uniform. She grips his shoulders and shakes him. The shoulder pads were stiff against her palm.

"Ready to beat these guys!"

Harry laughs with her. He opens his mouth to say something more—

"Weasley."

Both her and Harry turn to look at the entrance to the Changing Room. The voice had been quiet but sure. The entire room goes silent around them. In the doorway was the one and only Pansy Parkinson. As always, she was deep in her Slytherin scarf, but lacking her normal knit cap. Her cheeks are rosy and shiny from the wind. The entire team was staring at her, but her gaze didn't move from Ginny. There was no mistaking which Weasley she had come to see.

What is she—?

Ginny couldn't help but glance from Parkinson to her brother, to Harry beside her. She clears her throat and drops her arm from Harry's shoulder. She didn't understand why the thought of their casual touch was awkward in front on Parkinson.

Walking over to the other girl, Ginny smacks Ron upside the head as he whispers, "Gin, what the f—"

Parkinson steps outside just as Ginny approaches her. Once right outside the doorway, Ginny notes Nott standing off to the side closer to the stand staircase, cigarette dangling from his lips. He waves but doesn't speak.

Parkinson herself doesn't say anything at first, just looks out to the Pitch silently. Ginny crosses her arms uncomfortably, both from the cold and the situation. She notes Parkinson's maroon lips and small space buns and her intricate eyeliner. Wonders briefly if she did them without magic each morning. Debates asking. Instead she catches Parkinson shake her head to herself, blink, and turn to face Ginny head-on.

"Goodluck out there, Weasley," Parkinson says with finality.

Ginny simply blinks back at her. She hears Nott snort softly behind her. Watches Parkinson's face freeze gently into a scowl, like she's disappointed in herself.

"Um," Ginny pauses, "thank you?"

Parkinson nods and strides off. Ginny watches her gather Nott, who was seemingly laughing to himself. He's dragged off by the arm.

The rest of the team walks out from the Changing Room in time for no questions to be asked, although Harry and Ron are giving her significant looks. The game was about to begin. Harry hands off her broom before he kicks off himself.

Ginny rises slowly, catches glimpses of Nott and Parkinson as they ascend the staircase. They are just making it to the top level by the time Ginny herself was fully in the sky and in position. Nott was still laughing to himself, cigarette gone. The wind howled around her, striking straight to the bone.

Ginny casts a wandless warming charm and looks way before she could see the results. She tells herself her blush was from the weather. The game begins.

---

A/N: Sorry for the long wait on this one, everyone! Please let me know what you think! I might also be posting another chapter tonight. We shall see!

Love and fireworks,

unique-goddess