Footsteps echoed down the dark stone hallway. The late hour made the shadows cast haunting figures on the wall. A lone girl rushes urgently along, clutching a black book to her chest. She peers down the hall, ducking into the Girls bathroom she pauses, holding her breath, as she listens for the sounds of another’s footsteps. Hearing nothing, she sighs and briskly walks to a stall, shutting herself inside. She places her book bag on the seat and perches on top, pulling her knees up and balancing the book on top. She takes a deep breath and opens it, the blank pages stare up at her. She whisks out her quill and writes,

“Are you there?”

“Yes I am here.” The flowing black ink sprawls across of the page writing of its own accord. “Are you ready?”

“No, I’m scared. I can’t do this anymore. I don’t feel myself. I feel like I am losing control!” she furiously writes. There is a pause as her writing melts away from the page. Finally fresh black ink swirls across the page in response.

“You don’t need to be scared. I am helping you. Don’t you remember? I am the only one who understands you. I am the only one who cares. No one knows who you truly are. Only I do. No one cares for you the way I do” The ink disappears.

“How are you helping me? I feel even worse. I black out and can’t remember what I did. I find myself in places that I don’t remember going to. I don’t even feel like me anymore!” Tear drops drip down her pale face and absorb into the pages as the ink dries and fades. She wipes away the tears with her robes and slowly writes “I can’t do this anymore.”

She sobs into her arms, her body trembling. When she finally opens her eyes through their wet haze she gasps as she reads,

“I wasn’t planning on this. Falling in love with you was the last thing I wanted. Because I know our time would have to come to an end. Yet, here I am begging you not to turn the page. You are the only one who understands me and I only understand you. Help me Ginny, to come alive.” Ginny feels her body go numb and the feeling of losing herself again grips her causing her to freeze in terror.

“Noooo!” She screams furiously as she jumps up and the book falls with a thud to the floor. Panting she grabs the book and writes “No! You won’t use me anymore! I am done with you!” As the ink melts into the page the book begins to burst beams of light and shake. Trembling, Ginny throws the book into the toilet and flushes with all her might. Grabbing her book bag she tears out of the stall tears streaming down her face. She was so terrified she didn’t even notice the ghost Moaning Myrtle screeching in fury. As Moaning Myrtle angrily rises from the toilet, sending water from all the toilets exploding out of their bowls, Ginny slips out of the abandoned bathroom, toilet water running through the stone cracks in her wake.

*this is fan fiction & based off of characters & storyline from the Harry Potter series.