Caged
Chapter 3.
The Prewett-Weasley bloodlines were famous or rather infamous for producing generations of spitfires. This genetic trait had not gone amiss on Ginny Weasley and she had a terrifying combination of the Prewett-Weasley temper. At Hogwarts, she had been famous for her generosity in dishing out Bat Bogey Hexes. Everyone knew better than to get on the wrong side of the youngest Weasley.
Well, almost everyone. Ginny's temper and tolerance had been on trial for the past three weeks. It had been three bloody long weeks from the blasted fainting incident and Ginny had yet to enjoy any form of pleasure by gastronomy. Her food, very much to her boyfriend's insistence was bland and not at all greasy. For someone who harboured a love for chips and all things unhealthy and savoury, 'clean' eating was pure torture.
Ginny persisted following the diet that her boyfriend created for her although she hated it. She did not rebel although she hated meal times with a passion. She had taken to eating lesser as well thanks to her hatred for the food she had to consume. She also spent more time outdoors.
It was a lovely morning on the 31st of July. The breakfast table at the Burrow was awfully crowded with the vast majority of the Weasleys over. It was a special day in the family, a birthday to be specific. It was Harry's birthday. Today, he would turn eighteen. Mrs Weasley had whipped up a wonderful, traditional English breakfast in Harry's honour.
No one was more excited than Ginny. With most of her family over for breakfast, she was positive that the rigid control exerted by her boyfriend and her mother over her diet would relax. She smiled brightly at this thought as she walked into the dining room hand in hand with her boyfriend, the birthday boy.
He was swarmed with wishes from her family. Fleur Delacour Weasley, Ginny's sister-in-law and wife of Bill Weasley had pulled Harry and given him a loud kiss on his cheek.
"Happy birthday, 'Arry" She greeted him, her French accent as thick as ever.
Harry couldn't be more flustered by the attention he received. He smiled quite obviously overwhelmed. It was one of the reasons why Ginny adored her boyfriend. He was the saviour of the wizarding world and yet he could not bask in his own glory. He was always conscious of the attention that was being paid to him.
For Ginny's part, she had pulled her boyfriend in to spend some time together in her room before handing him his gift. It was a safe feeling to cuddle and fall asleep in Harry's arms. As they settled down, Harry was lovingly served breakfast by Ginny's mother after she pulled him in a tight, motherly embrace.
Ginny began helping herself to a tray of hash browns and sausages. She felt entirely deprived of such deliciousness. Goodness knew how she had survived or how she managed to restrain herself from wringing someone's neck.
She had barely taken a bite from the golden brown potato delight when someone pinched her waist. She winced at the sharpness from the pinch only to see her boyfriend focused on a casual conversation with her brother, Bill. He turned towards her and smiled slightly but his green eyes told her all that she needed to know. She wasn't supposed to be laying a finger on anything remotely fatty.
She wanted very much to stand up and storm out of the room but she knew that everyone would think that she was being juvenile. It was his birthday for goodness sake! Why couldn't he lighten up? In her fury, she had taken her anger out on the fried potato. She had all but drained it of oil with her clenched fist. Now it is probably edible, she thought to herself bitterly.
"Ginny dear, aren't you going to eat?" Her mother asked, smiling kindly at her.
"I seem to have lost my appetite." Ginny replied trying her hardest not to appear sullen.
"You aren't on one of those diets are you?" Fred scrutinized her.
"Yeah, Verity is obsessed with some diet or another. She's always starving herself." George added.
"It's unnerving, the way she stares at my chicken sandwich." Fred shuddered dramatically.
"I'm not on a diet." Ginny replied tersely, well, not willingly on one, she corrected herself.
"Anyway," Her mother abruptly changed the subject as she buttered a slice of bread. –"We received a couple of letters this morning for the four of you." She nodded towards the direction of the trio and Ginny.
"What did it concern, Mrs Weasley?" Hermione asked politely.
"It's from Hogwarts of course!" She said as she summoned the letters using the Accio spell. –"I couldn't resist; I had to have a peek so I looked at Ginny's letter."
Ginny looked up from where she had been studying the lines on her palms. Her temper flared at this but she willed herself to keep calm. She wasn't angry with her mother, hell she could read letters from her admirers. She just needed an outlet for her pent up frustration.
Molly Weasley handed the letters to the four of them. –"It came at the perfect timing, in all this effort to get the Ministry up and running proper, they seem to have forgotten that the three of you are mere teenagers." She said the last bit more severely.
"What are you talking about, Mum? We are all of age now." Ron scoffed as he shoved another buttered toast into his mouth. His appetite was never ending.
"Of age but your education has yet to be completed." She said as she looked at the twins pointedly. Evidently, Fred and George's majestic exit from Hogwarts remained a sore spot with her.
"Oh please, Mum, it has been two years." Fred groaned.
"Besides, it's not like we need NEWTs certification for our jobs anyway." George added.
"Yeah, you don't need certification to run a business, you just need brains." The twins continued to defend themselves good – naturedly.
Hermione, a bel-esprit had her own two Knuts to add into this little discussion, much to everyone's surprise, she supported the twins.
The discussion continued with the Golden Trio discussing Hogwarts. Ginny listened on as Harry admitted rather sheepishly that he had completely forgotten about his education after the war. Ron shrugged saying that he will probably go back to Hogwarts because Hermione was going. Hermione flushed red with pleasure at Ron's dedication towards her.
After a while, it all got very stifling, Ginny got up quietly excusing herself from the table retreating to where she spent most of her time these days, the outdoors. She had always loved the outdoors ever since she was a mere child. She adored chasing after butterflies, making necklaces with daisies, plucking the little petals of the dandelions and last but not the least, quidditch.
It was a beautiful day to spend outdoors with the sun shining brightly; the skies were blue and clear of clouds. Ginny lay on the grass, enjoying the warmth of the sun with the slight wind that announced the impending change of season. She needed to clear her thoughts about what happened earlier.
She wasn't just upset, she was fuming. The last time her ex tried that move on her, she called it quits with him. They were good friends now. This time, the situation was a little different. Her boyfriend was Harry Potter, the boy she wanted her entire life. He had to know that such moves were upsetting. After all, what was a relationship without communication?
She stayed there as minutes, possibly hours went by. Before long, a figure appeared blocking her view of the sky. It was Harry. He smiled at her tentatively before making himself comfortable beside her.
"Everyone's been looking for you around the house." He said as by way of greeting.
"I needed to clear my head." She replied shortly, looking away from him. If Harry was oblivious, he wouldn't be now. It was a clear cut message that she was upset with him.
"Hey…" He started slowly, gently. "It was what happened at breakfast right?" He asked.
So he knew what he did was not right.
She remained quiet because silence in this case meant consent. He kept quiet as well as though deep in his thoughts. Finally he broke the silence that had descended upon them.
"I'm sorry, Gin. For my actions this morning, it wasn't right." He admitted.
Ginny took a deep breath before replying, "Harry, it was wrong on so many levels. I'm upset because your actions have gotten more than a little stifling. For the first couple of days after I fainted, it was fine, sweet even. But now, I feel like I'm not even allowed to make decisions for myself. It was just a fried potato!" She ranted.
Continuing, she said, "You know what makes a good relationship, Harry? Communication. And lately, we haven't been having any of that."
Harry was silent as he listened to what she had to say.
"You are right." He said when she was finally done. –"I haven't been the best of boyfriends lately. I haven't given us enough time together. It's completely inexcusable but it slipped out of my head that you have needs too. Damn, I really don't know how to make relationships work, huh?"
"Harry…."
"No, Gin. I'm not done yet. All this while, when I made sure you ate healthy, I did that because I didn't want your blood pressure going sky high. Of course, you can take care of yourself, and what is a little indulgence right?" He admitted looking particularly abashed.
He hadn't been clipping her dietary wings; Ginny's heart sank as she took in his guilty expression. He was just being a concerned, overbearing boyfriend. She was the one who flared up. Worst of all, it was his birthday. She made her boyfriend feel like crap on his birthday, she was no better than his aunt and uncle.
Before she could think otherwise, she scrambled knocking Harry down to the grass. His glasses went askew when she knocked the wind out of him. She hugged him tightly inhaling his scent and feeling the comfort and safety that his arms always offered as they wrapped themselves around her.
"Does this mean that I'm forgiven?" Harry implored. Ginny could hear the smile in his voice.
She nodded as he kissed her hair. "Just, don't do it again." She said.
"Yeah, how can I forget? You dumped Dean because he was being a gentleman." Harry teased.
"It is not polite to bring up the subject of one's exes, Mr Potter." She looked up, her cinnamon eyes meeting gorgeous green ones. She leaned down to give him a sweet peck on his lips.
"Duly noted, Miss Weasley." Harry replied, -"On another note, perhaps I should update you about the discussion that you missed over breakfast. After all, communication is important in a relationship." He quoted her words from her rant earlier in a light tone.
Ginny rolled her eyes at him before rolling off him and got to making herself comfortable on the grass patch. She gestured for him to continue. Harry brushed his jet black hair away from his eyes as he spoke staring out at the acres of land that surrounded the Weasley property. The decision was made, he informed her.
The Golden Trio would be returning to Hogwarts in the upcoming school year.
"All this help that we have been rendering to the Ministry, we forgot that we are barely of age. And with the destruction of horcruxes and all those, we could probably get any job we wanted. I could possibly be Minister for Magic after Kingsley." Harry joked.
"Yeah, you could even be King." Ginny teased.
"Nah, we'll leave that to Ron." Harry grinned as he thought of the slogan Ron carried around with him at Hogwarts thanks to a certain nemesis.
"Basically, all I'm trying to say here is, I think I could do with going back and getting my credentials. It would be a break from the entire thing. I'm certain the Ministry shouldn't have a problem with it once we break the news to them. I mean, we're a bunch of teenagers, it's rather questionable if you cannot live without our input on the new foundation." Ginny nodded, strongly agreeing with what he said.
She never really understood why the three of them contributed so much towards the reestablishment of a better wizarding society when they were not much older than her.
"Frankly, I think your decision couldn't get any better. Finally, a school year where there probably won't be attacks an d any plans to establish a pureblood supremacist society " said Ginny as she shook her head as she thought of the past and the recent dark months that they had been plagued with.
Thankfully, the Weasleys had come out of the war relatively unscathed. The same couldn't be said for many of their friends.
Harry nodded, "I'll get a break and I'll be able to spend time with you." He leaned over, planting a sweet kiss on Ginny's cheek. –"Haven't been doing much of that either." He muttered before smiling at her rather sheepishly.
"I am probably first in line for a "Terrible Boyfriend of the Year" award."
Her heart warmed considerably at Harry's embarrassed expression. There he was, the awkward, shy boy that she had adored ever since she had heard his tales. She placed her head on his chest as she faced the clear blues, a sign that she was not upset by the fact that he was busy.
The afternoon of Harry's birthday very much helped the couple who were distanced by time. Ginny and Harry were finally going to get more time together.
"So, what are you going to name your Pygmy Puff?" Ginny smiled kindly at the little girl before her as she rounded up her purchase at the counter.
The girl who was probably not more than six bit her lip as she gave Ginny's question a thought. "Ummm… I don't know yet." She said pouting cutely, warming Ginny's heart.
"You know, I have a Pygmy Puff too." Ginny told her –"His name is Arnold and he is pink."
The girl giggled at the thought of Ginny's pet named Arnold. "I think I'll name mine Daisy because she's yellow and bright like one!"
"That's a pretty name." Ginny said as she handed the girl's mother the packages she had wrapped up. –"You make sure you take good care of Daisy alright? Come back soon!" She waved as the girl and her mother exited the shop.
She greeted the next customer warmly before rounding up their purchases.
"Ginny! You've got an owl." Her brother George called from the back.
-"I'll be there in a minute." Ginny replied.
Wow, there was never a free moment at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Ginny thought as she made sure the sales report and money received from the sales were balanced before she handed the counter back to Verity. It hadn't been her purpose to help out when she had stepped into her brother's shop at Diagon Alley.
She had merely stopped by to greet them and pass the time as she waited for her boyfriend. It had been, she checked her watch, a little over two hours since she was due to meet Harry and there was no sign of him. Giving Verity a quick smile, she headed to the back where George had placed her letter.
Upon further inspection, she realised that it was not even a letter. It was a note.
Ginny,
I won't be able to make it to Diagon Alley today. Urgent Ministry business, Hermione will be placing orders for our books.
Harry
She crushed the parchment as she willed herself to calm down. Her emotions were on the high at present as she was plagued with hurt and disappointment. His handwriting was barely legible. He did not even apologise in his note. Did it not matter that he promised her that they would spend the day together?
Even a little 'X' in the note would have left her not feeling too bad about it. She took a deep breath before grabbing a quill and scribbling a quick note on the same parchment.
I'll go shopping for my own. I have nothing better to do now anyway. – G
She handed the note to the owl that the twins had used for their mail. Burying her face in her hands, she forced herself to return to her pleasant mood from earlier.
Donning a sunny smile, she grabbed her bag and stepped out of the room to kiss her brothers goodbye.
"So, what did the boyfriend want?" Fred grinned at her mischievously.
"Nothing –"She smiled innocently, -"Just a change in meeting place. I'll be off now." She hurried off before her shrewd brothers could notice anything off about her behaviour.
She barely took notice of her surroundings as she walked along the street. She was lost in her thoughts.
She was supposed to be the girlfriend of Harry Potter. She was essentially the support system to his well-balanced life. Yet, why did she feel so imbalanced herself? She was being irrational, she convinced herself. Harry wouldn't bail on her if it was not something important. He knew that it was imperative that they spend time together. He wanted that as well.
She shouldn't be angry, she justified to herself as she shopped for her back – to – school essentials. Disappointed, yes, but it wasn't right that she allow the disappointment to flood her expectations of her relationship. The perfect girlfriend wouldn't have minded, she told herself. She wouldn't be upset but instead she would stand beside Harry with dignity and grace, supporting him at each and every step of the way.
That was what she ought to do. That was what she was supposed to do and that was exactly what she was going to do. She had finally come to terms with the myriad of emotions that she had subconsciously dealt with not just today but in the last couple of months.
Ginny was so deep in her thoughts, she walked right into a wall causing her to drop her shopping all over the floor. Ouch! She had bumped her head on this wall. Dazed, she rubbed her head only to open her eyes and find herself to be staring at broad shoulders clad in grey robes.
"I'm sorry." She mumbled before bending down to pick up her things. Merlin, how on earth had the shop assistant packed them? Her books were strewn all over the floor as they had come out of the packaging.
"I'm not." The stranger replied. She hadn't bothered looking up at his face earlier. However, his voice made her go rigid. She looked up from the little mess to meet the cool grey eyes of Draco Malfoy.
He unnerved her, completely and entirely. Her breath was caught in her throat. Her heart rate had sped up and her eyes had widened. But of course, he need not know that.
"Malfoy." She said calmly, or well she hoped she sounded calm. –"I didn't see you there."
"Clearly." He remarked looking unruffled. –"It's nice to see that some things don't change." He gestured towards the books that Ginny held in her hands. They looked as though they had been used by a couple of generations to say at the least.
He was mocking her family, she realised. Of the poverty that had previously been there. Their finances were better now. Not on the same train as the Malfoys clearly but the resources were enough to keep the family satisfied. Purchasing second hand books was something that Ginny had done all her life and as a creature of habit, she had continued this time.
She glared at him, -"There is nothing wrong with purchasing second hand books, Malfoy."
"Now that is subjective." He raised an eyebrow at her clearly indicating his views on the subject matter.
Ginny was well, speechless. She could not think of a witty comeback, for his words, however snotty had truth to them. Before she could even formulate a reply however, he continued in his usual superior tone.
"Well, as much as I'd love to discuss this over tea, Princess, I actually came here for another reason." He drawled.
Ginny frowned as she looked up at him from where she was currently squatting. She waved her wand, arranging her fallen books into a stack.
"Well, are you going to tell me or what?" She asked, annoyed.
"You know, if I were you, I'd be wary of my surroundings. It is very easy to ensnare a girl like yourself in a deserted alley. Moreover, you're Potter's princess….." He trailed off.
"And your point is?" Ginny retorted realising that she and Malfoy weren't exactly in the most crowded of areas. Damn her and her supreme idiocy. She always messed up when she was upset.
He merely shrugged –"I'll be seeing you. Remember what I said, Princess. There are people out there who want to take a bite out of you. I'd be wary if I were you."
Before she could decipher what he said, he vanished. Or well, disapparated right before her eyes.
And she was left standing there feeling more unnerved than ever. What in the name of Merlin did he mean by that? And… Princess…?
Hey everyone! So, it's been a while hasn't it? I had an awfully busy couple of months plus this chapter was under construction for quite some time before I was finally pleased enough to post it.
So I really appreciate the support I've been receiving so far but I'm really going to need continuous input on this story. I'm venturing out of my comfort zone and I would really love it if I could receive some constructive criticism, just so that I can be sure that I'm not creating a disaster or something that'd leave me with a permanent writer's block.
Please do leave a review! Your comments are greatly appreciated. If you have questions, leave me a platform where I can reply to you. Whether its tumblr or whatever social media.
On a side note, I am now a fully qualified paralegal who will never put those skills to test! (I graduated! Thank the heavens!)
Take care & hope everyone is doing great!
MBAxoxo
P.S: REVIEW & make a girl's day. Also, more Draco to come in the next chapter.