Chapter 4

I was still exhausted when I woke up at noon the next day. I just couldn't sleep any longer. I rolled out of bed and hurried to the bathroom. As I brushed my teeth, I looked myself over in the mirror. My eyes were puffy from lack of sleep, and all the crying from yesterday. The only color in my face was from my freckles and the dark circles under my eyes. I rinsed out my mouth and opened the medicine cabinet to pull out the skin care potions my mum kept there. Twenty minutes later, I was dressed, polished and ready to go.

Mum was in the kitchen making sandwiches for lunch went I got downstairs. "Ah good, you're up. I let you sleep this morning because I figured you could use it. Here, help yourself." She said handing me a plate. I took the plate, grabbed a cold butterbeer from the ice box and sat at the table. Mum finished up and joined me. "So, Ginny dear, what are your plans for today?"

I swallowed the bite of corned beef and took a swig of butterbeer before answering. "Well, I need to go over to the flat and pick up some of my clothes before I head over to Hermione's this evening."

She nodded. "Alright. Well I need to take a trip over to Diagon Alley and check on George. Would you like to come with me? We could do a little shopping while we were there?"

"Um, alright. Are you sure that'll be okay?" I asked, meaning, are you sure you can afford to take me shopping.

Mum laughed. "Of course. Now that we don't have to buy all of those school supplies for you and your brothers, you father and I can afford a few indulgences." I winced a little, remembering how tight money had been while we were in school. Mum saw, and shook her head. "Ginny, don't blame yourself. It was our choice to have you. We made do, and have always been happy with that decision."

I smiled. "Alright, that sounds like fun." I said and started to take another bite of and stopped. "Oh man, George is going to give me such a hard time." I moaned.

Mum reached over and patted my shoulder. "It'll be alright. Look on the bright side, dear. At least you won't have to tell the rest of your brothers after George hears." I groaned and finished my lunch in silence.

Diagon Alley had regained most of its old grandeur in the year following the war. Some of the stores which had closed under the Death Eater's reign had been reopened, while others had been sold, making way for new shops. I wanted to head straight for Weasleys' Wizard Weezes, but Mum insisted that we go to Gringotts first. Obediently, I followed Mum into the bank. The goblins treated us with their usual grudging courtesy and led us past the marble entrance and into the caves beyond. The cart ride was exhilarating, though short. Mum and Dad's vault was unfortunately one of the small vaults closer to ground level.

The small goblin placed Mum's golden key in the lock and the door swung open. I was surprised to see a small mountain of coins inside. "Mum? Where did all this come from?" I could hear the uncertainty in my voice. The last time I had been to the vault with her, it had been nearly empty, holding a couple of galleons and a small pile of sickles. Now it held at least a thousand times that amount.

Mum smiled. You know your father recently received a promotion at work. Well, that helps quite a bit. Especially without so many mouths to feed all the time, not that I'm complaining."

"Mum, this is from more than a promotion. Where did you get this money?"

She shot a quick look over her shoulder at the goblin, who was scowling. "Now isn't the time, Ginny. We'll discuss this later." With that said, she started filling a small bag with the coins. I decided discretion was the better part of valor and held my tongue, though I was dying to question her further.

A few minutes later, we stepped out of Gringotts into the bright sunlight of Diagon Alley. The second I judged that we were out of earshot of the Goblins guarding the entrance, I pounced. "Ok, so where did all that gold come from?"

Mum sighed and glanced around. Satisfied that no one was listening, she quietly said, "It's not widely known, but after the war, the Ministry confiscated the vaults of the Death Eaters who had died and had no living descendants. They then divided the funds between the families of those people who died fighting at the Battle for Hogwarts. The goblins were furious about it. They felt that the gold should be given to them in reparation for the treatment they received under the Death Eaters rule." When I just stared in surprise at her, Mum hurried on. "Of course your father and I gave half of the money to George, but we were waiting for Christmas to divide out the rest of it amongst you kids. You see, they've only just dispensed the funds."

"Oh, wow. That's brilliant." I said emphatically.

Mum breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. Then you're not upset that we didn't tell you?"

"Upset? No, I can't think of anyone else who deserves this more. You and Dad deserve more out of life than what you've been given. And while it won't bring Fred back, it is a nice way of saying thank you for the sacrifices you've made." My breath hitched a little when I mentioned Fred, but I pushed through. I wasn't going to cry today.

Mum on the other hand, got misty-eyed and pulled my into a quick hard hug. Then she straightened her shoulders and led the way to George's shop. As per usual, the store was packed. We found George at the back of the store showing the trick wands to a couple of boys who looked like they might be just barely old enough to attend Hogwarts. The boys raced off to find their parents and George looked up and smiled. It wasn't his old devil-may-care smile. That had died with his twin. This new smile was softer and sadder than before. Even with the ever present sense of loss that hung over him, I could still tell that he was happy to see us.

"What are the two of you doing here?" He asked as he came over to give Mum a hug.

She patted his arm, and said, "Ginny and I are having a girl's day and thought we'd stop by."

"Excellent. I'm due a break. Hang on." He said turning to scan the shop. Evidently he found who he was looking for, because he called out, "Oi, Luna. I'm taking a break. I'll be back in ten."

Surprised, I followed his gaze and saw Luna Lovegood behind the checkout counter. She dreamily looked at George for a minute before nodding and turning back to the customer she was ringing up. "Luna works here now?" I asked.

George shot a grin back over his shoulder at me as he led the way to a back room. "Yeah, I hired her about a month ago. She's doing really well and has some great ideas about new products that we're starting to develop."

I laughed. "Brilliant. So, how are you doing?" We had reached the back room which contained a small seating area and ice box for the employees on breaks as well as rows and rows of boxes. I sat down on one of the overstuffed chairs, while Mum took a seat on the couch.

George shrugged and went to pull some butterbeers out of the ice box. He passed them out and slumped into the other chair. "I'm doing alright. The store has really picked up a lot of business this summer. It seems like people are finally beginning to believe that Voldemorte is really gone and it's safe to come out again. Luna's been a massive help. She may seem rather flighty, but really she has a way with people. They always end up buying more than they planned." He laughed, and I noticed a strange little sparkle in his eyes when he mentioned Luna. I shrugged it off when he continued. "And how about you, sis? How's it feel to be shacked up with The Boy Who Lived?"

"George!" Mum admonished.

I sighed. "No Mum, it's ok." I turned to my brother. "Actually I left Harry. I'm staying with Mum and Dad for a while." I said trying to sound nonchalant about the whole thing.

George who had been taking a sip of his butterbeer, choked and nearly spit the mouthful of brew across the room. He set his bottle aside and after a few coughs managed, "You what?"

Calmly I repeated, "I left him."

George looked from me to Mum and back. "But what happened? I figured that you two were out looking for wedding dresses or something." He sounded genuinely shocked.

I smiled a little and glanced at my mum. She gave me a small encouraging smile. I took a deep breath and then spoke quickly to get everything out before he cut my off. "Nothing happened. I just realized that I didn't like him that way because I'm gay."

Utter silence met my words. George stared at me blankly before turning to Mum. "What?"

She smiled kindly at him and spoke slowly as if he were very dense. "Your sister just said that she fancies women."

He turned back to me. "You're a lesbian? But—But you've always fancied Harry. I—Merlin's pants, Ginny. You could have warned me." George was obviously struggling to wrap his mind around this news and I took pity on him.

"George, I've only just realized this. I didn't know how else to tell you." I said.

He gave me a long searching look, and apparently satisfied by what he saw; he sat back and picked his drink back up. Just as he was about to take a drink, he burst out laughing. "Oh, wait until Ron hears about this. He's going to lose it."

I couldn't help grinning. "Actually he already found out." I said and briefly explained our fight from the night before.

George gave me an approving nod when I finished. "Good one, Gin."

Mum feigned exasperation and sighed. "Honestly. What am I going to do with you two?"

I grinned at her and went over to wrap her in a hug. "Love us?" I was very relieved that George hadn't reacted the same way as Ron. We stayed for a while talking to George about the plans he had for the shop and agreeing to all have dinner together that weekend. George promised to spread the news about Harry and me to the rest of the family. When we had finished our Butterbeer, Mum and I headed back out to the bright sunlight in Diagon Alley.

As I blinked in the sudden glare, I noticed a new store across from George's shop. It was displaying a large banner that read "Penelope's House of Style Grand Opening" With a subscript stating "Muggle fashions for the discerning witch or wizard". I turned to Mum with a grin. Maybe I wouldn't have to face Harry yet.

"Mum, can we go check that out?" I asked pleadingly.

She looked past me and smiled. "Why not? I've always wondered why no one opened a shop like this before."

Two hours later, we walked back out carrying several packages and grinning. The store was brilliant. It had some great clothes and both Mum and I found several new outfits. Mum's money bag was considerably lighter, but she didn't seem to mind in the least. All of the employees were very knowledgeable in helping the magical born witches and wizards find clothing that would be appropriate and inconspicuous in the muggle world. I loved it. We decided to call it a day and headed home to the Burrow.