DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I
would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE: 'ROUND EVERY CORNER
"Harry Potter!" Molly yelled, "Look at me."
Harry looked up. Mrs. Weasley had a stern look on her face. 'Oh, I hope what ever she breaks, Madame Pomfrey can fix!' he thought to himself. Pulling all of his Gryffendor curage to the surface, he looked her straight in the eye. He wasn't going to back away. 'I've got to be strong,' Harry told himself, 'for me and Ginny. Just please don't let her kill me!'
His thought wasn't heard by any 'higher power.' Within two seconds, Molly had him round the neck, and wasn't planning on letting him go. Every eye in the room was on her, and every mind was hoping she would releasing him soon.
"Mum!" Ron shouted from behind Harry, "I don't think he can breathe!"
"Oh, Harry!" she cried, loosening her grip on him, "I'm so sorry. What I said, to Ginny, and what I thought about you! I'm so sorry for it all!" There were sighs all around the room. "Seeing what actually happened, the horrible things that happened," Molly gasped, "Being cursed by the Dark Lord himself!" Her tone switched, "Well, I know that's nothing new for you, dear," there were giggles around the room. Molly was barely making any sense, and was switching from high to low every second.
First she was crying, then she was joking with him. There was no end to the maddnes as the Weasley matron continued in her apology. "I never should have doubted you," she turned to Hermione, "and I should have allowed Ginny to explain. But you Ronald Weasley!" Ron flinched when his mother started in on him. "I owe you the biggest thanks."
Anyone, who was present for Ron's tantrum against his mother, would have expected a firm verbal thrashing for the way Ron spoke to Molly. "You were the only one who remembered what it means to be family, and you were the one who defended your sister no matter what." There was a sigh of relief from Ron, "It took guts, and if you ever do it again, you will never set foot outside the Burrow."
He gulped. "Yes, mum."
"Now, where is Ginny," Molly asked, "I need to tell her all of this and more."
"She's sleeping," Hermione replied.
"Oh, that's right," she became deep in thought, "well, that's better. We've got a lot of planning to do." Mrs. Weasley pulled out her wand and made a quill and piece of parchment appear in front of her. Sitting on a nearby bed, she started writting, nodding at certain points.
"Molly..." Arthur questioned, "what are you doing, and how does it involve the rest of us?"
"We've got a lot of ground to make up with Ginny," she started, recieving nods from the crowd of red heads, "and a simple apology isn't going to cover it. We need something big!"
"What were you thinking?" Fred asked.
"Well, maybe we could..."
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The plan was set for the next day. It was perfect, and every detail was covered. Everyone had their duty, some were harder than others, but no one was complaining. Even Madame Pomfrey and Dumbledore were in on it. There was going to be nothing keeping Ginny from the big event.
When she woke up the morning after her confrontation with her 'so called' family, she immediately wondered how she ended in her own bed. "Oh, well," she said, figuring that Ron had gotten her there somehow, she dressed for the day.
It was Saturday, and what a beautiful one it was. For the first time, since she learned of her pregnancy, she smiled. Opening the window, Ginny noticed that it was already mid-day, and a new layer of snow had fallen. Students were everywhere, making snow angels, having snowball fights, and building snow men. It was going to be a good day. "As long as I can avoid my family, it will be great," she said, and set off down the stairs for some food. Looking at the time, she knew that the only place that she could get something to eat would be from the kitchen, so she decided that the first person that she would visit would be Dobby.
There were a few people in the common room, catching up on homework, when she walked through it, and Ginny sudden felt glad that she had finished all of her work before. Now she could spend the weekend relaxing. 'Maybe I'll visit Hagrid today, too,' she thought. Exiting the common room she was careful to check around every corner for roaming red-heads. She couldn't risk one of her brothers catching her. 'This is going to be a family-free weekend,' Ginny thought to herself, 'except for Ron.'
But coming to the painting of the giant fruit bowl, she suddenly heard footsteps behind her. Spinning around, she saw someone running towards her. "Hermione!" she breathed, "I thought you were one of my brothers." Ginny pointed to Hermione's hair, "The flash of red makes you look like one of us."
"Well," Hermione giggled, "Luck for you, I'm not. But I was sent to come and get you. Lucky I got to you before you ate."
"No," Ginny said firmly, "I refuse to see anyone of my family members, except Ron."
"You've got it all wrong, Gin," Hermione told her, "Madame Pomfrey wants to see you, she said it was something about the potions you were suppose to start today."
"Oh," Ginny sighed, "I completely forgot about that. Damn, I was looking forward to one of Dobby's icecream sundaes."
"I might have to join you after you get done in the Hospital Wing, that sounds good," Hermione groaned, tunring to take the fastest ways to the infirmary.
"Your on," she said, following Hermione, "Let's just hope I'll be able to eat after I take these potions."
"What are they for?" Hermione asked.
"They're masking potions. One is so that no one will be able to see that I'm pregnant, and the other is to keep me from acting and feeling it. That way, no one who hasn't been told, won't know," Ginny explained.
Hermione was shocked, "Won't that be dangerous to the baby?"
"No," Ginny said, "from what Madame Pomfrey told me, it's perfectly safe."
"Isn't it kind of dissappointing," Hermione asked, opening the door to the Hospital Wing, "not going through the all of the things of a normal pregnancy?"
"Well, seeing as I wasn't planning on this, and that I'm still in school," Ginny admitted, "I'm really glad that I'm being given this option."
"Oh Ginny!" Madame Pomfrey exclaimed, carring a tray of potions, "I'm glad you're finally here. Now we can get started."
A look of shock came over the young girl's face. Madame Pomfrey had at least twenty bottles on a tray, and when she left the room, she returned with another try with the same amount. "Please don't tell me that I have to take ALL of those."
"Oh, no" the woman said, slipping back into her office, "I still have two more trays." For a few moments, Ginny was relieved, but when she heard the rest of what the medi-witch said, she suddenly had second thoughts about what she was about to do.
"Are you sure this is safe?" Ginny chirped. Hermione started giggling at her friends change of heart.
Seeing the shocked look on Ginny's face, Madame Pomfrey suddenly realized what exactly she had said. "Oh, Ginny! I didn't mean that you had to take them all right now. Only two of them. The rest you can take upto your room, so that you don't have to come here daily before breakfast."
Ginny let out a very large sigh of relief, "You had me very worried for a second."
With a flick of her wand, Madame Pomfrey had packed all but two of the potions into two boxes. One was blue and the other was red. "Now, you should take one of each color a day, until you run out. After that, you will switch to taking them only during the day."
"Why?" Ginny asked, taking the two potions, and drinking them quickly. She felt a little queezy, but figured that it would wear off when the potions fully kicked in. According to what Madame pomfrey told her earlier, it would take a full hour for them to do so.
"Because keeping the baby surpressed for too long could be harmful," Madame Pomfrey set the boxes next to Ginny. "We'll have to get you a new room, though."
"A new room? Why?" There were so many unknowns comming into the picture that Ginny wished that she would have known about before.
Madame Pomfrey launched into another explanation, "No one can learn of your being pregnant, and once you stop being 'masked' at night, you will look and feel it. You're roommates have to be blind and deaf to miss that one."
"She could stay in the room meant for the Head Girl or Boy," Hermione suggested, "There isn't anyone using it this year since the Head Girl is from Slytherin and the Head Boy is from Hufflepuff. You could even move in now!"
"That'd be great!"
"Well then, it's settled then. I shall inform the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall about it right now. I'll have one of them meet you up there to open the door and have your belongings moved there," Madame Pomfrey exclaimed, "You should be settled in before you arrive. Now, if you'll excuse me." As she left the room, Madame Pomfrey gave a quick wink to Hermione.
Ginny looked happily at Hermione, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" and then picked up the boxes and bounced towards the door.
"What did I do?"
"You got me my own room! Now I don't have to explain the potions to my roommates!"
Hermione hated pulling her off cloud nine, but popped her bubble anyways, "What are you going to tell them when they want to know why you've moved?"
Ginny stopped to think. "I'll tell them it's so they won't be woken from my nightmares."
"You've been having nightmares again?" Hermione asked, taking one the boxes from her friend.
"No, but they won't know the difference," Ginny giggled, "they could sleep through a hurricane."
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
They walked slowly back to the Gryffendor tower, trying not to disturb the contents of their boxes. It wasn't a silent conversation, though. Ginny and Hermione spent the trip (the entire five minutes of it) catching up on old news.
"So," Ginny teased, "you and my brother? You two are 'official' now?"
Hermione blushed. Talking about her 'love life' was not something she was used to, especially when talking to her boyfriend's sister. "Yeah," she admitted, "I guess you can call us that. But it's not like anything has really changed."
"What do you mean?"
"Well," Hermione explained, "we've always liked eachother, you know? Now, we just know about it."
Ginny was confused, "And that's it? You just acknowledge each others feelings?"
"I guess so," she started blushing. "Well," she replied sheepishly, "there are a few bennifits."
"Oooo!" Ginny squealed, "That's so cute!"
"Password?"
The two girls were having so much fun chatting that they hadn't even noticed that they were standing in front of the portrait of the fat lady. "Password?"
"Oh," Hermione said, regaining her sense, "White Dove."
The painting swung open, revealing the Gryffendor common room behind it. It seemed almost exactly as it had before, the same students, in the same places, and the fire still crackling. the one difference was the presence of Minerva McGonagall. She was standing just inside the door waiting for them. "Good afternoon, girls."
"Good afternoon, Professor," the two chimed in unison.
"Well," the woman started, "shall we?" With a 'swoosh' of her arm they were off and up the stairs to the top landing. "Now, Miss Weasley, these are special circumstances that you are under, and I want it understood that there will be no exceptions made for you when concerning any of the rules."
Ginny nodded along to everything she was being told. "I understand completely, Professor."
McGonagall's voice suddenly took on a serious tone, "Now, the other thing I must tell you."
"What is it?"
"For the duration of your pregnancy," she started, "you will not be allowed to fly, which includes playing quidditch."
Ginny's jaw dropped. With it went the box of potions that she was carrying. Her eyes were wide and she lost the ability to speak. She heard low murmurs coming from inside the room.
The password to her room was muttered, "Butterbeer," by the Professor, who pulled out her wand to clean up the liquid seeping from the box. As the door opened, shouts of "SURPRISE!" could be heard from inside the room. Ginny, still in shock from the restriction that she just heard, didn't even notice. The only one surprised by the gaggle of people in the room was Professor McGonagall, who dropped the box that she had just retrieved from the floor. The potions shattered for the second time.
Too much was happening in one day. Ginny couldn't take it anymore. Her hormones were completely out of sync, since the potion hadn't fully kicked in yet. Looking to Hermione, who was trying to seem innocent in the situtation, Ginny's last words were, "Uhh," as she feld back down the stairs and out of the portrait hole. She heard people shouting after her, but just kept running.
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A/N: Hey guys and gals! Few things:
1) Sorry about the cliff hangers, I know you hate them but they make perfect places for me to drop the chapter (ha ha ha, drop.)
2) Thanks for all the great reviews! I'm loving all the help and praise I'm getting.
3) I need your help. Call it another Snizzle Contest. I need baby names! I've got a few picked out, don't ask, I'm not telling 'till later. BUT! I want to know what you guys are thinking. Maybe a few of your ideas might make me reconsider what I'm thinking...I don't know. Right NOW...I just want to know first and middle names for GIRLS...I'll ask for BOYS names later. The best I will re-post in my author's notes. (Just so you know, as I'm planning it now, the surname will be: Weasley-Potter. It makes it so much easier. And the child will only be called _first name_ Potter anyways, so it doesn't really matter.)
Thanks for the help. SNIZZLE!
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE: 'ROUND EVERY CORNER
"Harry Potter!" Molly yelled, "Look at me."
Harry looked up. Mrs. Weasley had a stern look on her face. 'Oh, I hope what ever she breaks, Madame Pomfrey can fix!' he thought to himself. Pulling all of his Gryffendor curage to the surface, he looked her straight in the eye. He wasn't going to back away. 'I've got to be strong,' Harry told himself, 'for me and Ginny. Just please don't let her kill me!'
His thought wasn't heard by any 'higher power.' Within two seconds, Molly had him round the neck, and wasn't planning on letting him go. Every eye in the room was on her, and every mind was hoping she would releasing him soon.
"Mum!" Ron shouted from behind Harry, "I don't think he can breathe!"
"Oh, Harry!" she cried, loosening her grip on him, "I'm so sorry. What I said, to Ginny, and what I thought about you! I'm so sorry for it all!" There were sighs all around the room. "Seeing what actually happened, the horrible things that happened," Molly gasped, "Being cursed by the Dark Lord himself!" Her tone switched, "Well, I know that's nothing new for you, dear," there were giggles around the room. Molly was barely making any sense, and was switching from high to low every second.
First she was crying, then she was joking with him. There was no end to the maddnes as the Weasley matron continued in her apology. "I never should have doubted you," she turned to Hermione, "and I should have allowed Ginny to explain. But you Ronald Weasley!" Ron flinched when his mother started in on him. "I owe you the biggest thanks."
Anyone, who was present for Ron's tantrum against his mother, would have expected a firm verbal thrashing for the way Ron spoke to Molly. "You were the only one who remembered what it means to be family, and you were the one who defended your sister no matter what." There was a sigh of relief from Ron, "It took guts, and if you ever do it again, you will never set foot outside the Burrow."
He gulped. "Yes, mum."
"Now, where is Ginny," Molly asked, "I need to tell her all of this and more."
"She's sleeping," Hermione replied.
"Oh, that's right," she became deep in thought, "well, that's better. We've got a lot of planning to do." Mrs. Weasley pulled out her wand and made a quill and piece of parchment appear in front of her. Sitting on a nearby bed, she started writting, nodding at certain points.
"Molly..." Arthur questioned, "what are you doing, and how does it involve the rest of us?"
"We've got a lot of ground to make up with Ginny," she started, recieving nods from the crowd of red heads, "and a simple apology isn't going to cover it. We need something big!"
"What were you thinking?" Fred asked.
"Well, maybe we could..."
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The plan was set for the next day. It was perfect, and every detail was covered. Everyone had their duty, some were harder than others, but no one was complaining. Even Madame Pomfrey and Dumbledore were in on it. There was going to be nothing keeping Ginny from the big event.
When she woke up the morning after her confrontation with her 'so called' family, she immediately wondered how she ended in her own bed. "Oh, well," she said, figuring that Ron had gotten her there somehow, she dressed for the day.
It was Saturday, and what a beautiful one it was. For the first time, since she learned of her pregnancy, she smiled. Opening the window, Ginny noticed that it was already mid-day, and a new layer of snow had fallen. Students were everywhere, making snow angels, having snowball fights, and building snow men. It was going to be a good day. "As long as I can avoid my family, it will be great," she said, and set off down the stairs for some food. Looking at the time, she knew that the only place that she could get something to eat would be from the kitchen, so she decided that the first person that she would visit would be Dobby.
There were a few people in the common room, catching up on homework, when she walked through it, and Ginny sudden felt glad that she had finished all of her work before. Now she could spend the weekend relaxing. 'Maybe I'll visit Hagrid today, too,' she thought. Exiting the common room she was careful to check around every corner for roaming red-heads. She couldn't risk one of her brothers catching her. 'This is going to be a family-free weekend,' Ginny thought to herself, 'except for Ron.'
But coming to the painting of the giant fruit bowl, she suddenly heard footsteps behind her. Spinning around, she saw someone running towards her. "Hermione!" she breathed, "I thought you were one of my brothers." Ginny pointed to Hermione's hair, "The flash of red makes you look like one of us."
"Well," Hermione giggled, "Luck for you, I'm not. But I was sent to come and get you. Lucky I got to you before you ate."
"No," Ginny said firmly, "I refuse to see anyone of my family members, except Ron."
"You've got it all wrong, Gin," Hermione told her, "Madame Pomfrey wants to see you, she said it was something about the potions you were suppose to start today."
"Oh," Ginny sighed, "I completely forgot about that. Damn, I was looking forward to one of Dobby's icecream sundaes."
"I might have to join you after you get done in the Hospital Wing, that sounds good," Hermione groaned, tunring to take the fastest ways to the infirmary.
"Your on," she said, following Hermione, "Let's just hope I'll be able to eat after I take these potions."
"What are they for?" Hermione asked.
"They're masking potions. One is so that no one will be able to see that I'm pregnant, and the other is to keep me from acting and feeling it. That way, no one who hasn't been told, won't know," Ginny explained.
Hermione was shocked, "Won't that be dangerous to the baby?"
"No," Ginny said, "from what Madame Pomfrey told me, it's perfectly safe."
"Isn't it kind of dissappointing," Hermione asked, opening the door to the Hospital Wing, "not going through the all of the things of a normal pregnancy?"
"Well, seeing as I wasn't planning on this, and that I'm still in school," Ginny admitted, "I'm really glad that I'm being given this option."
"Oh Ginny!" Madame Pomfrey exclaimed, carring a tray of potions, "I'm glad you're finally here. Now we can get started."
A look of shock came over the young girl's face. Madame Pomfrey had at least twenty bottles on a tray, and when she left the room, she returned with another try with the same amount. "Please don't tell me that I have to take ALL of those."
"Oh, no" the woman said, slipping back into her office, "I still have two more trays." For a few moments, Ginny was relieved, but when she heard the rest of what the medi-witch said, she suddenly had second thoughts about what she was about to do.
"Are you sure this is safe?" Ginny chirped. Hermione started giggling at her friends change of heart.
Seeing the shocked look on Ginny's face, Madame Pomfrey suddenly realized what exactly she had said. "Oh, Ginny! I didn't mean that you had to take them all right now. Only two of them. The rest you can take upto your room, so that you don't have to come here daily before breakfast."
Ginny let out a very large sigh of relief, "You had me very worried for a second."
With a flick of her wand, Madame Pomfrey had packed all but two of the potions into two boxes. One was blue and the other was red. "Now, you should take one of each color a day, until you run out. After that, you will switch to taking them only during the day."
"Why?" Ginny asked, taking the two potions, and drinking them quickly. She felt a little queezy, but figured that it would wear off when the potions fully kicked in. According to what Madame pomfrey told her earlier, it would take a full hour for them to do so.
"Because keeping the baby surpressed for too long could be harmful," Madame Pomfrey set the boxes next to Ginny. "We'll have to get you a new room, though."
"A new room? Why?" There were so many unknowns comming into the picture that Ginny wished that she would have known about before.
Madame Pomfrey launched into another explanation, "No one can learn of your being pregnant, and once you stop being 'masked' at night, you will look and feel it. You're roommates have to be blind and deaf to miss that one."
"She could stay in the room meant for the Head Girl or Boy," Hermione suggested, "There isn't anyone using it this year since the Head Girl is from Slytherin and the Head Boy is from Hufflepuff. You could even move in now!"
"That'd be great!"
"Well then, it's settled then. I shall inform the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall about it right now. I'll have one of them meet you up there to open the door and have your belongings moved there," Madame Pomfrey exclaimed, "You should be settled in before you arrive. Now, if you'll excuse me." As she left the room, Madame Pomfrey gave a quick wink to Hermione.
Ginny looked happily at Hermione, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" and then picked up the boxes and bounced towards the door.
"What did I do?"
"You got me my own room! Now I don't have to explain the potions to my roommates!"
Hermione hated pulling her off cloud nine, but popped her bubble anyways, "What are you going to tell them when they want to know why you've moved?"
Ginny stopped to think. "I'll tell them it's so they won't be woken from my nightmares."
"You've been having nightmares again?" Hermione asked, taking one the boxes from her friend.
"No, but they won't know the difference," Ginny giggled, "they could sleep through a hurricane."
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
They walked slowly back to the Gryffendor tower, trying not to disturb the contents of their boxes. It wasn't a silent conversation, though. Ginny and Hermione spent the trip (the entire five minutes of it) catching up on old news.
"So," Ginny teased, "you and my brother? You two are 'official' now?"
Hermione blushed. Talking about her 'love life' was not something she was used to, especially when talking to her boyfriend's sister. "Yeah," she admitted, "I guess you can call us that. But it's not like anything has really changed."
"What do you mean?"
"Well," Hermione explained, "we've always liked eachother, you know? Now, we just know about it."
Ginny was confused, "And that's it? You just acknowledge each others feelings?"
"I guess so," she started blushing. "Well," she replied sheepishly, "there are a few bennifits."
"Oooo!" Ginny squealed, "That's so cute!"
"Password?"
The two girls were having so much fun chatting that they hadn't even noticed that they were standing in front of the portrait of the fat lady. "Password?"
"Oh," Hermione said, regaining her sense, "White Dove."
The painting swung open, revealing the Gryffendor common room behind it. It seemed almost exactly as it had before, the same students, in the same places, and the fire still crackling. the one difference was the presence of Minerva McGonagall. She was standing just inside the door waiting for them. "Good afternoon, girls."
"Good afternoon, Professor," the two chimed in unison.
"Well," the woman started, "shall we?" With a 'swoosh' of her arm they were off and up the stairs to the top landing. "Now, Miss Weasley, these are special circumstances that you are under, and I want it understood that there will be no exceptions made for you when concerning any of the rules."
Ginny nodded along to everything she was being told. "I understand completely, Professor."
McGonagall's voice suddenly took on a serious tone, "Now, the other thing I must tell you."
"What is it?"
"For the duration of your pregnancy," she started, "you will not be allowed to fly, which includes playing quidditch."
Ginny's jaw dropped. With it went the box of potions that she was carrying. Her eyes were wide and she lost the ability to speak. She heard low murmurs coming from inside the room.
The password to her room was muttered, "Butterbeer," by the Professor, who pulled out her wand to clean up the liquid seeping from the box. As the door opened, shouts of "SURPRISE!" could be heard from inside the room. Ginny, still in shock from the restriction that she just heard, didn't even notice. The only one surprised by the gaggle of people in the room was Professor McGonagall, who dropped the box that she had just retrieved from the floor. The potions shattered for the second time.
Too much was happening in one day. Ginny couldn't take it anymore. Her hormones were completely out of sync, since the potion hadn't fully kicked in yet. Looking to Hermione, who was trying to seem innocent in the situtation, Ginny's last words were, "Uhh," as she feld back down the stairs and out of the portrait hole. She heard people shouting after her, but just kept running.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
A/N: Hey guys and gals! Few things:
1) Sorry about the cliff hangers, I know you hate them but they make perfect places for me to drop the chapter (ha ha ha, drop.)
2) Thanks for all the great reviews! I'm loving all the help and praise I'm getting.
3) I need your help. Call it another Snizzle Contest. I need baby names! I've got a few picked out, don't ask, I'm not telling 'till later. BUT! I want to know what you guys are thinking. Maybe a few of your ideas might make me reconsider what I'm thinking...I don't know. Right NOW...I just want to know first and middle names for GIRLS...I'll ask for BOYS names later. The best I will re-post in my author's notes. (Just so you know, as I'm planning it now, the surname will be: Weasley-Potter. It makes it so much easier. And the child will only be called _first name_ Potter anyways, so it doesn't really matter.)
Thanks for the help. SNIZZLE!