The last Days
Hogwarts – Great Hall – December 30th (Friday Morning)
"I don't understand him," Hermione sighed. She was sitting at the Hufflepuff table like the last days, her eyes resting on an ill-tempered Ron.
"Who? Ron?" Hannah asked. The Hufflepuff girl continued her breakfast calmly, carefully buttering her toast and adding a teaspoon of jam to each slice like it was an experiment in potions.
"No," Hermione shook her head. "Yes, him too," she added thoughtfully after a second. Ron had been weird too since the Yule Ball. Throwing angry looks towards Fleur, Hermione, Lavender and a score of other students and still avoiding talking with Harry, he only relaxed around Dean and Seamus. Even the twins seemed to have a quarrel with him and went to great lengths to sit apart from him.
"But I meant Piotr." Hannah nodded shortly to Hermione's words but her eyes stayed on her breakfast. With a deep and a bit angry sigh Hermione continued: "He's avoiding me since the Ball. Have you noticed that he hasn't been in the Hall since then? Ciddy told me that she's bringing the meals to the Hospital Wing. Yesterday I went there … again … and he was polite and friendly and … argh. Why is he acting like this?"
"Morning girls," Lavender's eased voice interrupted them and they greeted her and Parvati. It still was a bit strange for Hermione to eat with her dorm-mates. Since the ball, since Lavender had defended her against Ron, the relation between the three girls had quite improved. Certainly it helped that Lavender was still angry with Ron and not willing to be his girlfriend again. Hermione wasn't sure about the permanence of this situation but deep within she liked it.
"Parv …" Hermione hesitated, staring at the dark-skinned girl. She had assumed Lavender's nickname for the Indian girl and after spending some evenings together she was wondering how she ever could have thought her to be all shallow. "Has Padma told you something … about Piotr I mean? He's acting so strange. He's so … distant." Hermione knew that Padma had left the Hospital Wing a few days ago but since Piotr saved her from Philippe's groping they seemed to be much closer than before.
Parvati took a glass of pumpkin juice, avoiding Hermione's eyes and exchanging weird looks with Hannah and Lavender. Hermione felt cut out by the girls. This had to end now. "What? Tell me, please?"
The pressing tone of her voice caused the other girls to fidget on their seats and after another exchange of looks and an agreeing nod of Lavender Parvati started to talk in a low voice. "He knows about your feelings for Ron." Startled Hermione leaned back, only relaxing as Lavender padded her hand, mumbling 'it is okay'. Hermione had never openly spoken about her crush for Ron and she was sure that the redhead had never realized her feelings. Merlin, until a few days ago he not even realized that she was a girl.
"And he doesn't want to force you to choose … chose between your feeling for Ron and the friendship with him."
"Why have I to choose? I mean … nothing changed. I could still …" Hermione's voice faltered. She was embarrassed to talk about something like this and the presence of Lavender didn't help.
Lavender shook her head. "A few things changed and he realized it. I'm no longer Ron's girlfriend, so the way is free for you. And obviously Ron noticed now at last that you're a girl and not 'one of the boys'." Hermione blushed but stayed silent. She had noticed the stares of Ron on the Ball and while his reaction, his accusations had been hurtful, the thought of him acting like this out of jealousy had been sweet.
In her stead Hannah continued: "And while Ron and Piotr never have been friends before, something happened on the Ball or the day after."
Hermione nodded. She had noticed that something had changed between the boys; that the antipathy had increased. But with Piotr avoiding her it was difficult to learn more about the matter.
"It is something about Ginny," Parvati whispered. "Padma told me that Michael Corner is acting strange since the ball. You know that he had been dancing with Ginny?" She asked and the other girls nodded. "And he wasn't willing to speak about the matter, told that he wasn't allowed to. Isn't that weird?"
All girls agreed: boys are weird and maddening.
.
Hogwarts – Hospital Wing – December 31st (Saturday Midday)
In complete silence Piotr put the meal on the sideboard. Like the day before Ginny ignored him even denying him the 'pleasure' to stare angrily. She felt betrayed, Piotr knew. Betrayed that he had broken his word and told Poppy about her.
It had been the second night in the tutor's room as Ginny showed signs of a fever. Piotr had tried to lower the temperature and to find the reason of the alteration. Like he had feared before the kicking had violated the girl's organs and now they expressed their displeasure. Fast he realized that this was beyond his capabilities but for another twenty-four hours he tried to help her alone, used magical and muggle methods to no avail. Then he succumbed to the compulsion of Ginny's situation and called Poppy.
In the beginning Poppy had been angry too, angry that he waited for so long. But with the improvement of Ginny's condition over the next hours Poppy's mood improved too. She understood that he tried all in his might to stay true to his promise and she appreciated how he acted as he realized his inability to help the girl.
Ginny's wounds were mostly healed now, the broken bones mended and the organs intact again. She was still very weak and would need rest and potions for another week; but Poppy was content so far … content at least about the girl's condition. But she was angry that both were still unwilling to speak about the reason of Ginny's condition. And she was angry about how Ginny had acted since her awakening. Piotr pretended to be alright about it, but Poppy saw right thru this masquerade, saw the hurt in his eyes. It was enough.
With might her small fist hit the surface of her writing table. The teacup and pot rattled and Piotr and Ginny turned around wide-eyed. With an angry expression Poppy stared at the girl. "Why are you acting this stupid, girl? Why are you treating Peter like … this." Poppy made an erratic gesticulation and waited for a response. As Piotr tried to interrupt the conversation a single angry look of Poppy stopped him. "Now, girl, I'm waiting for an explanation."
Tears glistening in her eyes Ginny stared back, gulped a few times before she was able to speak, her words more than once interrupted by a hiccup. "He promised to help me. He promised to tell nobody about what happened. He … he …" Her voice faltered.
Poppy listened, her expression softening a bit. More gently she responded: "He didn't betray your confidence, Miss Weasley. He tried to help as good as possible." Poppy saw the silent plea in Piotr's eyes, the plea to stay silent about the condition she found the girl two days ago but she was unwilling to stand this nonsense another hour. "He had no other choice than to call me. I trust him, Miss Weasley. I trust him to help and I trust him to realize the boundaries of his abilities. Peter is very accomplished at mending bones and bruises but you … as Peter called me your body was about to lose the fight." Ginny paled as she understood the meaning of Poppy's words. She turned around towards Piotr who avoided her look. His fidgeting told her enough about the trueness of Poppy's explanation.
"Whoever injured you hurt your organs too. Without Peter calling me you would be on the brink of death by now. You're out of danger now and in a week you'll be fully healthy again but don't underestimate how severe your condition had been."
.
Hogwarts – Minerva's Bureau – December 31st (Saturday Late Afternoon)
It would be about Ginny, Piotr assumed. Staring at the closed door in front of him, he thought about the moment Poppy told him to visit Professor McGonagall's bureau. He wasn't ready to face the stern lady, not ready to speak about Ginny and the events on the Yule Ball. Perhaps he could … be sick. Yes, sickness would be a good excuse.
Piotr jumped back as the door suddenly opened, offering him a view into the room. Normally it would be interesting to look around, to admire the books and the souvenirs that gathered dust on the shelves. But his eyes were unwillingly drawn to the two persons sitting there, waiting: Professor McGonagall and Charlie Weasley.
Gently he had closed the door after Charlie entered the room and walked towards Ginny's bed. He struggled not to listen but the noises still reached him, the tears, the crying, and the whispered words. Brother and sister needed a long time for themselves, a time Piotr spend waiting in the class room, getting more nervous by the minute. He had no idea how Charlie would react, didn't know him well enough to be able to assess what he would say and do.
As the voices started to get quieter Piotr watched the door and after another ten minutes it opened again. Ginny was resting on her bed sleepy from the conversation. Charlie walked thru the class room and only looked shortly at Piotr, begging him silently to accompany him. As they were out of hearing range from Ginny, he explained in a tensed and sad voice: "I don't really understand how this could happen. In the past Ron hadn't been like this … this irascible and uncontrolled. Ginny had always been his little darling, the one family member he felt closest to. That he would be able …"
His voice died down and Piotr was unable to respond. What could he say, how could he explain something like this? Charlie stopped his steps and put a hand on Piotr's shoulder: "I owe you … for what you did and for what you said … and not said. I'll try to … to fix this mess. I'm going to visit my parents."
And now he was back, obviously.
"Please take a seat, Mister Kamenew," Professor McGonagall ordered him after Piotr and Charlie had been eyeing each other warily for some time. Without a word Piotr put a chair two steps apart and sat down. Minerva's mouth showed a small smirk but she didn't comment the action.
"We're here to speak about Miss Ginny's future," she started the conversation, a frown shortly on her face as Piotr groaned a bit. He really didn't want to have this discussion, especially not without the girl. "Naturally it concerns the other Weasleys too, especially Ron and Ginny, but I'll speak with them separately."
Charlie threw a questioning look towards Minerva and on her nod he turned to Piotr: "I've spoken with my father." Piotr tensed. Charlie's voice faltered for a moment, the unease was palpable. "He … it is difficult to … he was very … unhappy." Piotr frowned deeply. 'Unhappy' … what's that for a reaction?
Minerva interrupted: "You must understand, Mister Kamenew, that the older wizard families are still quite conservative in many regards. And while Mister Arthur Weasley is very open about Muggles, Muggle technology and things like blood status … things other families despise … he's very traditionalistic when it comes to rearing his children."
"You mean," Kamenew tried to understand "he still believes in things like 'obey your parents' and … corporal punishment."
Minerva winced but nodded. Charlie took over again: "In my youth it had been better. My elder brother Bill and I … we hadn't much to suffer in this regard. And Percy – always being the prat … err, I mean the exemplary student he was – had it easy too in that regard. It all changed with the twins and their pranks, got worse with Ron and his bad school performance and ended with Ginny. Father … he judged the events in Ginny's first year in a completely different way. He … assumed it had been at least partly her fault ... and his too. That Ginny hadn't succumbed to that diary if he had been harsher with her, reared her stricter. He wants to make up for that … failure."
Minerva sighed. "Irrespective of how we three judge those events and Miss Weasley's part in them, it is Mister Weasley's right to rear his sole daughter as he sees fit."
Stunned Piotr stared at her, ignoring the wet eyes and sad expression on her face. "So … we'll allow them to go on with this?"
"Yes … and no," Minerva responded. "We can't deny him to choose how to rear her, even if that means corporal punishment. But we can draw boundaries how far he … and Ron as his proxy while school time … is allowed to go. If … we'll not allow them to injure her again."
Piotr thought about this for a long time. He wasn't really surprised but had hoped for more, for much more. Would she react otherwise if she knew how dangerous it had been for Ginny? "And how …"
"I'll let Ron Weasley know that in the case of another injury of Miss Weasley, he'll be expelled from school. We won't endure another incident like this. Additionally Miss Weasley will be examined regularly to make sure that she isn't hiding any injuries. As you're informed about the whole matter from the beginning I want to ask you … are you willing to do this … to examine Miss Weasley … I would say every fortnight for the beginning."
Piotr stared at them, thinking, pondering. He wouldn't be able to avoid her, wouldn't be able to be a noninvolved spectator. But perhaps he could use those moments to act on her, to influence her, to change her.
"I will."