A fool is what you've taken me for
"Fred and George tried to lock Percy in a pyramid, but Mum caught them red-handed. You should've seen their faces, it was hilarious."
It wasn't, really. Once again, the twins had gone too far, and knowing exactly what it felt like to be the butt of the jock when you are defenseless, Ginny didn't find their little prank funny. But it had been nice to have a laugh with her brothers after these lonely months, she couldn't deny that.
Ron barely glanced up at her and mumbled a quick "cool" before returning to his letter.
Ginny scowled at his back. He had been writing to Hermione all summer. Her parents told her Ron had gone through a lot last year. From what Ginny understood, a diary, a Basilisk and You-Know-Who were involved. She didn't know the full story, though. How could she? Ron didn't talk to her, and Ginny wanted to know all about his adventures at Hogwarts. She had so many questions, the first one being why did he stop writing to her? She knew he must have had a good reason. Maybe You-Know-Who bewitched him and prevented him from communicating with his family?
But whatever might have happened, it was clear as day that Ron didn't want her pestering him at the moment. He barely ate, he looked paler than a ghost, and he was always lost in his thoughts. Scabbers, his pet rat, looked just as miserable.
"Give him time," Mum told her at the beginning of the holidays. "This trip's for him, in a way. To lift his spirits."
And Ginny knew exactly what to do to make Ron feel better. Grinning, she said, "Bill brought some flying carpets from work. We could race Fred and George, and–"
"I'm busy, Ginny." Ron threw her a dark look. "Go away."
Ginny blanched at the sound of his cold voice. Ron had never told her off. Even when she broke his toy broomstick when she was three, or when she stained his favourite Chudley Cannons T-Shirt when she was eight, he didn't take it out on her. But this person before her was different, unfamiliar.
Looking down at her feet, she mumbled, "Oh... Well... Okay."
Ron didn't wait for her to leave the room before going back to his letter.
She didn't seek his presence after that and to her great dismay, he didn't seem to mind at all. Every morning, he waited for Errol to come back with news from Hermione. Unlike her, he was lucky enough to actually get replies.
One evening, Errol passed out on the kitchen table after coming back from his long journey. A dark thought crossed Ginny's mind; if Errol died, Ron wouldn't get any letters from Hermione anymore. And then he would know what it's like to be left in the corner, that would teach him.
Egypt wasn't as fun as she expected.
There was an almost frantic buzz around Ginny throughout the day, anger bubbled like acid in her stomach. She watched silently as Mum bought her brothers' new books. She didn't say a word when Dad made a not so subtle allusion about buying the twins new Quidditch gloves. And when Mum told her Uncle Gaius had already bought all her school supplies at a Muggle market, she simply nodded. But under this perfect mask of serenity, Ginny was barely keeping it together. A fuming cauldron was threatening to explode from one moment to the next in her stomach.
And then they entered Ollivanders' wand shop.
"Why are we here for?" Fred complained.
Mum approached Ron, eyes twinkling with joy. "We've got a surprise for you, Ronnie."
A bright smile appeared on Dad's face. "We thought we could buy you a new wand to replace Charlie's old one. What do you say?"
Ron looked at them in shock, his mouth opening and closing several times in a perfect imitation of a goldfish. "A new wand? For me?"
The cauldron hissed in Ginny's stomach.
"Good afternoon," a soft voice said behind her.
Ginny whirled around. An old man was standing before her. He looked as though a puff of wind could blow him down, yet a strange powerful aura emanated from him.
The man moved closer, his unblinking silvery eyes shining in the dim light of the shop. "Ms Ginevra Weasley? I didn't think I would ever see you in my shop."
Mum rushed towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Er– Mr Ollivander, Sir, Ginny isn't... We're here for Ron."
Mr Ollivander stared down at Ginny. For a moment, she feared his misty eyes could read all her darkest thoughts. She forced herself to stare right back at him.
"I see," he said. Then, to her relief, he spotted Ron. "Well, Mr Ronald Weasley. Shall we start?"
Mr Ollivander pulled a long tape measure out of his pocket and started to measure Ron's wrists, fingers, shoulders, and even his nostrils. By the time he was done Percy, Fred and George had decided to wander around Diagon Alley, but Ginny refused stubbornly to go with them. She couldn't help it, her eyes were glued to Ron. She had to witness all of this, despite the fact that the cauldron in her stomach was emitting huge vaporous clouds.
"Try this one." Mr Ollivander handed Ron a nice looking wand. "Ten inches, black walnut, and dragon heartstring."
Ron waved it around and a stream of blue sparks shot from the end, nearly exploding one of Mr Ollivander's shelves. The old man snatched it out of his hand.
"This one won't do. Why not this one? Twelve inches, pine, and unicorn core."
Ron raised the wand and green puffs of smoke shot from the end.
Mr Ollivander looked excited now. "I see, I see. Let's try this one! Twelve inches, hornbeam, and phoenix feather."
Ron tried and tried again, failing to meet Mr Ollivander's expectation each time. The more wands were pulled from the shelves, the closer Ginny was from losing it.
Keeping an eye on her parents and Mr Ollivander, she slowly made her way through the cacophony of sparks until she reached the discarded pile of tried wands. Ginny stared at them, there was something mesmerizing about these wands as though they were calling her, begging her to try them. With trembling hands, she took the longest one of the pile and waved it around.
Nothing happened.
She tried another one and another one, her eyes burning with tears. There was no spark, no explosion, no puff of smoke. Nothing. The wands refused to react to her.
"Magnificent!" Mr Ollivander suddenly exclaimed.
Ginny spun around. Dad was beaming, Mum was clapping, and between them, Ron was holding his new wand up in the air, a bright white light surrounding him.
"Fourteen inches, willow, and unicorn core!" Mr Ollivander announced. "A very good wand, indeed!"
"Congratulations, dear!" Mum kissed Ron's cheeks soundly.
"I'm proud of you, son," Dad said.
Ron's ears turned a deep shade of red. He twirled his new wand between his fingers and looked down at his feet, a shy smile on his lips. It was too much to handle, the cauldron in Ginny's stomach exploded.
Ron looked up and met her eyes. His smile slipped. "Ginny? Are you okay?"
Ginny clenched her fits at her sides. "Why are you asking? Do you even care?"
His brows snapped together. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"We spent a month in Egypt, Ron. An entire month and all you said to me was 'leave me alone'. Now you want to know if I'm okay?"
Her knuckles were white from clenching her fits too hard. Ron scowled, the confusion in his eyes angering her all the more.
"All I asked was 'are you okay'. Why are you getting crossed with me?"
"Why am I getting crossed with you?" she yelled, beside herself.
Doesn't he know? Doesn't he understand?
"I needed you!" she cried. "Why did you stop writing to me? You wrote to Hermione for the whole bloody holidays! Was it so hard to write one letter to me?"
Ron flinched. His fingers curled tightly around his new wand. "Things happened," he said, looking away.
The bloody bastard! He couldn't even look her in the eyes!
"Things happened?" Ginny glared at him. "That's your excuse?"
"Ginny, stop it," Mum said, but Ginny ignored her.
"Please, tell me, Ron. What kind of things happened?" She stepped closer. "You promised nothing would ever change between us! You promised me being a Squib didn't mean anything to you!You filthy liar!"
"That's enough, Ginny!" Dad warned, but Ginny was too far gone in her fury.
"Say it, Ron!" she dared. "Say you stopped writing to me because I'm not one of you!"
"It's not my fault you're a Squib!" Ron spat.
"You bloody–"
"Ginny! Stop it!" Mum ordered.
Ginny was trembling with rage. Her blazing eyes roved over Mr Ollivander's small shop, over the pile of tried wands on his desk, over the shelf Ron had almost destroyed.
"Uncle Gaius was right," she said. "You wizards are pompous, arrogant gits who think–"
"I WAS POSSESSED BY YOU-KNOW-WHO!" Ron roared.
A cold draft washed over the room. Everyone stared at Ron in shock.
"Are you happy now?" Angry tears shone in Ron's eyes.
He threw Ginny one last burning look, then strode out of the shop. She ran after him, her own tears streaming down her face. She wasn't done with him, he couldn't spit something like that at her and then run away.
"Ron!" a high pitched voice squealed.
Ron and Ginny stopped abruptly. A girl with lots of bushy hair and the brightest smile Ginny had ever seen was running toward them. Without warning, the girl threw her arms around Ron and pulled him into a crushing hug.
"Hermione!" Ron wrapped his own arms around her waist.
"I missed you! I've so much to tell you! Spain was amazing! My parents took lots of photos; I'm going to charm them so they can move. Oh! And I brought you and Harry some souvenirs, you're going to love them!" she said in one breath.
And then Ron laughed. It was a genuine laugh that came from within and shone through his blue eyes.
"Merlin, I missed you!" He loosened his hold on her, but didn't quite let go.
Ginny watched the scene as if everything was in slow motion. Tears ran down her cheeks, but for a far different reason now. Hermione Granger had made Ron laugh. Something tightened in her chest. She realised she had just lost her brother.
"Ginny," she heard Mum's voice as though from a great distance. "Come on, dear. Let's go to the Leaky Cauldron, Harry must already be there–"
"I want to go to Uncle Gaius'," she said without thinking, but as the words escaped her mouth it seemed like the right thing to do.
Mum looked taken aback. "Gaius? But... I mean... We told him to come pick you up tomorrow."
"Uncle Gaius said I could go to his place whenever I want, and I want to go now," Ginny said firmly.
Mum glanced at Dad for help, but he shook his head. Mum looked away bitterly.
"We'll send him a letter," Dad said.
Uncle Gaius arrived half an hour later. Upon seeing Ginny's swollen and blotchy face, he threw a nasty look at her parents. He didn't ask any question, didn't say anything during their drive, and for that, Ginny was grateful.
Uncle Gaius knocked at her door the next morning. Ginny had been awake for hours, but she didn't want to leave her bed.
"Here." He handed her a neatly wrapped parcel. At her confused look, he explained, "It's your birthday present."
She was gobsmacked. "Oh," was all she could muster.
Uncle Gaius rubbed the back of his neck. "Wanted to send it to you, but... Well, didn't know where you stayed in Egypt," he said to his feet. "It's nothing special... Open it."
Swallowing the discomfort rising in her throat, Ginny slowly tore apart the red packaging. It was a comic book; several people wearing colourful costumes were on the cover. One of them was a black-haired woman dressed in a red strapless top and blue shorts.
"Justice League," she read.
Uncle Gaius shrugged. "Used to read comics as a kid. Superman was my favourite. Helped me get through some shite." He let out a small nervous laugh. "I'd pretend to have super powers and well…" Uncle Gaius trailed off. He looked as though he was confessing a sin he wasn't proud of. "Anyway! Thought you'd like this one."
Ginny skimmed over the first pages. The black-haired woman was apparently named Wonder Woman. She looked fierce and powerful. She reminded Ginny of Gwenog Jones, her all-time favourite Quidditch player.
"I love it," she said sincerely.
The corner of Uncle Gaius' lips quirked up. "Good," he said. But then he grew serious. "We need to talk about what happened at Diagon Alley, love."
Ginny's smile faded. She had woken up with a start last night from a series of dreams in which Ron was chasing her with his new wand, yelling and shooting hexes at her, while Granger and Ollivander laughed at her in a corner.
"I don't wanna talk about it," she muttered.
Uncle Gaius let out a deep sigh and sat on her bed. "Hate to be that arsehole, but I told you you're better off without them."
"Don't say that." Ginny's voice quivered.
"You're still in denial, but the sooner you accept it, the better." Something dark crossed Uncle Gaius' face as he glowered at his clenched fits. "I know it's hard, but you need to hear it. They don't want us."
Ginny hugged her book. "Shut it."
"Why'd you think they send us away as soon as they find out we're not magical? To protect us, they say, but in reality, it's to protect them. They think they're above us. Think we're gonna steal their precious little magic." Uncle Gaius sneered. "Bloody bastards! Who'd they think they are? We don't need their magic! We don't need them!"
"That's not true!" Ginny cried.
"We don't need them!" he repeated louder, a vein popping out on his temple.
Ginny had never seen Uncle Gaius like that; he looked mad at everyone and at no one in particular. And then she wondered… What if this was her future? A broken man who spent his life dwelling in his hate for his family. It seemed she was already walking on this path.
She shook her head. "No. I need them. I need Ron."
"Why?" Uncle Gaius bellowed. "Why'd you need them for? They sent you away! They got rid of you!"
"Shut it!"
"What kind of parents do that? Don't you see they don't want you around?!"
"Shut it!"
"What is going on?" Aunt Celesta was standing in the doorway, a breakfast tray in hands. Her eyes were bouncing anxiously between Uncle Gaius and Ginny.
Uncle Gaius stood up. "Eat your breakfast," he said, eyes downcast, then left the room.
Ginny clenched her fists, anger thundering through her. "He's such a prick!"
Aunt Celesta laughed, setting the breakfast tray across Ginny's knees. "Gaius can be a handful sometimes, but he only means well."
"He said my parents got rid of me!"
Aunt Celesta flinched at these words. She glanced at the open door where Uncle Gaius had just disappeared, then said in a low whisper, "Life wasn't easy on him. He didn't have anyone growing up."
"What do you mean?" Ginny scowled.
Aunt Celesta slapped a hand over her mouth. "Nothing! Nothing at all! Finish your breakfast, Sunshine," she said, blushing, then hurried out of the room.
Ginny had forgotten how much she hated St George, its seaweed green uniform, its bustling corridors, and its smelly toilets.
She had no problem eating alone at lunch now. Sitting in a dark corner of the canteen, she would quietly read her comic book and wait for time to pass. She wanted to be left alone. She figured if no one saw her, they would forget about her.
It had been easy to become invisible at school. Surprisingly, Ginny felt comfort in this concealment. A part of her wondered if this was what Harry felt when he put on his invisibility cloak. Then she wondered if he would let her try it someday. She shook her head.
Get a grip, Weasley! This will never happen!
"She's doing it again, talking to herself." Lauren Grimhill's annoying voice could be heard from the other side of the canteen.
Keeping her head low, Ginny focused on her plate of lasagna; the noodles were overcooked, there was way too much tomato sauce, and all in all, it looked like a gooey mess. Mum would be horrified.
"Knobhead!" Grimhill spat as shrill laughters erupted from her side of the canteen.
Ginny tried to swallow against the fire-seed anger that rose in her throat. She thought of the peaceful pond behind the Burrow, riding flying carpets in Egypt, playing Quidditch with Ron… No! Not Ron… with Harry? Oh, bugger!
"I heard she got banned from her cult," Grimhill continued. "Wouldn't surprise me, to be honest. Who would want to keep someone like that around?"
Ginny's head jerked up. She looked daggers at Grimhill; the blond-haired girl had a nasty smirk on her face.
Staring right into Ginny's eyes, Grimhill said, "Freak."
It happened in a blink. Ginny launched forward, grabbed Grimhill's ponytail, and pinned her to the ground. Emma Young tried to pull her off of her friend, but Ginny shoved the girl away. Flames of anger were blinding her. She barely registered the crowd gathered around them. Someone was cheering, and Grimhill was screaming, her nose a bloody mess smatched right into her face. No matter how loud she cried, Ginny couldn't stop punching her face.
Three hours and a detention later, their parents were convened by Sister Dedain, the Headmistress of St George. Ginny was only half-surprised that Uncle Gaius had been called instead of Dad. In all honesty, a part of her had hoped her parents would have shown up. Then maybe they would have realised this Muggle school wasn't for her. And who knows? Maybe with a bit of luck they would have offered to homeschool her.
"Unacceptable", "utterly inappropriate", "a disgrace for our school" were Sister Dedain's words. Uncle Gaius said nothing. He merely grunted in agreement and shot dark looks at Ginny from time to time.
Grimhill's father, on the other hand, had a lot to say. "You should discipline your daughter, Sir. Imagine what will be of her in ten years. Juvenile prison, that's what is waiting for her."
Ginny glared at him. If Uncle Gaius wasn't there, she would have kicked this wanker in the balls.
The ride back home was tense. Although Uncle Gaius kept silent, Ginny knew they would have to talk about the incident at some point. She didn't expect it to be as soon as they passed the door of their house, though.
"Sitting room. Now!" Uncle Gaius ordered.
"I don't wanna talk about it." Ginny tried to flee to her room, but Uncle Gaius stopped her.
"You almost broke that girl's nose! You coulda been expelled, you understand that?" he yelled.
"I know!" Ginny yelled back. "I'm sorry, okay?"
"I'm not asking you to apologise!" Uncle Gaius closed his eyes and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his rising anger. "Look. I'm tryna understand why you did it. What got into you?"
She deserved it, Ginny wanted to say. But she remained silent and stubbornly glared back at Uncle Gaius.
"Ginny," he warned. "I'm not dicking around, you better tell me what happened."
"I don't know what happened!" she snapped. "Maybe that cow had it coming! Maybe I'm a fucking Squib and crazy runs in my blood! Or maybe I'm tired of being invisible!"
Uncle Gaius looked shocked and confused by her sudden outburst. "Love…"
He reached over to touch her, but Ginny took a step back. "Can I go to my room now?"
He shove his hands into his pockets. "Yes," he said to his feet. "Yes, you can."
It was harder to accept that Ron chose to stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas holidays when Fred, George and Percy were home. Not that Ginny cared... Far from it.
"You wouldn't believe what happened," was Fred's greeting.
"Well, hello to you too, Fred." Ginny threw him a dark look, whom he answered with a grin.
"It happened on Halloween," he started.
"It was a dark and cold night," George chimed in.
They leaned closer and lowered their voices, as though they were going to tell her the secret of Merlin. Ginny hated herself for being so eager to hear about their new adventure in the castle.
"It was terrifying," Fred said.
"Frightening to death," George agreed.
She crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't care," she said despite the longing in her eyes.
Fred smirked. "Have you heard of Sirius Black? The dark wizard who escaped Azkaban?"
"S-Sirius B-Black?"
Bugger! Why was she stuttering?
George nodded. "Black was You-Know-Who's most loyal follower. It's said he killed twelve Muggles... all at once!"
"And on Halloween night," Fred said in a mysterious voice, "he tried to kill Ron."
Ginny felt the colour drained from her face.
Not Ron!
Fred pulled himself to his full height. "Black glared down at Ickle Ronniekins. With a sick smile on his face, he lifted his dagger up in the air and then–"
"I said I don't care!" Ginny cried.
She ran to her bedroom, taking the stairs two at times. What was Ron thinking? Staying at Hogwarts when a murderer was after him? She locked the door behind her. Was he safe there? Was he hurt?
God! Let him be safe!
Ginny started to pace. Dad always said Hogwarts was the safest place in the world; surely, Ron would be all right. But then again, he was attacked by You-Know-Who twice in the space of two years.
She drew deep breaths in a vain attempt to calm her racing heart. Ron was all right, she didn't have to worry. Maybe she could write to him, or fire-call him. No, she would Floo to Hogwarts and make sure that everything was okay.
Ginny flung open her door and found herself nose to nose with Mum.
"Ginny? What's wrong, dear?"
"Mum," her voice was raspy, "we've got to go to Hogwarts. Ron's in danger. Sirius Black tried to kill him."
Mum paled at the mention of the name. For a long moment, she looked above Ginny's head with troubled eyes.
Ginny grasped her shoulders. "Did you hear me? Someone tried to kill Ron. We've got to–"
"Ginny, calm down," Mum cut her off with an even tone. "Ron's not in danger and no one tried to kill him."
"But... Fred and George said..."
"Oh, dear!" Mum chuckled. "You shouldn't believe everything Fred and George tell you. You know how they are."
Ginny blinked at her, bewildered. Sure, Fred and George were pranksters, but they would never be cruel to her. They knew how much Ron meant to her, they wouldn't lie about something like that. No, there must have been something else.
"Promise no one is trying to kill Ron?" Ginny asked.
Mum looked right into her eyes. "I promise."
Ginny frowned. Did Fred and George really lie to her? Was Mum lying to her? But this couldn't be. Certainly, her own mother wouldn't lie to her about something so big, right? Ginny wasn't sure.
For some reason, Mum decided to bring back the baking Christmas biscuits tradition this year. Dressed in their new Weasley jumpers, Ginny and her brothers were pressing out christmassy shapes into the freshly made biscuit dough. Mum was keeping a close eye on Fred and George. More than once, the twins had tried to cut out obscene shapes that would make Sister Dedain blush.
"Of course, I have until June to make my final decision," Percy said, sprinkling flour over the biscuit dough, "but I think working in the Department of International Magical Cooperation would suit me very well."
"It'd suit you alright, Perce." Fred nodded. "No one makes a better arse-licker than you."
Ginny snorted, but Mum glared at Fred. "You and your fool mouth! Can't you set a better example for your sister?"
"Don't worry, Mum! Ginny's worse than us." George winked.
"I am not!" Ginny grinned, reaching over to smack his head.
George dodged her hand. In a swift move, he grabbed her in a headlock and dug his dirty fingers into her scalp, making her hair white with flour.
"Ew! Let go of me!" Ginny struggled ineffectually.
In a desperate attempt to free herself from his grip, she threw some flour at him. George gasped in surprise, releasing her.
"This means war, baby sister!" Fred grinned dangerously.
He reached for the bowl of sugar as Mum yelled at them to "stop playing with food!"
Ginny ducked under the table, roaring with laughter. It struck her at this moment just how much she had missed that; the teasing, the light banters and laughters she shared with her brothers. The Burrow was always noisy and messy, so different from Uncle Gaius' house.
Ginny beamed as she threw some sprinkles at Fred and dodged George's flour attack. Mum scolded them yet again. As annoying as Fred and George could get at times, it was amazing how much of a difference these two could make! There was no heavy silence at the table this Christmas. It seemed like things were finally back to normal.
Normal.
Ginny's smile faded as her thoughts wandered back to Ron. Guilt twisted her gut. Everyone was acting so normal, as if Ron's supposed attack had never happened. Then again, this might prove that Mum had said the truth and nothing actually happened, right?
Ginny glanced at Dad; he was also laughing, a glass of Firewhisky in hand. If even Dad was acting so carefree, then Ron must have been safe… But why was her heart telling otherwise?
I was possessed by You-Know-Who! Ron's voice filled her head.
Ginny looked down at her feet, her mood suddenly crumbling.
Back to London, she couldn't stop thinking about Ron. More than once she tore a sheet of paper from her notebook and scribbled, 'Dear Ron, are you alright?' But then she would tear the letter in frustration and throw it in the bin. One night, she almost woke Uncle Gaius up and asked him to drive her to Hogwarts, just to make sure that Ron was safe. But as the thought formed into her mind, she realised how irrational she was being. What would she do once there? Even if someone did try to murder him, it's not like she had the magical abilities to protect her wizard brother.
It's not my fault you're a Squib! Ron had told her at Ollivanders' last summer.
The anger she had felt for her brother came back with such force, it was almost disorienting.
Now that she thought about it, Ron had never asked for her help against Sirius Black. He didn't even write to her about the attempted murder. The truth was, Ron didn't need nor did he want her help.
Knobhead! Grimhill's annoying voice rang in her head.
Ginny's anger swelled up again and she felt the urge to punch something. Her prick of a brother was probably having a laugh with Hermione Granger right now. To them, Sirius Black was just another adventure at Hogwarts. And here she was, making herself worry sick for Ron.
Ginny clenched her fists. "Arsehole!"
"Don't swear!" Aunt Celesta's voice startled her.
She was standing in the doorway. Holding a basket full of freshly laundered clothes in her hands, she was scowling at Ginny.
Ginny glared back at her. "Uncle Gaius swears."
"Precisely." Aunt Celesta opened Ginny's wardrobe to put the clean clothes away.
"I can do my own laundry, you know?" Ginny said.
"Oh! Don't worry about it." Aunt Celesta gave a dismissive wave of her hand.
Ginny crossed her arms over her chest. Well, now she couldn't stay mad at Aunt Celesta. Not when she was humming and folding Ginny's clothes with so much care.
Ginny tilted her head. Her wardrobe mostly consisted of school uniforms, pajamas, and wizarding robes. She had never noticed how much space these robes took. Ginny had Muggle clothes, of course ‒ the ones Aunt Celesta had bought her a year ago, when they went shopping in Oxford Street ‒ but she rarely wore them. Even right now, she was wearing a linen chemise instead of casual Muggle clothes. She frowned at the realisation.
"What are you working on, Sunshine?" Aunt Celesta suddenly asked.
Ginny flinched, as if caught doing something wrong. At Aunt Celesta's rise of eyebrows, she shrugged.
"I'm not working on anything. School isn't for me, anyway."
"What do you mean?"
There was such innocence and genuine interest in Aunt Celesta's eyes that Ginny felt her inside warm up.
"I don't like school." The words fell out of her mouth before she could catch herself.
It was the first time she had said it aloud. Her cheeks burned with shame and she quickly averted her eyes. She waited for the 'you should try harder,' or 'it's all happening in your head,' and 'you'll get used to it.' But they never came. Aunt Celesta simply looked at her with a fond smile, waiting for her to go on.
I can trust Aunt Celesta, Ginny realised. So she told her everything.
"I don't understand my classes, I don't have friends, my grades are bad, and people think I'm a witch."
Aunt Celesta gasped at that. "They what? How do they… But you're not… "
Ginny gave a half-shrug. "Lauren Grimhill told everyone I was part of a cult." In a low whisper, she bitterly confessed, "She got everyone calling me Freak."
"That bitch!" Aunt Celesta cried out.
Ginny was so surprised by her outburst that she allowed herself a smile. "I thought we shouldn't swear."
Aunt Celesta ignored her. "I can't believe it! Have you talked to your headmistress about that? I'll call Sister Dedain tomorrow. That's unacceptable! No wonder you don't like school! You should never step a foot into that bloody place again!"
Ginny's ears perked up at that. "Does this mean I can be homeschooled?"
Aunt Celesta stopped her rant abruptly. She stared at Ginny with troubled eyes, and nervously twisted her wedding ring.
"I mean… Is that really what you want, Sunshine?"
Ginny nodded vigorously, her eyes welling up despite herself. "Yes!"
After a long moment, Aunt Celesta sighed and reached over to stroke Ginny's cheek with her thumb, a smile gracing her lips. "I'll talk to Gaius about it."
Overwhelmed by joy, Ginny threw her arms around Aunt Celesta. "Thank you!"
Aunt Celesta giggled. She was soft, warm, and smelt faintly like Mum.
She should have realised something was wrong when Uncle Gaius bought her a new comic book a week later.
"It's your Christmas present," he said.
Ginny quirked a brow. "It's February."
"A bit late. Sorry."
He wandered aimlessly in her room, glancing in her direction from time to time. When he started to mess with her scrunchies, Ginny shot up from her bed to glare at him.
"Alright, what's going on?"
Uncle Gaius let out a deep sigh. "Celesta told me you didn't like school."
Ginny's face lit up. "And you decided to homeschool me?"
"No."
Son of a bitch. There was no beating around the bush with Uncle Gaius.
Ginny refused to let him see how disappointed she was. "Alright," she said nonchalantly. "It's okay, I don't care."
"Yes, you do," Uncle Gaius said matter-of-factly. "You hate St George. It gets harder for you to wake up every morning, knowing what's waiting for you over there. You hate being lonely."
Ginny blushed furiously. She felt exposed and she hated it.
Hugging herself, she shot Uncle Gaius her best glare. "What do you know about it, anyway?"
"I know what it's like," he said. "That's why I let you sleep in. And that's why I don't scold you whenever Sister Dedain calls about your marks."
Her eyes widened at that. "You knew?"
Uncle Gaius gave a curt nod and Ginny felt utterly humiliated. He knew she was failing her classes. He knew about the end of term assemblies. He knew she had been awarded the worst pupil of her year for three terms in a row. Yet, he didn't seem angry or disappointed. He looked as if he had been expecting something like that to happen. Almost as if…
Ginny's breath hitched and her blood boiled with a sudden anger.
"You think I'm not capable of doing well in school, don't you?" she accused. "You're just like them! You think I'm a good for nothing just because I'm a Squib!"
Uncle Gaius said nothing. Then his lips curved into a smile and he looked almost amused. "You know I'm a Squib too, right?"
"What?"
He sat on the edge of her bed and patted the spot beside him. Confused, she sat next to him.
"Ginny, I know it's easy to forget sometimes, but you're not alone. I've been there. I know what it's like to be rejected by the Wizarding world, only to be treated like some weird creature in the Muggle world." Uncle Gaius swallowed hard, clenching and unclenching his fists. "It's frustrating, isn't it? Feeling like you don't fit anywhere. But that's the sad reality, love. Squibs don't fit anywhere."
Ginny pressed her lips together. She hated how wise and mighty Uncle Gaius was trying to act. She hated how easy it was for him to read her. But most importantly, she hated how right he was about this all thing.
"Why don't you want to homeschool me, then?" she asked. "If I don't fit in the Muggle world, and the Wizarding world doesn't want me; why can't I just stay away from both?"
Uncle Gaius' brows drew together. "I'm not gonna let you seclude yourself just because you're ashamed of who you are."
This was the last straw.
"How dare you!"
"Admit it, Ginny. Squibs repulse you." Uncle Gaius glared back at her. "Funny, isn't it? How do you expect people to treat you like a normal girl if you see yourself as a freak?"
This wasn't true! She didn't… She would never…
Her eyes welled up.
He had no right to put her on the spot like that! She didn't ask for this shite! Squibs were damaged creatures that should never be talked about. They were bad luck, like You-Know-Who. Something shameful. The worst thing that could ever happen to someone.
Ginny buried her head in her hands, tears running down her cheeks. "I'm a freak!"
"No, you're not," Uncle Gaius said firmly. He tilted her chin up, forcing her to look him in the eyes. "You're Ginny Weasley. Being a Squib will never take that away from you, understand?"
She didn't know what he meant. It felt as though she had ceased being Ginny Weasley the moment Dad told her she would never go to Hogwarts. What was her worth without magic?
Nevertheless, she nodded. "Understand."
The rest of the term passed in a blur and soon it was the last assembly before the summer holidays. As usual, Sister Dedain was standing on the auditorium's podium, her mouth twisted into a sadistic smile.
"Before I dismiss you, a few announcements," the Headmistress said into a mic. "It is the end of the term and as we always do, may I present you the pupils who performed the best and the worst this term."
Ginny drummed her fingers on her laps. Come on, hurry up! she mentally yelled at Sister Dedain. She couldn't wait for this to be over with. She was starving and today was Friday, which meant bangers and mash for dinner. With a bit of luck, Aunt Celesta would bake her special dinner rolls too. Ginny's mouth watered just thinking about it.
"Moving on to the second years. The pupil who performed the best this term is…"
Aunt Celesta had also suggested going shopping this weekend. Ginny was still hesitant. She knew deep down it was time she parted way with her wizarding robes. They were getting too small for her, anyway. But maybe she was scared of looking ridiculous in one of those mini skirts and chunky heels Aunt Celesta liked so much.
"And now the pupil who performed the worst this term." Sister Dedain's voice broke through her thoughts. "Ginevra Weasley."
Although, Ginny had spotted a pair of Dr Martens that was to die for. Now the question was, were girls allowed to wear those in the Muggle world?
"Miss Weasley passed this term with a score of 48%. However, it is worth noting that she has made tremendous progress."
Ginny had seen a pair of Dr Martens displayed in the windows of Topshop once. This meant they were made for girls too, right? Oh, who was she kidding! She would rock these boots even if they were made for boys.
"Keep up the good work, Miss Weasley," Sister Dedain said, but Ginny couldn't care less.
Her decision was made. Dr Martens it is! She would ask Aunt Celesta to buy them for her this weekend.
Starving to death, Ginny left the auditorium at the end of the assembly, when Grimhill and Emma Young cornered her.
"Tremendous progress, uh?" Grimhill sneered. "How did you do it?"
"Do what?" Ginny asked, annoyed.
"Drop the attitude, Freak!" Grimhill glowered.
A group of older pupils who had just left the auditorium stopped to watch. Grimhill noticed them and smirked.
"I know you did some kind of vodoo shite to score 48%," she said loud enough for whoever passing by to hear. "Did you learn that little trick from your cult?"
The crowd around them had grown bigger now. A teacher would soon be alerted and Ginny would get in trouble again. Her anger flared. She was hungry, and Grimhill was getting in the way of her dinner rolls.
Ginny tossed her long hair out of her face and plastered on a smile. "You know what, Lauren? You're right, I did cast a spell on the exams. And now I have to curse you, too."
Grimhill blanched at these words. "You w-what?"
"Can't let anyone know about my little trick now, can I?"
Emma Young took a step back. Grimhill's eyes flicked from Ginny to the crowd; it was obvious she was trying to keep her cool.
"I'm not scared of you." She swallowed hard.
"You should." Ginny's smile turned feral. She pointed at Grimhill, then dramatically said, "I curse you Lauren Grimhill. In a swampy bog, you will be a frog next time you snog a boy."
Grimhill screamed, eyes wide with terror. She stepped back, tripped over herself, and fell on her butt. The crowd around them roared with laughter.
"What is going on here?" A voice boomed across the hall.
It was Professor McAdams, the P.E. teacher. She had just emerged from the auditorium. The crowd quickly dispersed, Ginny blending into it, as Grimhill sterically yelled at Professor MacAdams to not touch her. "She cursed me! The Freak cursed me!"
"That was so cool!" a girl said as she passed Ginny.
Ginny beamed.
She was on the road a week later, on her way back to the Burrow.
"How's the sandwich?" Uncle Gaius asked.
"Delicious," Ginny said, mouth full. Aunt Celesta made the best ham sandwich.
"There's some Mars bars in your bag, if you get hungry. Doubt wizards make those. And I left you an extra fifty in your wallet. That should get you through the holidays. 'Course you can always write to me if you need more‒"
"Uncle Gaius," Ginny cut him off, "I'll be alright, don't worry."
Uncle Gaius shifted on his seat, his face turning slightly red. "Yeah, well. Someone gotta take care of you."
Ginny fought back a grin. Uncle Gaius could be the biggest prick sometimes, and other times he was the most caring person in her life. It was weird.
A few hours later, they were at Ottery St Catchpole. Ginny rushed into the Burrow, her trunk in hand. She flung the kitchen door open and got hit by what appeared to be a small ball of fluff.
"Ouch!" She massaged her forehead.
"Chudley! No!" Ron yelled from inside the room.
Ginny looked up to see what had just hit her. A grey owl, small enough to fit into the palm of her hand, was whizzing around, twittering madly.
"What's that?" Ginny asked, trying to dodge the owl who was now flying low over her head.
"Chudley," Ron glared at the bird, "my new owl."
"Oh," was all she could utter.
A new wand, a new owl. Ron was being spoiled. Ginny couldn't even remember when was the last time her parents bought her something new 'just because.'
Ron must have read her mind because his eyes widened, his ears turning bright red. "It's not like that! Scabbers is… Well, Scabbers died and‒"
"Oh, Ginny! Thanks Merlin, you're here!" Mum had just entered the kitchen, a basket of fruits in hands. "I need you to peel these fruits for me. Hurry up! Bill and Charlie will be here soon!" She wiped her forehead with a cloth. "Oh, I still have so much to do!"
And with that, Mum left the room in a rush. Ginny eyed the mountain of fruits before her and sighed.
"Need help?" Ron offered.
She smiled at him. "Yes, please."