Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series. I do however own a very expensive biology book that I should be reading right now.
Just so you know, I would have had this up days ago but stupid fanfic decided now would be a good time to mess up and not let people post. If you write and have tried yourself to post, you understand my frustration. At least they finally got it fixed!
Say hello to chapter 40! I cannot believe that I've finally gotten this far! Starting out, I would have never thought that this story could go this far. Not only have I hit the 40 chapter milestone, I've also hit a huge one of getting over 500 reviews! I'm blown away by you amazing people that read my story and especially those who review. I'd name you all but there are too many to count! You know who you are though!
In celebration of this day, I've decided to share with all of you the story of the beginning of Set in Stone. I've only shared this with one other person and as I told her, I realized that all of my readers might like to know what inspired this story. So, and I really do hope you read this, here it goes.
You wouldn't believe it, but this all started out as a role play with my younger cousin. As we were role playing I wrote this one part about a necklace, the dragon necklace that Draco gave Ginny. I fell in love with that and tucked it away in a folder because I couldn't let it go. As that role play progressed, I wrote this really cute part full of Draco Ginny amazingness. So, loving this idea as much as the necklace, I took it out of the role play and started writing on it.
What it turned into was amazing. I knew I wanted to use this in a story, but I'd never written a Draco Ginny story before or anything really. I had a few stories that I dabbled on here and there but nothing serious. But this chapter I wrote so many years ago, I was determined to use in a story. So, taking that idea, I started writing. But, this chapter I had written was made for later in a story. So, I started writing how it began and thus Set in Stone was born.
The only reason I kept writing in the beginning was because I was so determined to get to this chapter I had written. But, as I wrote, I started getting more and more reviews. The story evolved then. I wasn't writing to the chapter, I was writing to my readers, to you. Each time I posted, I would wait eagerly for reviews, for the feedback of my readers and I still do that. That is what keeps me going, knowing that there are people out there from all over the world waiting for my updates. It's humbling really when I think about it.
I've never finished a story before, but I will promise this: Set in Stone will be the first I ever finish. I will complete this story.
I still haven't gotten, two years later, to the chapter that I originally wrote. Over the years, it has changed and evolved to stay fitting to Set in Stone. As of now, I think that it might be nearly done. I don't foresee many changed being made, other than the beginning and making one huge change to it, since it's actually really close in the story now. I think, a handful of chapters later, that I'll be able to put it into the story! It's a huge milestone for me.
This chapter will be one of the most prominent in the story. This chapter his how it all started, how the story gets its name and everything. The line on the story cover for Set in Stone (It's cute and amazing and there is a link on my profile), "I know it's not set in stone, but I will marry you one day, Ginny Weasley," is in that chapter that I wrote so long ago. I've been waiting eagerly to put it in, and now the time is nearly here!
But that won't be the end yet, I still have other ideas up my sleeve I wish to use, other ideas I have to write. If all goes as planned though, I'll be done with Set in Stone by the end of the year. It makes me sad, really. For two years, this story has been part of my life. Not a week goes by where I don't think of it, get new ideas or work on the story. I don't know what I'll do when it's over. But, it very nearly is.
And, now you know how this story came to be. Who knew that a silly little role play with my cousin could have turned into this? I sure didn't. But it has and I really hope you're enjoying it! I'll stay faithful to the end and give all of my readers a fitting conclusion to the story when the time comes. I'll not desert it like I've done before.
Now that I've talked your ears off, or typed your eyes out as it would be, I'll cut this author note off. I hope you enjoy this next chapter and bless me with your wonderful reviews!
Without further ado…
Chapter 40
Ginny POV
Settling into life at Shell Cottage was actually fairly easy. Bill and Fleur welcomed me with open arms. Out of all of my brothers, I looked up to Bill the most. He was the oldest and no matter what life seemed to throw his way, he always took it in stride. Being with him really helped me to pull myself back together.
He had been through much in his life, good and bad. The worst was when he was attacked by Fenrir Greyback. But to see him now you'd never even know he was hurt if it wasn't for the slowly fading scars. He lived life to the fullest and didn't let anything stop him. He was in love with Fleur and lavished attention on her and their unborn baby.
No even when he was nearly killed in that ill-fated attack was he swayed from what he wanted to do. He still loved Fleur and she him. Like she'd said, she was beautiful enough for the both of them. Their wedding still went on and, even though the Death Eaters attacked, they didn't let it put a damper on their marriage.
Bill went through a lot and still was dealing with the repercussions of that. But never did I see him without a smile on his face. I realized that if he could get through something like being attacked by a werewolf and still smile, then I could get through this time without Draco. It wasn't easy by any means, but it was manageable. I still cried at night as I lay in bed with Amour for comfort, wishing for his arms to wrap around me and hold me close, but I was actually able to smile too.
I had a lot to keep my mind off my worries. Though they were never fully gone, I was able to push them back if I kept myself busy. It was only at night when I lay in bed would I not be able to hold it back any longer. But I did good at keeping myself busy.
With the baby on the way, there was much work to be done around the little cottage. The biggest project was adding another room for the baby. That was what I occupied my time with most of the days. I was also helping Fleur with designs for the baby room and making clothes for the baby.
But the best think about living at Shell Cottage was getting to take care of Fleur through her pregnancy. For an aspiring Healer, I'd hit the jackpot. Being the youngest, I'd never seen my mother pregnant. The only pregnancy I'd really come into contact with was that of Tonks. I'd not been able to help out though as I only saw her once in a while. Everything worked out fine though and she delivered a happy, healthy baby boy. Lupin was thrilled to learn little Teddy didn't carry the werewolf gene but that of his mother. Little Teddy was a metamorphmagus.
We'd gotten the news of her delivery just two weeks after I moved to Shell Cottage. It was the first time for real celebration in so long. It was the first night since Draco had gone missing from my life that I'd not cried myself to sleep.
Both Tuesdays, I still made my way to the cottage in the woods. It was much harder to sneak out with Bill and Fleur. By eleven Fleur was in bed, her seven month pregnant body demanding sleep, but many times Bill would still be up working on the room, or reading the paper, or maybe just relaxing. He was never one for an early bedtime, a trait that drove Mum up the wall when we were growing up.
As I lay on my bed in the guest room of the cottage, I tried to think of a way to sneak out without Bill noticing. Nothing was coming to me and by eleven I was near panic. What if I wasn't able to get there and this was finally the week my Draco would return to me? What if he needed me and I wasn't there? That was really the only worry I had about moving in with Bill and Fleur.
Not only was Bill not going to bed anytime soon, but Shell Cottage was much smaller than the Burrow making any sneaking near impossible if someone was awake. The only door was the front door. To get out, I'd have to go through the living room into the kitchen and Bill was relaxing in the living room in front of the fire.
I decided I could climb out my window. I would have to be careful not to make any noise though because my room shared a wall with the other bedroom. If Fleur woke up and looked out the window, I would be caught.
Even if I made it out without notice, I still had one problem. Bill, being the loving and concerned older brother he was, would come and check on me almost every night before he went to bed. If he didn't go to bed before I left, then he'd see my bed empty. That couldn't happen because not only would I have to tell him where I went, it would cause panic. He'd think something happened to me.
Finally though, I gave up. No matter what I did, they would notice I was missing. There was no way to avoid it. As the clock neared 11:50 I quickly dressed, having put pajamas on earlier to make it look like I'd gone to bed. Once dressed, I grabbed a quill and piece of parchment and quickly scribbled a note.
Bill,
Couldn't sleep. Gone for a walk to clear my head. Don't worry, I'm dressed warm. Yes, I have my wand. And yes, I'll stay within the bounds of the Fidelius charm. Don't wait up.
Putting the note down on my pillow, I waited anxiously. Finally, after what felt like an hour, I heard the bathroom door open then close. Praying that it wasn't Fleur and her pregnant woman's bladder that occupied the bathroom, I slipped silently from my room.
Tiptoeing quickly into the living room, I sighed with relief to see an open book that Bill obviously been reading sitting on the arm of a chair. As I strode into the kitchen, the clock over the fireplace chimed midnight. Not wanting to be any later than I already was, I ran quietly out the kitchen door and into the cold October night.
The light in the bathroom window went out as the door closed behind me. Knowing I had to be far away so the wide-awake Bill wouldn't hear my disapparating, I ran into the nearby woods. I waited for a moment longer, looking back at the house to make sure Bill wasn't coming back after me. When I was satisfied he wasn't, I cleared my mind and turned on the spot.
I waited all night for Draco to show up as I lay under the covers on the king-sized bed. Even with the roaring fire, I felt the cold nights air seeping in but I couldn't be bothered to cast a charm to hold the heat in. I cried as I waited through the long hours of the night. This was becoming tradition, a painful but necessary tradition. When the clock struck five, I knew he would not come.
I wished more than anything I knew what had happened to him. It could be as simple as Voldemort cracking down on security and him not being able to leave and come to me. But it could also be as bad as him being dead. That was one possibility I refused to accept. He promised he'd always come back to me and I held firm in my heart that he would keep that promise. It was the only thing that kept me going.
As I returned to Shell Cottage, sneaking in easily as both my brother and Fleur were sound asleep, I went back to my room with tears in my eyes. Amour, my lovely cat that Draco had gotten me nearly a year ago, was sitting on my bed waiting for me. She seemed to know when I needed her and every morning after returning from the cottage she was waiting for me.
Picking her up, I curled up under the blankets. I didn't even bother to take my cloak off as I lay down. It was a comfort, the old cloak. Worn from use but still in amazing condition, the cloak Draco had given me our first night under the tree, the night all this had started, was wrapped securely around me like it had been for the past two years.
As I cried into the soft fur of Amour, the memories flooded back. Images flashed through my mind. Us under the tree, a time before either of us truly understood the love we would share. In the library when he helped me with my potions homework. That was when he said he'd fallen in love with me. I smiled through the tears the memory.
Painful memories were brought up too. The time he'd pretended not to love me to save me seemed like a walk in the part compared to what I was going through now. Even when he'd gone behind my back and plotted to kill Dumbledore and ran away with the rest of the Death Eaters paled in comparison to the pain of losing him like this. At least then I knew he was alive.
I could look back with a smile about the day I'd been tortured by the Carrows because that was the day Draco had come back into my life with a blaze of glory as he saved me from certain death. That night had been one of the happiest of my life as I slept with him by my side for the first time. And oh, it had felt so right for his arms to be around me while I slept.
Another painful memory was brought to the front of my mind, the day he'd failed his apparition test. His father had beaten him so badly I wasn't sure if I could heal him. But I did and, with time, he made a full recovery. The only lingering mark was the angry red scar on his back that refused to fade. But, considering what he'd been through, the scar was no big deal.
The pain of our separation at the end of the year was hard to remember, but unlike the last time we'd been separated, I knew he loved me. It was hard to bear, leaving him, but I did what was best. I saw him again not long after that though, at the first raid the Order had intercepted. He'd saved my life again that night.
After that we'd met at our secret place, our little cottage, every Tuesday for a long while. But, he'd not shown up one night, the beginning of all this new pain. Every Tuesday since I'd gone and he'd not shown up. It was still hard, even months later, to go through that.
As our time together flashed through my mind, I smiled and laughed though my tears and cried desolately. I missed him more than my heart could bear. I wondered if, wherever he was, if he was remembering too. Could he be, like me, bringing back the memories of our time together? It was with that thought, and the ghost of a smile on my face, that I finally drifted to sleep.
Well, how was it? I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. The brief flashback of memories is nice to have every now and then because sometimes even I forget what's happened thus far in the story. I'll even confess at one point I forgot about Amour! But, I remembered in time to save my blunder.
If you think of something you think I may have forgotten about that has happened in the story, feel free to be like, "Hey, remember that one think you did in this one chapter? Just wondering if it would play a role later," or "Yo! You forgot about Draco's scar you boob!" I will take in stride helpful criticism, and though it's not always fun to hear, it makes me a better writer.
Anyway, leave a review for little BJ! He's growing up so fast! His seventh birthday is coming up in November! He's about six and a half now! (It will have been two years since I introduced our metaphorical starving five year old!) He's always up for your amazing reviews as am I!
And remember, a happy author writes better and faster! So review and make me happy!