Part Four:
Harry observed Tom over the holidays...mainly to take his mind off Ginny. She was avoiding him, no doubt about it: whenever he walked into a room she was in, she'd make an excuse to leave.
After the New Year, he couldn't take it anymore: he had to approach her. He found her in the kitchen, helping Mrs. Weasley store leftovers. "Anything I can do to help, Mrs. Weasley."
"Oh, yes, dear, there is," Mrs. Weasley said quickly. She handed him a plate of trifle. "Finish this off, dear."
As Harry sat down at the table, Ginny shot him a look. "Mum, I'll be right back..."
"Oh, can you wait a second?" Mrs. Weasley asked, walking out of the kitchen. "I need to check on the girls, Percy and Charlie asked me to watch them for awhile." When Ginny began to object, Mrs. Weasley said, "Just watch the eggs, dear, they're boiling on the stove."
Ginny, looking defeated, pretended to be very absorbed in the eggs. Harry looked over at her, and thought he saw a blur of red hair: Ginny had been looking at him. He cleared his throat loudly, in a Professor Umbridge style, and she looked at him.
"Hey, Ginny," he said cheerfully.
"Oh, hi." Like before, she refused to look at him.
"Look..." Harry decided that it was time to confront her. "About what happened on holiday last summer, I-"
Ginny suddenly looked at him. "Look, Harry, we were both drunk. It was just a mistake, that's all. No big deal, right?"
"Yeah." Harry nodded. "Yeah, no big deal."
"So...you didn't tell Ron or Hermione, did you?" Ginny suddenly looked a bit nervous.
"No...nobody."
Ginny gave a small smile. "Yeah, me, neither. Well, except for Luna." Ginny was living in a small flat in (TA-DA!) London with Luna "Looney" Lovegood.
"Oh." Harry stabbed his trifle a little with his fork. "Well...do you want to, you know, talk about it?"
"No." Ginny said it so quickly and sharply that Harry jumped a little.
"Well, I just thought that...you seemed to..."
"What?"
Harry couldn't say it. He couldn't confront her. You're being so distant, I wanted to know what you were thinking, was what he wanted to say. But he just mumbled, "nevermind", and left the room.
******************************
Meanwhile, Mrs. Weasley was walking by Hermione and Ron's room after checking on her granddaughters. Ron wasn't there, but Hermione was. Mrs. Weasley stuck her head in. "Hermione, come her, dear. I want to show you something."
"Um...okay." Hermione put down the book she'd been reading and followed Mrs. Weasley down the hall and up the flights of stairs to the attic.
"Since you and Ron are getting married, I wanted to show you something..." Mrs. Weasley pushed a couple of boxes aside to show a dress on a headless manaquin.
And the dress was absolutely HIDEOUS. It must have been white at one point, but it was now yellowed with age, and covered in dust. It had short sleeves, and was very lacy.
"Oh, that was my wedding dress!" Mrs. Weasley gushed, not noticing the look of horror on her future daughter-in-law's face. "I haven't been up here to see that thing in years! That damn ghoul was always making so much noise..." They'd actually managed to get rid of the ghoul recently, which made staying at the Burrow all the more pleasant. But for a fleeing moment, Hermione wished that the ghoul was still there, if it had kept them from seeing this thing...
Mrs. Weasley took this moment to look at Hermione. "I know that it doesn't look very fancy, but I could easily fix it up. It would mean so much to me if you wore this for your wedding."
Hermione almost keeled over. She expects me to wear that thing? No. Way. "Um...I'm so honored, Mrs. Weasley-"
"Oh, dear, you're going to be my daughter soon!" Mrs. Weasley said. "Please, call me Molly...or Mum!" She seemed to think this was very funny, as she began to chuckle.
"Um...Molly...I'm so honored," Hermione repeated. "But...wouldn't you rather have Ginny wear it?"
"Oh, Ginny," Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Well, you know how she is. Horribly independent, don't know when the girl will come around and get married."
"She will eventually, I'm sure," Hermione said desperatly. There was only one thing she could do: "I'd love to wear the dress, Mrs.-I mean, Molly. But, you see, my mother always wanted me to wear her wedding dress..."
"Oh." Mrs. Weasley began to flush a bit. She laughed nervously. "How silly of me. I completely forgot...well, of coures you'll want to wear your own mother's wedding dress." She began to walk out of the attic.
"I'm sorry," Hermione said, following her out of the dusty place. She felt horrible: she'd lied about her mother's wedding dress. She didn't have one: it had been destroyed in a fire before Hermione was born.
But Mrs. Weasley didn't need to know that.
"Don't worry about it dear. Well, I better get back downstairs before poor Ginny ruins our lunch." And with that, Mrs. Weasley took off down the stairs. Hermione stood there, and she couldn't help feeling more then a little guilty.
Harry observed Tom over the holidays...mainly to take his mind off Ginny. She was avoiding him, no doubt about it: whenever he walked into a room she was in, she'd make an excuse to leave.
After the New Year, he couldn't take it anymore: he had to approach her. He found her in the kitchen, helping Mrs. Weasley store leftovers. "Anything I can do to help, Mrs. Weasley."
"Oh, yes, dear, there is," Mrs. Weasley said quickly. She handed him a plate of trifle. "Finish this off, dear."
As Harry sat down at the table, Ginny shot him a look. "Mum, I'll be right back..."
"Oh, can you wait a second?" Mrs. Weasley asked, walking out of the kitchen. "I need to check on the girls, Percy and Charlie asked me to watch them for awhile." When Ginny began to object, Mrs. Weasley said, "Just watch the eggs, dear, they're boiling on the stove."
Ginny, looking defeated, pretended to be very absorbed in the eggs. Harry looked over at her, and thought he saw a blur of red hair: Ginny had been looking at him. He cleared his throat loudly, in a Professor Umbridge style, and she looked at him.
"Hey, Ginny," he said cheerfully.
"Oh, hi." Like before, she refused to look at him.
"Look..." Harry decided that it was time to confront her. "About what happened on holiday last summer, I-"
Ginny suddenly looked at him. "Look, Harry, we were both drunk. It was just a mistake, that's all. No big deal, right?"
"Yeah." Harry nodded. "Yeah, no big deal."
"So...you didn't tell Ron or Hermione, did you?" Ginny suddenly looked a bit nervous.
"No...nobody."
Ginny gave a small smile. "Yeah, me, neither. Well, except for Luna." Ginny was living in a small flat in (TA-DA!) London with Luna "Looney" Lovegood.
"Oh." Harry stabbed his trifle a little with his fork. "Well...do you want to, you know, talk about it?"
"No." Ginny said it so quickly and sharply that Harry jumped a little.
"Well, I just thought that...you seemed to..."
"What?"
Harry couldn't say it. He couldn't confront her. You're being so distant, I wanted to know what you were thinking, was what he wanted to say. But he just mumbled, "nevermind", and left the room.
******************************
Meanwhile, Mrs. Weasley was walking by Hermione and Ron's room after checking on her granddaughters. Ron wasn't there, but Hermione was. Mrs. Weasley stuck her head in. "Hermione, come her, dear. I want to show you something."
"Um...okay." Hermione put down the book she'd been reading and followed Mrs. Weasley down the hall and up the flights of stairs to the attic.
"Since you and Ron are getting married, I wanted to show you something..." Mrs. Weasley pushed a couple of boxes aside to show a dress on a headless manaquin.
And the dress was absolutely HIDEOUS. It must have been white at one point, but it was now yellowed with age, and covered in dust. It had short sleeves, and was very lacy.
"Oh, that was my wedding dress!" Mrs. Weasley gushed, not noticing the look of horror on her future daughter-in-law's face. "I haven't been up here to see that thing in years! That damn ghoul was always making so much noise..." They'd actually managed to get rid of the ghoul recently, which made staying at the Burrow all the more pleasant. But for a fleeing moment, Hermione wished that the ghoul was still there, if it had kept them from seeing this thing...
Mrs. Weasley took this moment to look at Hermione. "I know that it doesn't look very fancy, but I could easily fix it up. It would mean so much to me if you wore this for your wedding."
Hermione almost keeled over. She expects me to wear that thing? No. Way. "Um...I'm so honored, Mrs. Weasley-"
"Oh, dear, you're going to be my daughter soon!" Mrs. Weasley said. "Please, call me Molly...or Mum!" She seemed to think this was very funny, as she began to chuckle.
"Um...Molly...I'm so honored," Hermione repeated. "But...wouldn't you rather have Ginny wear it?"
"Oh, Ginny," Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Well, you know how she is. Horribly independent, don't know when the girl will come around and get married."
"She will eventually, I'm sure," Hermione said desperatly. There was only one thing she could do: "I'd love to wear the dress, Mrs.-I mean, Molly. But, you see, my mother always wanted me to wear her wedding dress..."
"Oh." Mrs. Weasley began to flush a bit. She laughed nervously. "How silly of me. I completely forgot...well, of coures you'll want to wear your own mother's wedding dress." She began to walk out of the attic.
"I'm sorry," Hermione said, following her out of the dusty place. She felt horrible: she'd lied about her mother's wedding dress. She didn't have one: it had been destroyed in a fire before Hermione was born.
But Mrs. Weasley didn't need to know that.
"Don't worry about it dear. Well, I better get back downstairs before poor Ginny ruins our lunch." And with that, Mrs. Weasley took off down the stairs. Hermione stood there, and she couldn't help feeling more then a little guilty.
