Ginny whirled around, letting out a slightly aggravated, disbelieving
breath she didn't even know she had been holding. Two people from Hogwarts
in one day? One day?!
"It's ah... nice to see you, Hermione" she said softly, her back to her.
Hermione's arms wrapped Ginny in one of the tightest hugs she had ever received. Ginny tensed.. then returned it half-heartedly. Hermione released her.
"When I heard there was this great new shop around, I wanted to go check it out. When I heard Ginny Weasley owned it, I HAD to come! Is this what you've been doing with yourself for five years? I haven't seen you since the wedding!"
"Yes. This store is my life....." she said, letting her muscles loosen. She lightly touched one of the shelves. "I'm rather fond of it."
"Well, I'd hope so" Hermione said, laughing loudly. "This is really something, Ginny" she said, her brown eyes scanning the shelves with unmasked interest.
"You can go ahead and look as long as you want, Hermione" Ginny said, not smiling. "I don't mind."
"Thanks, Ginny. But actually, there's someone with me. Two people actually."
"Oh?" Ginny said, looking out a large window. She made a mental note to wash it. There were smudges in the corner....
"Ginny"
She brought her head up slowly. "Yes?"
Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but never got the opportunity. At that precise moment, she was interrupted by a young man with black hair, with a woman standing beside him.
"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed quickly "I wasn't expecting you to come inside to soon!"
She nudged Harry sharply with her elbow in what she obviously thought was a discreet manner.
"Ginny, I know you're probably very busy, but I.. well you see, I didn't exactly come here alone.
She nudged her head towards Harry and Cho.
They were with me when I heard about your... store, and they wanted to come and see you too." She flashed Ginny a tense smile, a curl of brown hair falling into her eyes. She brushed it away, annoyed. 'We miss you" she murmured lightly, putting up a motherly hand to Ginny's cheek.
"Oh!" Ginny said in a high pitched voice not her own. "No.. I don't mind. Not at all. Um... would you like to come in?" She offered.
"Hi, Ginny." Harry said, putting his hand out, a sign for her to shake it. A businesslike gesture. She climbed out from behind the counter and took it. She noticed that his hand felt smooth and cool, as if he hadn't worked with them for awhile, though he looked tall and lanky as she remembered. He eyed her intensely, and she let go of his hand quickly.
"Hello, Ginny" said Cho, sticking out her hand once Ginny had separated from Harry. She took a moment to look at Cho's hand before shaking it. It was well manicured and delicate. Ginny felt awkward, with her nails bitten down to the quick and rough calluses. Her hand felt clumsy in Cho's. She let go, feeling a faint lurch of emotion in her stomach.
Cho was a picture. Her robes were the kind that little girls would look at longingly in front of a store, their noses pressing against the glass as their mothers tugged against their chubby little hands. Ginny ran her fingers through her hair in an effort to make herself look neater, knowing it was pointless. She was a mess, she knew. Cho's hair was neatly combed, a waterfall of ink.
"Isn't this store great? It's perfect!" Hermione said brightly with a smile just a hint too wide.
"Fantastic. So will I." Cho said.
Ginny somehow didn't think Cho would be back unless someone asked her to. She couldn't imagine Cho here by herself, looking so out of place among the unorganized, random bottles.
"Would anyone like a cup of tea?" Ginny asked, unsure of herself. She never did get that first cup Felix made for her..... what could it hurt?
"Oh, yes please." Hermione said. "I've been on my feet all day. I could use some tea." She leaned against the counter.
'I don't see why not." Harry said, touching Cho's arm lightly, as if to make sure she didn't mind.
Cho entwined her arm with Harry'sHArry'. "Well, I suppose...." she said tentatively.
Ginny smiled softly, tucking her hair behind her ears. "Well, then I should get F-"
The sound of a door being opened made her jump slightly. She turned around, to see Felix's head pop out of the backroom. "Ginny? I finished adding the ingredients, Miss. We just have to let it cool for a few hours, and then it should be all set for bottling.
"Oh! Felix." She said, surprised. "Ah. would you be so kind as to make some more tea? We seem to have guests." She gestured towards Hermione, Harry, and Cho.
"Of course," He said, looking down at the floor. "I'll have it in a second. I left my wand by the cauldron." His head disappeared behind the door, reappearing again a second later with four cups of steaming tea on a platter.
"Oh my..." Hermione closed her eyes, breathing in. "That smells heavenly."
"This is Felix." Ginny said, gesturing towards him. 'He has awkward timing, but he can make an excellent cup of tea."
Felix sat the tea down on the counter. Ginny noticed, amused, that no one wasted any time taking a cup.
"I would ask you to sit, but I ah... don't receive company that often." She nudged her head in the direction of a solitary table, with one unsteady looking chair.
The pleasant air that had been forming quickly melted into a pure, akward silence.
"That's ok" Hermione said quickly. "I'm fine to just have a wall to lean on."
Harry and Cho looked a bit uncomfortable, but didn't say anything.
"Ginny..." Hermione said, putting her cup down onto the counter quietly
"You'll never guess who stopped by my store today!" Ginny said loudly, stopping Hermione from asking what she thought she was going to ask.
"Who?" Harry said.
"Draco Malfoy!" Ginny laughed in a falsely cheerful voice that she did not recognize.
"What?" Cho said, loosing her cool composure for a look of sheer disbelief. "He. he couldn't have! WE haven't seen him since school ended!"
Ginny was not included in Cho's "we". "I know!" she said "Isn't it funny?" She laughed. A very fake laugh.
"Very..funny." Said Harry through clenched teeth. She found it curious that Harry was still angered at the mere mention of Draco's name. She figured he would have at least started to get over his grudge by now.
"Ginny." Hermione interrupted loudly, "I'm not going to lie." She sighed, looking at her near full cup. "We didn't just come here to say hi."
"I know," Ginny said, looking at the floor. "No one ever does."
"Oh, Ginny!" Hermione said "I would have been happy to come and visit you if you hadn't... well..."
She trailed off leaving an uncomfortable wake of silence behind her.
"You didn't visit me at school after you guys left. You never even talked to me while I was there." Ginny said, straightening her back to her full height. She was being completely ridiculous now, she knew.
Hermione's eyes flashed angrily. "Now don't you go trying to make me feel sorry for you like this is all our fault!" she cried. "We've been looking for you for five years! You didn't ONCE owl us! We've been worried sick about you! You could have been hurt, or living in the streets, or-"
Harry coughed. 'Hermione" he said softly.
"No, Harry!" she said angrily, and Ginny was taken aback at how very much she resembled her mother. "I've waited long enough! Ron said you probably wanted to be left alone, but I didn't stop looking for you because I CARED. Unlike YOU, I WANTED to know what was happening to my friends! How could you have just left us there? On my wedding day?!" She wiped an angry tear from her eye, waiting for Ginny to explain.
The air was awkward. Ginny didn't look up from the floor.
"I don't know why I left." She said quietly. Hermione's questions were ones she had been asking herself ever since she went away, and she still didn't know the exact reason. "I just wanted to get away."
"Away?" Hermione said wearily. 'Away from what, exactly? People who cared? A loving family? Me? Harry? Ron?"
"I just don't know!" She said. In all her life, nothing was more fascinating than the floor was right now.
"Ginny!" Hermione said exasperatedly, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Tell me. I have ALWAYS been there for you. I want you to do something for me, just this once. Please. Tell me why you left."
Ginny fidgeted, dragging her toe across the floor.
"Ginny." Hermione said, putting a hand under her chin to lift her head up.
"I just..." she sighed. "I just saw all the lights, and the dancing, and how happy everyone was and I felt.. I don't know, like I was watching it through a window or something. I'd always been something that you would have to help, someone you would have to go out of your way to do things for because you felt sorry for me."
"That's not-" Hermione began, but Ginny interjected, her shyness evaporating.
"Yes it is! I always messed things up for you guys! And still for some reason, you would be nice to me. I always took up the most money than anyone because I was a girl, but mum never said anything about it. All my brothers spent half their spare time protecting me and making sure I was ok. Harry almost died trying to save me. You were eventually going to go out of your way to get me a husband someday, and mum would have to find a way to get enough money to give me a nice wedding. My brothers would always be worrying about me and trying to make sure I was ok with a life of my own. I didn't want to be a burden anymore! I didn't want everyone to have to constantly worry about me."
"What do you think we've BEEN doing all this time, drinking tea with the Malfoys?!" Hermione said. "We've been worrying and looking for you!"
"I guess I was hoping you would go on and give up on finding me" Ginny said, biting her lip. "I changed my name, and only Felix knew what my name really was, but even Draco Malfoy knew who I was."
She paused, taking a shuddery breath.
"...I couldn't even hide myself properly. I guess I was just being stupid if I thought you were never going to come to this shop. I think I wanted you to find me."
"Oh... Ginny," Hermione said softly, putting a hand on her arm.
"It's ok."
She became aware that Harry and Cho were still there, staring at her and blushed.
"Ginny...come back home." Hermione said. "You family is worried sick, they miss you!"
"I don't think I should do that.." she mumbled. "'I mean, it's been too long. What am I going to tell them? Just... just tell them that I'm ok."
"Come on." Hermione said. "We've finally found you, and we want you to come home. Just for a month or two. It's the holidays, for Merlin's sake."
"I can... I'll think about it," Ginny said, not looking at them directly.
"That's the spirit!" Harry awkwardly clapped her on the back, bringing her back from the long torrent of thoughts she was emerged in. "We'll have a room ready for you by tomorrow if you decide to come."
"Tomorrow.. that soon?" Her voice cracked, and she set her hand firmly on one of the shelves, not quite ready to leave it behind.
"We'll give you the night to think about it and check up on you tomorrow." Said Hermione hurridly. She hugged Ginny tight one last time as Harry and Cho waved goodbye.
"Owl us tomorrow if you decide to come" Hermione said as they walked out.
And they were gone.
Ginny sat down on her counter, just looking around her shop. She took a breath, and got out a piece of parchment. Grabbing a quill, she wrote the word "Yes."
"It's ah... nice to see you, Hermione" she said softly, her back to her.
Hermione's arms wrapped Ginny in one of the tightest hugs she had ever received. Ginny tensed.. then returned it half-heartedly. Hermione released her.
"When I heard there was this great new shop around, I wanted to go check it out. When I heard Ginny Weasley owned it, I HAD to come! Is this what you've been doing with yourself for five years? I haven't seen you since the wedding!"
"Yes. This store is my life....." she said, letting her muscles loosen. She lightly touched one of the shelves. "I'm rather fond of it."
"Well, I'd hope so" Hermione said, laughing loudly. "This is really something, Ginny" she said, her brown eyes scanning the shelves with unmasked interest.
"You can go ahead and look as long as you want, Hermione" Ginny said, not smiling. "I don't mind."
"Thanks, Ginny. But actually, there's someone with me. Two people actually."
"Oh?" Ginny said, looking out a large window. She made a mental note to wash it. There were smudges in the corner....
"Ginny"
She brought her head up slowly. "Yes?"
Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but never got the opportunity. At that precise moment, she was interrupted by a young man with black hair, with a woman standing beside him.
"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed quickly "I wasn't expecting you to come inside to soon!"
She nudged Harry sharply with her elbow in what she obviously thought was a discreet manner.
"Ginny, I know you're probably very busy, but I.. well you see, I didn't exactly come here alone.
She nudged her head towards Harry and Cho.
They were with me when I heard about your... store, and they wanted to come and see you too." She flashed Ginny a tense smile, a curl of brown hair falling into her eyes. She brushed it away, annoyed. 'We miss you" she murmured lightly, putting up a motherly hand to Ginny's cheek.
"Oh!" Ginny said in a high pitched voice not her own. "No.. I don't mind. Not at all. Um... would you like to come in?" She offered.
"Hi, Ginny." Harry said, putting his hand out, a sign for her to shake it. A businesslike gesture. She climbed out from behind the counter and took it. She noticed that his hand felt smooth and cool, as if he hadn't worked with them for awhile, though he looked tall and lanky as she remembered. He eyed her intensely, and she let go of his hand quickly.
"Hello, Ginny" said Cho, sticking out her hand once Ginny had separated from Harry. She took a moment to look at Cho's hand before shaking it. It was well manicured and delicate. Ginny felt awkward, with her nails bitten down to the quick and rough calluses. Her hand felt clumsy in Cho's. She let go, feeling a faint lurch of emotion in her stomach.
Cho was a picture. Her robes were the kind that little girls would look at longingly in front of a store, their noses pressing against the glass as their mothers tugged against their chubby little hands. Ginny ran her fingers through her hair in an effort to make herself look neater, knowing it was pointless. She was a mess, she knew. Cho's hair was neatly combed, a waterfall of ink.
"Isn't this store great? It's perfect!" Hermione said brightly with a smile just a hint too wide.
"Fantastic. So will I." Cho said.
Ginny somehow didn't think Cho would be back unless someone asked her to. She couldn't imagine Cho here by herself, looking so out of place among the unorganized, random bottles.
"Would anyone like a cup of tea?" Ginny asked, unsure of herself. She never did get that first cup Felix made for her..... what could it hurt?
"Oh, yes please." Hermione said. "I've been on my feet all day. I could use some tea." She leaned against the counter.
'I don't see why not." Harry said, touching Cho's arm lightly, as if to make sure she didn't mind.
Cho entwined her arm with Harry'sHArry'. "Well, I suppose...." she said tentatively.
Ginny smiled softly, tucking her hair behind her ears. "Well, then I should get F-"
The sound of a door being opened made her jump slightly. She turned around, to see Felix's head pop out of the backroom. "Ginny? I finished adding the ingredients, Miss. We just have to let it cool for a few hours, and then it should be all set for bottling.
"Oh! Felix." She said, surprised. "Ah. would you be so kind as to make some more tea? We seem to have guests." She gestured towards Hermione, Harry, and Cho.
"Of course," He said, looking down at the floor. "I'll have it in a second. I left my wand by the cauldron." His head disappeared behind the door, reappearing again a second later with four cups of steaming tea on a platter.
"Oh my..." Hermione closed her eyes, breathing in. "That smells heavenly."
"This is Felix." Ginny said, gesturing towards him. 'He has awkward timing, but he can make an excellent cup of tea."
Felix sat the tea down on the counter. Ginny noticed, amused, that no one wasted any time taking a cup.
"I would ask you to sit, but I ah... don't receive company that often." She nudged her head in the direction of a solitary table, with one unsteady looking chair.
The pleasant air that had been forming quickly melted into a pure, akward silence.
"That's ok" Hermione said quickly. "I'm fine to just have a wall to lean on."
Harry and Cho looked a bit uncomfortable, but didn't say anything.
"Ginny..." Hermione said, putting her cup down onto the counter quietly
"You'll never guess who stopped by my store today!" Ginny said loudly, stopping Hermione from asking what she thought she was going to ask.
"Who?" Harry said.
"Draco Malfoy!" Ginny laughed in a falsely cheerful voice that she did not recognize.
"What?" Cho said, loosing her cool composure for a look of sheer disbelief. "He. he couldn't have! WE haven't seen him since school ended!"
Ginny was not included in Cho's "we". "I know!" she said "Isn't it funny?" She laughed. A very fake laugh.
"Very..funny." Said Harry through clenched teeth. She found it curious that Harry was still angered at the mere mention of Draco's name. She figured he would have at least started to get over his grudge by now.
"Ginny." Hermione interrupted loudly, "I'm not going to lie." She sighed, looking at her near full cup. "We didn't just come here to say hi."
"I know," Ginny said, looking at the floor. "No one ever does."
"Oh, Ginny!" Hermione said "I would have been happy to come and visit you if you hadn't... well..."
She trailed off leaving an uncomfortable wake of silence behind her.
"You didn't visit me at school after you guys left. You never even talked to me while I was there." Ginny said, straightening her back to her full height. She was being completely ridiculous now, she knew.
Hermione's eyes flashed angrily. "Now don't you go trying to make me feel sorry for you like this is all our fault!" she cried. "We've been looking for you for five years! You didn't ONCE owl us! We've been worried sick about you! You could have been hurt, or living in the streets, or-"
Harry coughed. 'Hermione" he said softly.
"No, Harry!" she said angrily, and Ginny was taken aback at how very much she resembled her mother. "I've waited long enough! Ron said you probably wanted to be left alone, but I didn't stop looking for you because I CARED. Unlike YOU, I WANTED to know what was happening to my friends! How could you have just left us there? On my wedding day?!" She wiped an angry tear from her eye, waiting for Ginny to explain.
The air was awkward. Ginny didn't look up from the floor.
"I don't know why I left." She said quietly. Hermione's questions were ones she had been asking herself ever since she went away, and she still didn't know the exact reason. "I just wanted to get away."
"Away?" Hermione said wearily. 'Away from what, exactly? People who cared? A loving family? Me? Harry? Ron?"
"I just don't know!" She said. In all her life, nothing was more fascinating than the floor was right now.
"Ginny!" Hermione said exasperatedly, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Tell me. I have ALWAYS been there for you. I want you to do something for me, just this once. Please. Tell me why you left."
Ginny fidgeted, dragging her toe across the floor.
"Ginny." Hermione said, putting a hand under her chin to lift her head up.
"I just..." she sighed. "I just saw all the lights, and the dancing, and how happy everyone was and I felt.. I don't know, like I was watching it through a window or something. I'd always been something that you would have to help, someone you would have to go out of your way to do things for because you felt sorry for me."
"That's not-" Hermione began, but Ginny interjected, her shyness evaporating.
"Yes it is! I always messed things up for you guys! And still for some reason, you would be nice to me. I always took up the most money than anyone because I was a girl, but mum never said anything about it. All my brothers spent half their spare time protecting me and making sure I was ok. Harry almost died trying to save me. You were eventually going to go out of your way to get me a husband someday, and mum would have to find a way to get enough money to give me a nice wedding. My brothers would always be worrying about me and trying to make sure I was ok with a life of my own. I didn't want to be a burden anymore! I didn't want everyone to have to constantly worry about me."
"What do you think we've BEEN doing all this time, drinking tea with the Malfoys?!" Hermione said. "We've been worrying and looking for you!"
"I guess I was hoping you would go on and give up on finding me" Ginny said, biting her lip. "I changed my name, and only Felix knew what my name really was, but even Draco Malfoy knew who I was."
She paused, taking a shuddery breath.
"...I couldn't even hide myself properly. I guess I was just being stupid if I thought you were never going to come to this shop. I think I wanted you to find me."
"Oh... Ginny," Hermione said softly, putting a hand on her arm.
"It's ok."
She became aware that Harry and Cho were still there, staring at her and blushed.
"Ginny...come back home." Hermione said. "You family is worried sick, they miss you!"
"I don't think I should do that.." she mumbled. "'I mean, it's been too long. What am I going to tell them? Just... just tell them that I'm ok."
"Come on." Hermione said. "We've finally found you, and we want you to come home. Just for a month or two. It's the holidays, for Merlin's sake."
"I can... I'll think about it," Ginny said, not looking at them directly.
"That's the spirit!" Harry awkwardly clapped her on the back, bringing her back from the long torrent of thoughts she was emerged in. "We'll have a room ready for you by tomorrow if you decide to come."
"Tomorrow.. that soon?" Her voice cracked, and she set her hand firmly on one of the shelves, not quite ready to leave it behind.
"We'll give you the night to think about it and check up on you tomorrow." Said Hermione hurridly. She hugged Ginny tight one last time as Harry and Cho waved goodbye.
"Owl us tomorrow if you decide to come" Hermione said as they walked out.
And they were gone.
Ginny sat down on her counter, just looking around her shop. She took a breath, and got out a piece of parchment. Grabbing a quill, she wrote the word "Yes."