Ginny's Secret
Summary: Ginny Weasley is an average eighteen year old girl with a happy and hopeful future... until disaster strikes and she is left devastated. Will Ginny ever reveal her secret, or will she keep it hidden from the man she loves forever?
Disclaimer: If in doubt, I don't own it.
Authors Note: I'm having troubles writing the next chapter (something of writer's block, to tell you the truth), so it might be up a little later than usual, but it's definitely coming. A huge thanks to everyone who reviewed and hasn't given up on lil old Ginny! I really enjoyed writing this chapter as it's pure Gin/Draco interaction, but then again that's always the fun part!
Chapter 5- Evening At Hogsmeade Fair
It was ten minutes to seven, and Ginny peered at her reflection anxiously in her bedroom mirror. In no less than ten minutes, she would be Apparating into Hogsmeade, to meet up with none other than Draco Malfoy. Her stomach turned at the thought and she almost considered standing him up... after all, he hadn't waited for an answer, had he? But her good natured side took over, and she knew she would be going.
And besides, maybe it would be fun. Six months wasn't long to do everything you wanted to do, but Ginny was determined to make the most of every single day. She turned to the side pensively, wondering if Malfoy would dislike it- though she had to admit, she was quite proud of how pretty she looked. Her fiery red hair had been pulled back into a chic bun, framing her heart shaped face. A touch of make-up had brought out Ginny's best features, her eyes, which looked like deep pools of chocolate, and she wore a set of pearl necklace and earrings, which had been passed on through generations from her mother's side. The cream robes had been bought that day after work from Madam Malkins, but she was unsure... did it really suit her? It clung rather tightly to her breasts, which was something Ginny was excessively aware of- still it was too late to change now. On the whole, her look reeked of sophistication and refined elegance- something that wasn't seen too often in the Weasley family.
Applying a touch more lipstick, she glanced at the clock on the wall and decided to leave. She swallowed nervously; although when he was around she feigned confidence, it wasn't easy speaking to him- he had a tendency to make her feel incredibly stupid, especially as he'd found her in some rather embarrassing circumstances recently. Still, if anything she was driven to prove herself and stand up to what she feared, and Draco wasn't going to scare her into submission. No matter what he inflicted, she wouldn't tell him what was wrong with her- and she most certainly wouldn't make it obvious.
Life was going to be fun for her from now on, and no longer would she be a gibbering coward. Although her death would be much closer than she liked, it was inevitable for everyone, and she for one wouldn't run away from it.
She arrived outside The Three Broomsticks with a pop, her mouth dry with nerves, but she completely forgot Malfoy in the beautiful decorations of Hogsmeade. A huge sign nearby announced it as "Hogsmeade's Annual Wizarding Fair: Join In The Fun!", and for miles around huge lanterns hung in the air, illuminating the carousel, stalls, mini roller coasters, teacups and other traditional rides that had been set up. The place itself was unrecognizable, as every shop or pub was wreathed in vivid brightly coloured decorations and lights, which even hung from trees and bushes. Ginny sighed in delight; she was a little girl at heart, and this was just like one of those Muggle fairs she had visited with her father once (he had spent most of the time aggravating Muggles with his non-stop questions).
The carousel looked particularly inviting as she made her way up to it, her mouth open in wonder. Children and adults of all ages sat on the horses, as they whirred round and round, laughing and joking- it looked so much fun! Where was Malfoy anyway? The temptation of asking for a ride was becoming all too much, and her fingers itched to latch themselves around the pole attaching the horses to the ride...
"I didn't know you liked carousels, Weasley," came the familiar sneering voice. Rolling her eyes, Ginny turned to see him; he wore a long crisp black shirt and trousers, which seemed remarkably formal to everyone else's attire- but then again, Draco had always liked to stand out. His very clothes seemed to establish the difference in class as he turned his nose up at everyone else.
"Look, I'm not afraid of you. You can't scare me." Ginny's glare was unflinching and Malfoy chuckled to himself.
Little did she know how much he appreciated how she looked; her face and hair looked flawless, and her apparel both dainty and feminine. He liked it when a woman dressed properly, even if it was just for a drink in the pub- and the fact she seemed so determined to fight him was even more attractive. Still, he must remember she was a Weasley after all, and her class so decidedly below his own- though it wouldn't really matter if it was just a bit of fun. It was so very enticing...
"I had no intention of making you frightened. Let's leave the rides for the babies shall we, and go in the pub? If you really insist we can go on them later, Weasley." His air was one of a mother talking to an impatient child, and Ginny found it all too patronising.
"First thing's first- why do you want me to be here? I came out of common courtesy because you didn't even give me time to refuse your offer, and then you speak to me with such condescension it's strange to think you were the one who suggested this. Secondly, if I really do have to go and put up with your company, you could at least have the common decency to quit calling me 'Weasley' and replace it with 'Ginny' instead."
He laughed, his eyes losing their steely glint. "Fine, Miss Ginny, I shall decease from making you feel inferior. Now let's go to the pub, shall we?"
She followed him into the Three Broomsticks and took a seat at one of the tables. It was strangely quiet as most people were out enjoying themselves on the fair rides, or choosing one of the delights from the stalls outside: Ginny liked the peace, and took a table further to the back. Malfoy sauntered over.
"Do you want a drink?"
"Erm, I'll have a coke- no, actually, I won't. I'll have a glass of wine, please." Ginny's hesitation had been at the thought of her illness- surely it wasn't wise to continue drinking in her condition?- but she felt so reckless that she went for the alcohol. After all, she said she'd live her last six months as she'd intended to do her whole life, so she had might as well go out with a bang.
Malfoy raised his eyebrows and went to the bar, where Madame Rosmerta served him. Soon he was back with a bottle of champagne and two glasses, much to Ginny's shock.
"What's the point in spending so much? I thought that- after You-Know-Who died, you lost all your money?" Ginny said awkwardly.
His face immediately blanched and his stony eyes fixed upon her. "If I want to buy champagne I can. I don't have to answer to anyone, least in particular a blood-traitor like you!" Ginny scowled and her cheeks went scarlet.
"Well if that's how you feel, then you won't want a blood traitor sitting and drinking with you," she snapped, getting to her feet.
"No, sit down a minute. Ginny, sit down." She obeyed- it was hard not to, as Malfoy had one of those voices that demanded submission. "Look, there are some things I don't like talking about. One of those such things is what happened to my family. I earned this money from my job, and I can do what the hell I want with it, so don't question that again. And now," he said, cracking open the champagne and pouring it into the two glasses; "you can tell me all about why you were at St Mungos."
"I'm not talking about that," Ginny said obstinately, clamming up. The defiance of her chin and her puckered mouth made Malfoy long to... what? He felt so different around her, that it was strange to think this was the girl he used to hate. Maybe he still did- but for now he'd continue with light teasing. His face was deadly serious with his next statement, however.
"Tell me Ginny."
"Fine... look, I've been ill the past couple of days with stomach ache. I drank a potion that had gone off, and it kind of messed me up. I'm okay now though." The lie would have been convincing to anyone but Draco Malfoy, who sneered scornfully.
"Come off it, do you think I was born yesterday? You can't fob me off with that excuse. Tell me the real reason."
Ginny's expression was distant and closed. "Back off Draco. You have to learn to give in sometimes, and that's the best answer you'll get. You've got two choices: talk about something else, or let me leave.
Draco didn't like giving in, but he could tell by the look on Ginny's face that further questioning would be fruitless. It was better to gain her trust a little, and then try again. He couldn't even explain to himself why he was so eager to find out- maybe it was his Malfoy spirit, determined to prove himself- all he knew was that Ginny was hiding something.
"So," he said idly, taking a sip from his glass. "I saw Granger's been knocked up. Who's the father?"
"For your information, she isn't Granger anymore. She's Hermione Weasley."
"Ah! So which of your many redheaded brothers did she choose? She was spoilt for choice wasn't she.."
"Ron of course, and stop being sarcastic."
"So when she threatened me this morning and went, 'When Ron finds out...', she was referring to her spouse. How very... nice that they've settled down and making a family." Malfoy was going to use an insult, but thought better of it when he noticed the steam practically billowing from Ginny's ears.
They're honest people, my family, she thought. That's more than yours has ever been.
The carefree side began to take over and she gulped it in one go. Placing the glass down on the table, she looked up at the handsome man sitting opposite her and grinned cheekily. It felt good to smile after a day of moping.
"Draco- can we go on the rides?" Her eyes twinkled.
"You're not serious?" he asked incredulously.
"I always am."
"Fine, if you insist." Getting to his feet, he put on his coat and headed for the doorway, leaving the near-full bottle of champagne at the table.
"You've left the champagne," Ginny pointed out.
"So? Just leave it, somebody will come and clear it up."
"But-" Ginny was flabbergasted. It seemed strange that somebody could spend so much and care so little- her family would have had to work flat out for that champagne and every last drop would have been drained.
The fair looked wonderful as Ginny and Draco emerged from the doors. It had become much darker so all the fluorescent lights sparkled and the marvellous decorations lit the whole of Hogsmeade. The rides were still going, though now packed with mostly adults and love struck teenagers glued to each others faces, with the odd young child or elderly person. Draco watched with amusement as Ginny skipped over to the nearest ride, the wizard version of the dodgems. Her face lit up with such a wide-eyed childlike delight that all the weary he had seen etched into her face disappeared, and instead it radiated beauty.
"I suppose you want a go." Draco made sure he didn't sound too enthusiastic.
"Of course! Are you coming on too?"
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt."
***
It was approaching ten at night, and Ginny had screamed herself hoarse from the ghost train, laughed herself silly in the hall of mirrors, stuffed herself with candy floss [A/N: cotton candy to some of you], spun round so fast on the SpinMachine she felt a little queasy then went on the ride again four times in a row, and been on so many different amusements she had completely lost count. Not for months had she felt so much unadulterated joy, and she reveled in it- and found Malfoy did too.
At first he'd made a show of not being afraid, and gave an air of deep disdain, but soon he was shouting and laughing just as much as everyone else as they journeyed from ride to ride breathlessly, not stopping for much chatter. Soon most of the visitors began leaving as the sky darkened to an inky blue, freckled with vivid yellow stars and a full white moon, but Ginny found herself reluctant to go, even when Draco's enthusiasm had abated.
"Time to go. Come on, the clock's ticking. I haven't got all day you know."
"Stop being moody! I just want to go on the carousel, we haven't gone on that yet."
"Grow up! It's a two year old's ride."
"That didn't bother you with anything else."
"It's getting late and it'll be shutting soon. I have to get to work in the morning."
"Then you go," Ginny replied stubbornly. "I'm staying for just one more ride, and it won't hurt will it?"
Draco sighed. Her appeal stopped him from leaving without her, and he couldn't even if he wanted- he still didn't know what was wrong with her, but she certainly wasn't in perfect health. After all, if it hadn't been serious, then Ginny wouldn't be reluctant to talk about St Mungos'. He'd stay with her for one more ride- and at least it was a short one.
"All right, but bloody get a move on. The quicker this is over with, the better."
"Yay!" Ginny hurried over to the carousel, which glinted as bright as ever in the night's duskiness. After hoisting herself up, she chose the nearest horse with a butter yellow mane and a red saddle, climbing on and clinging to the pole excitedly. Draco followed up, swinging his leg over easily behind Ginny and placing his hands on her waist as the ride slowly began its music.
Ginny had to stop himself from trembling at his touch- she hadn't expected him to sit on the same horse as her, and much less expected him to have any body contact with her at all. It was obviously without an innuendo, but it was still a big shock to feel his hands planted firmly either side of her, just above her hip. The music's tinkling notes echoed in her ear and she felt the breeze pass against her face, the horse bobbing up and down with the rhythm. It felt utterly wonderful.
"It's the best magic," she called out to him, laughing and feeling her hair whip in the breeze. There was no reply but Ginny could almost tell he was enjoying it too, as the pleasant dizzying sensation took over and the forces allowed them to experience the amusement.
The ride continued, but soon she found it didn't seem so pleasant. Something had gone strangely wrong- she could feel that pulsating pain building up in her chest, and the dizziness was no longer enjoyable. Feeling sick, she stopped crying out and sat on the horse very still, closing her eyes and willing herself not to faint.
As the hurting increased, Malfoy felt something was wrong. She had changed all of a sudden, and he could feel from his fingertips that she had gone as stiff as a board. This wasn't right. The Ginny of thirty seconds ago had been screaming her lungs out, and no sound escaped her closed lips as the ride continued its journey.
"Ginny?" he whispered urgently into her ear. "What is it?"
She took so long to answer that he thought she hadn't heard, and when she did it was barely above a mutter. "Stop the ride," she said, her hands clinging to tightly so the pole that her knuckles had gone white.
Her head thumped loudly, each note of the music now seeming deathly and morbidly forbidding as her stomach churned and the pain in her chest exploded into a crippling agony.
"STOP! Stop the ride! Stop the fucking ride!" Malfoy shouted, panicking at Ginny's body limp in his arms.
Just as the ride screeched to a halt at the hands of the instructor, Ginny's body slipped from the horse, escaping Draco's clutch, and fell to the floor like a rag doll.
"What happened to her?" the portly instructor demanded, climbing the steps and rushing over to the unmoving figure. Draco climbed down gracefully and followed over too, kneeling so Ginny's head leant on his lap.
"No idea," Draco said, biting his lip. "She just went all rigid and said to stop the ride." Feeling her pulse, he breathed a sigh of relief at its unsteady beat. "She's alive alright. I thought for a second-"
"What's going on?" Ginny mumbled, her eyes fluttering for a few seconds. "What happened?"
"You fell off," the instructor said, mopping his brow. "Sorry `luv, you must have said some sort of dizzy turn. If you like, we can run you down to St Mungos for a check up."
"No! No thanks, I'll be okay. I'm fine-" Ginny paused, noticing Draco's hard glare. There was anger in his eyes.
"Tell me why." It was an order, not a request, and she had never seen him so furious.
"Relax Malfoy," she snapped, ignoring the agony in her chest and staggering to her feet. "It's not as if you care what it is anyway."
"God dammit, you stupid bitch!" He grabbed her arm roughly in his fury and shook her, making her cry out.
"Get the hell off me and leave me alone! You have no right to ever do that again, and no amount of bullying can make me give in to you. If I ever see you again, it will be too soon," she spat venomously, and exited from the carousel as fast as her shaky legs could carry her. The instructor seemed to be attempting to lecture Malfoy ("you should never speak that way to a lady"), but he wasn't listening.
How could he have snapped out like that? It was only caring that had made him so, and a fervent desire not to. In his worry he had hurt her, desperate to know what made her so ill. But it seemed he would never know now.
Shaking his head sadly, he Apparated home. Nothing more could be done.
As I said, maybe the next chapter a little later than usual. Please please please keep posting your reviews, as they're more important than ever to bring me out of a bad era and into a better one- I do have a lot of ideas for the future but I like to keep in mind what you want to.