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: The usual stuff applies here ^_^ See previous chapters.
Authors Note: I'm sorry if this was a little later than my usual standard- but hey, I finished it much earlier than I thought I would. First of all I had to overcome a huge block I had towards writing this chapter, and then when I'd just finished it, I accidentally deleted it and had to rewrite the whole thing. By the way, for those interested, I am sitting my SATs exams this week, so maybe the updates won't be so often. Wish me luck people, I definitely need it!
Queen Alexandra~ Thanks, it really matters to me that people like the storyline. I hope you carry on posting, because I'd love to keep track of your opinion.
Candice~ It was really thoughtful of you to post about that- thank you! Yeah, I think Ginny's eyes are brown too... but I can't be sure.
Livvy~ Yay I love reading your posts pal! I loved writing the previous chappie and I'm glad you enjoyed it too- I really love fairs, they appeal to my child-like side.
Kermit~ Apologies for that big glitch of mine. I'll change it straight away :) Thank you for the lovely review and I hope you continue to read! I haven't seen the film A Walk To Remember but I do know it has Mandy Moore in it- is it any good? And I didn't deliberately take that little speech from Anne of Green Gables (I can't remember much of it to be honest) but I did really like that book. Yes, Canadians do rule!
Smokeline~ Yep, the last chapter was the first one with a bit of romantic tension, and in the future there should be a lot more of that! Thanks for the review :)
Mo the Deatheater~ Lol well my writer's block is sort of in remission if you know what I mean... and SAT exams don't help. Thanks for the review and hope you continue to post!
Toby Keith Fanatic~ I agree that Ginny/Draco are really sweet together. Thank you for posting and maybe you might see some more G/D in the future... *wink*
Dizzy2381~ Thanks I'll look out for them! Cheers for reviewing.
Thanks to everyone who wished me luck on overcoming a few problems I had. It means a lot!
Chapter 6 Snap Decision
Ginny Weasley pushed open the entrance doors of the office firm the next morning, rubbing sleep from her eyes and yawning from fatigue. The after hours had been plagued with terrible flashbacks of her meeting with Draco, and not only that but the dull pain in her chest had kept her awake for many hours. Finally, after much tossing and turning, she had resolved to never ever speak to him again. It was just far too dangerous.
Last night she had come close to giving away her secret- so close that the word had been on the edge of her tongue. The more time she spent with him, the nearer she came to revealing the bitter truth, and there was nothing more she desired less. If it meant keeping the reality hidden, she would sacrifice everything fun in her life- her friends, her spare time, and most importantly her family. She would do anything to protect Ron and Hermione- anything at all. Imagine if Malfoy had found out and told them? It was just too terrible to imagine! It wasn't as if Draco was stupid: far from it. He was intelligent enough to know when he was being lied to, and something about him made Ginny's barriers collapse and her softer shell appear. He was her weakness, and she would have to avoid him at all costs.
"You're two hours late! Where have you been?" Ginny was distracted from her thoughts as she came face to face with Hermione, who looked furious. Hands on enlarged hips, she stood between Ginny and her desk, while the rest of the people in the office watched with some amusement. It had always been a bit of a laugh when Hermione laid into someone, but now all of a sudden it didn't seem so hilarious- in fact, Ginny felt somewhat downtrodden.
"Sorry, I-"
"Sorry isn't good enough Ginny! There are only so many times I can make allowances for your bad time keeping. This isn't the first time either, is it?"
"Look there's nothing more I can say, I-"
"Come in my office and we can discuss this privately." Hermione ushered for Ginny to follow, and led her into a small room just down the corridor, which was brimming with shelves lined with many books. Hermione struggled to see over the large pile of parchments on her desk, and moved them with a flick of her wand, while Ginny pulled up a stool and stared at her employer defiantly.
"I can't show favouritism here Ginny, you know I can't, and if it had been anyone else that had strolled in two hours late then I would have bawled them out and given them a stern warning! And not only that but I have to prove I am purely professional to other workers. Do you know how bad this could look- for both of us? For a while now you've been rather unmotivated, and at first I gave you the excuse of being ill, but after the checkup at St Mungos I can only conclude it's your attitude that's unhealthy!"
"That's unfair," she replied angrily. "I work really hard here but everyone makes mistakes. You're going over the top!"
"I'm afraid I'm not. I hate to say this but if you don't buck your ideas up I'm going to have to reconsider your place in this firm. I'm sorry Gin, but it's just not good enough. You don't know how painful this is, having to say this to you- I'm your best friend for god's sake- but it's completely necessary and to be honest I've been thinking we needed this conversation for a long time. We've been really busy with press files for Majorca holidays today, and we needed all the help we could get, and thanks to you a lot of us will have to work overtime tonight."
"Well I'm SO sorry ma'am," Ginny sneered, standing up and marching towards the door way. Her face had gone a dark red and she was practically seething with ill suppressed temper and hurt. How dare she say that to her? If only she knew how truly hard she'd had it lately- that she had to cope with the fact she was going to die on top of everything else! "I apologise if I've put anyone out of their way. But I'm not standing round here to be spoken to like a piece of shit and patronised like I'm about four years old! I know I was late but you just crossed the line, and I'm not taking it. I don't need this!" Grabbing her bag, Ginny left the room and stormed through the corridors as every head turned to watch her, awestruck.
"Wait! Ginny, you're totally over-reacting! Surely you can understand why I might be annoyed. If we just talk about this like civilised human beings, then maybe we can sort this out." Hermione had followed her, and her voice had lowered, as if she was speaking to a young child that wasn't allowed sweets.
"Leave me alone," she spat. "Keep your precious job and find someone that arrives on time, and then you'll be happy. After all, my attitude is 'unhealthy' so it can't be hard finding someone to replace me."
"I'm sorry I shouted at you, but don't do this- you'll regret it."
"I don't think so somehow! Goodbye everyone."
And with that, Ginny slammed the door shut and found herself in the blustering winds of Diagon Alley, the wind whipping at her face and tugging at her cloak. Shivering, she stood stock still as her mind whirred ceaselessly. Not only had she just walked out on her only solid income, but she'd just argued with her sister-in-law and one of the people she loved most in the world, Hermione. Already Ginny's anger began to drain and she felt weak and exhausted as she realised the extent of what damage she had caused just because she had been reprimanded, and rightly too .
Even though she had acted in resentment, part of her was glad she'd quit her job. If she had six months left, did she really want to spend them working in a grotty job that was totally pointless? She didn't need the money for a better future anyway- she didn't have one! No, she was glad that she didn't have to return there everyday, because she had come to hate the hours she spent working in that dingy little office.
She was just about to start walking down the street, when someone she glimpsed across the road made her pause in her tracks. A flash of silvery-blonde hair meant only one thing- Draco Malfoy. Acting quickly, she hid herself in the alleyway, her heart in her mouth, as she watched him progress across the road and up the stone steps to the doorway of her firm. What was he doing there anyway? Surely he wasn't looking for her?
"Is Ginny there?" came Malfoy's familiar drawl. She had to stop herself crying out, covering her mouth with her hand, as her expectations were confirmed: he was indeed looking for her. From now on she would have to be very careful to avoid him, because she knew once that she began speaking to him, she wouldn't be able to stop herself blurting out everything.
"No, she isn't," came Hermione's reply, and to Ginny's discomfort, she sounded tearful. "I have no idea where she is. We just had an argument and she walked out and- and- oh it was all my fault! I had a go at her because she got up late, and now she's just gone and quit."
"Heartbreaking story," he replied sarcastically. "But a simple yes or no would have done the job just fine."
"If you see her- will you tell her I'm sorry?"
"Tell her yourself. Bye." The sound of the door slamming shut and Hermione's hysterical sobs wafting from the half-open window made Ginny's stomach writhe with guilt. That woman was pregnant- the least thing she needed was stress and anxiety, and Ginny had given her both. After all her intentions of keeping Hermione and Ron happy, she had just gone and caused trouble.
She watched Malfoy stalk past, so close she could reach out and touch him if she desired, and fought the urge to run after him. Why did she feel like this? She wasn't the type to go for looks, though indeed he was handsome, with steely gray eyes, dimples in a masculine face and a powerful appearance, but why was she attracted to him? In her experience his personality left a lot to be desired, and had been pushy, teasing and a little aggressive, not to mention sly with his attempts to find out the truth. Ginny did have a begrudging respect for his intelligence, but it was all spoilt by the nasty show of temper that had resulted in Hogsmeade when she had fainted. Still, she couldn't deny the fact that there was something of an aura around Draco Malfoy.
As soon as the coast was clear, Ginny set off for home without magic, leaving herself time to think. Her mind was bursting with thoughts and worries, especially about Hermione, but she was too proud to turn back and apologise. Maybe it would be best if she left her alone for a few days, and maybe she'd forget all about it...
It seemed like hours later when she finally arrived at her apartment, as she was used to Apparating, but in actual fact it was only minutes. The building was dull and crumbling, looking just like an average Muggle block, when in actual fact it had been charmed to keep away the non-magic community. After taking the steps up to the top floor, Ginny unlocked her door with the appropriate charm (she kept her wand in her handbag) and stepped into her living room.
It was a ramshackle affair with many different odds and ends, but it was so quaint that she oddly liked it. The carpet and walls were blue though the curtains were Mrs Weasley's old green ones, whereas most of the furniture was her father's old junk he had given her when she bought the flat. A few Muggle appliances as well as magical ones were installed, and hundreds of pictures lined the walls so you could barely see the paint underneath.
The pictures were beautiful art, from wild countryside scenery to abstract splashes of colour to portraits, and all had been drawn by Ginny's older brother Ron Weasley. He was an artist, something rather unusual for such a straightforward type of person, but he had proved everyone wrong with the result. Some of his pictures sold for hundreds of Galleons and he had a large market across the seas in America and other parts of Europe. Ginny smiled fondly at her own paintings, which he'd drawn especially for her. They were beautiful. One was of her when she was sixteen years old, smiling happily and running through a garden with her red hair flowing out behind her and her brown eyes practically dancing with delight. Happiness was exuded from the very essence of the picture- yet now, only two years later, things couldn't be any more different: she had misery on her shoulders, and no longer was her face the picture of youth and innocence.
It all stemmed from the fact that she felt truly alone, and that was something she wasn't used to with such a large family. All three of her eldest brothers were now high fliers, and Fred and George's joke shop business had extended over the whole of England, so they were working in London right now- Ron of course had succeeded in his art and was beginning to settle down with a family, and where did that leave her? She was the only one without a business, spouse or any type of achievement, and she loathed it.
With a start, Ginny came back to reality at the sound of three sharp taps on the door. It was her brother's knock- which meant Hermione had told Ron everything, and sent him round. Sighing, she got up from the sofa and crossed over to the door, unlatching it swiftly.
Ron Weasley stood there, his red hair stuck up in little clumps and his pale eyes gazing down at her with concern. Since his teenage years he had grown even taller, though now he had grown into his height a little, becoming broader and a little less gangly; he still tended to look a bit worse for wear, and it didn't help that he had a huge blob of purple paint on his chin. His smile was as warm and brotherly as ever.
"Can I come in Ginny? I heard all about what happened."
"Of course you can," she replied, stepping aside and allowing him to enter the living room. Without another word he wrapped his arms around her and embraced, causing a lump to appear in Ginny's throat. How long had she been needing a hug? It seemed like forever since such a show of affection, and she didn't want to let go.
"Hey... what's the matter?" he asked, pulling back and gazing at her worriedly. "Are you eating right? Since Mum's gone nobody's been checking your meals."
"I am eating right Ron," she said crossly, but ruffled his hair all the same. "Don't fuss. Now, do you want a cup of tea?"
A few minutes later, both of them were sitting on chairs with steaming hot mugs of tea, discussing anything and everything. It had been a while since they had last spoken, and they were used to seeing each other everyday.
"Enough now," he said, putting down his cup on the wooden table. "Are you going to tell me your version of what happened between you and Hermione?"
Ginny sipped her tea. "It was all my fault, and that's the truth. I got up late and when she ticked me off, I got pissed and started shouting. I was totally out of control and in the wrong."
"Funny that," he said wryly. "Hermione said exactly the same about herself."
"She shouldn't have sent you," she sighed. "It's unfair to drag you into this. Tell her I am really sorry, and I promise I'll make it up to her."
"That's not why I came. I want to find out what's wrong, Gin. I've never seen you look so ill."
"Thanks!" Ginny said in mock offence.
"No, I'm serious. You look tired, like you're not getting any sleep. Is there something you're not telling me? You know I'd do anything for you, so you just say the word and I'll sort it, alright?"
"Nothing's wrong, I'm totally fine. You concentrate on keeping your art up and running, and looking after your wife and future child."
"Is it Malfoy?"
Ginny sat up. "What makes you think that?"
"Hermione told me he's been calling round at the firm looking for you, and I'm sick to the back teeth of that bastard. At school he was such a- God I hate him! He works in the art industry too, you know, and always seems intent on running me out of business. And when I heard he was sniffing round you, you can just imagine how I felt. He asked you out on a date, didn't he?"
"Yes, he did."
"Well it's lucky you had sense enough to recognise a loser when you saw one." Ginny realised that Ron had presumed she'd said no, and didn't have the heart to tell the truth.
"Uh-huh. Enough about him anyway, it's got nothing to do with him, I'm really fine. If anything I'm just worried about you and Hermione, s'all. I want everything to be perfect for you."
Ron smiled in relief. "Really? Is that what was making you upset? Oh Gin, what a silly little thing you are!" He reached over and kissed her on the cheek fondly. She smiled weakly, feeling another twinge of guilt. She had well and truly become a liar recently. "I'll tell you the truth though," she said confidentially. "I was troubled the other day, when she nearly fell down the stairs. Healers said the baby is really weak and she needs a load of rest, but she just won't listen to me and stop working. I think I'm going to have to pay for a nurse to be with her 24 hours a day, because you know what she's like- she will never just stop and take things easy. She's definitely going to have to leave her job now, after the scan we went to yesterday. We think it's malnutrition that's causing problems, because Hermione barely eats anything, much less than she should when she is supposed to be eating for two. I doubt the amount she digests could feed a sparrow! And who knows, maybe it will be good for her to have a nurse; at least it'll give her some company when I'm at work and she's on maternity leave."
"Hermione's baby is ill? What do you mean?"
"It's really small for the length of pregnancy and the tiniest fall could result in miscarriage. Any little glitches and there will be brain damage. Oops, I shouldn't really be talking about this with you, you've got enough worries of your own," he laughed quietly, and patted her shoulder. "Maybe I should get going."
"Wait!" Ginny grabbed his arm, nearly causing the table to spill over. "Why don't... why don't I come and live with you, and you know, help Hermione out?"
Ron stopped. "What? Really? You want to live with us?"
"Sorry if I seem cheeky. But I'd pay rent and since I don't have a job anymore, I could help out and make sure Hermione gets rest... of course, it's probably a stupid idea and if you'd rather not-"
"Are you kidding? I think it's bloody brilliant," he cried. "And don't be ridiculous, you don't have to pay rent. Move in whenever you like! We'd be pleased to have you, and I've always worried about you cooped up here by yourself."
Ginny was already beginning to regret the decision, but it was definitely for the best. Despite the fact she should be avoiding them so they didn't get too attached, she was distraught at the idea of them losing the baby, and would do anything in her power to stop that happening. Without seeming a nag, she would make sure Hermione's baby would survive, and give them the happiness she couldn't have. And shouldn't she be using the time she had left for a good cause?
"If that's okay with you Ron," she said determinedly. "I'll move in tomorrow."
Okay okay, no Draco action, except for his small scene at the beginning! Next chapter Ron takes them all to an art gallery- no surprises for guessing who else is there... It's probably going really slow but this chapter was real hard to write and at least I managed it. Hopefully it wasn't too dreadful. Please review, and don't be too harsh!