Chapter 15
"Ginny? What're you doing?" Charlie leaned up against the doorframe of Ginny's room and gave her a worried look.
"Hmm? Oh, just thinking." She was sitting on the windowsill looking out at the snow-covered countryside. She would be going back to Hogwarts tomorrow; Christmas had passed quickly, but happily. Even when there were a few less presents to go around, Christmas was always overflowing with warm fuzzies. Charlie was staying to see Ginny off, but he would be leaving soon after she did.
"You okay? You seem kind of out of it today." Charlie sat down on Ginny's bed
"Yeah, I don't know ... it just seems so surreal. That I'm lying to my family for him ... but then, I love him – I love him so much." Ginny sighed and turned back to the window.
"Love makes people do crazy things, little one." Charlie winked at her and left her to watch the snow alone.
Platform 9 ¾
"We'll see you in a few months, dear." Ginny squirmed out of her mother's crushing hug and straightened her robes. She walked over to Charlie who was standing apart from the rest of the group.
"I never did get to thank you ... for everything."
"That's what big brothers are for, little one." Ginny rolled her eyes but hugged Charlie tightly anyways. "Try and get a few good pictures of the twins 'cleaning out broom closets'. We'll need something for the wedding album." Ginny and Charlie laughed heartily for a moment before they heard the whistle that signaled Ginny had to leave. Charlie saw a single tear roll down her cheek and immediately felt very sad. "Hey, don't go all mushy on me now. Come here." Charlie pulled Ginny to him and hugged her tightly. "I'll write you, and I'll see you this summer. Oh and by the way, I never got to give you your Christmas present." Ginny pulled away and cocked an eyebrow at her brother.
Charlie reached into his coat and pulled out a dark blue box with a silver ribbon on it. He handed it to her, kissed her forehead, and pushed her gently towards the train. She turned around once she was on board and waved to him. "Thanks Charlie! Love you!"
"Love you, little one." Charlie waved as the train pulled out of the station. Ginny sighed and found herself in what had been dubbed "The Weasley Compartment" a few minutes later. She stared out the window, fingering the box in her lap, and vaguely listening to her brothers plotting against Snape.
"I'll be back later, I'm going to see if I can find Zi." Ron, Fred, and George nodded and started right back into their conversation as Ginny got up and left. Had they paid any attention to their sister, they would have known that Zi hadn't gone home for the holidays. She wasn't on the train.
Ginny wandered the train, but Draco was nowhere to be found. She sighed and stepped inside an empty compartment. Things were swirling around uneasily in her mind; something was wrong. She had this strange, cold feeling in the pit of her stomach. And something told her it had to do with Draco.
She looked down at the box in her lap; she was, honestly, very excited to see what Charlie had gotten her. He wasn't good with gifts at all, but from the look he had given her before she left, she got the feeling that this gift was out of the ordinary.
Ginny tugged on the ribbon slightly and it fell off into her lap. She pulled off the top to the box to reveal an ornately carved, silver jewelry box. She would have expected nothing less from Charlie in regards to the design. Celtic knots were carved all over the box, but in a tasteful manner. On the top, dead center was a claddagh. She smiled subconsciously as she lifted it out of the dark blue box. She pulled up on the hinged top of the silver box, but frowned as she found that it was locked.
She looked back at the blue box that she had set on the seat next to her; inside there was a silver necklace. It was a small claddagh pendant, with a ruby inlaid in the heart, on a simple silver chain. She looked at the front of the box and almost laughed; the claddagh on the necklace was the key to the box.
Ginny pushed the claddagh against the lock and the box opened with a tiny 'click'. As she opened the box further, some music began to play. She knew the tune very well and could almost hear Charlie singing along with it. She listened to it for a few seconds before realizing that she had started to sing along with it; You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are gray. You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away.
Ginny wiped away a tear as she stopped singing; she missed Charlie so much. She had grown up having him there all the time, and now she barely saw him at all.
She blinked several times in confusion as she looked, for the first time, at what was inside the box. There was a golden Snitch ... her golden Snitch, her Christmas present from Draco. She thought she had packed it in her trunk. Her brow furrowed subconsciously as she pulled out the note and read it:
Happy Christmas, Ginny!
I hope you liked your gift, you know I'm the worst with presents. I thought you could use someplace safe to keep your Snitch. As I know you've figured out, the necklace is the key. I know you'll be doing brilliantly in school and everything, but good luck with this term anyways. I really wish I could be there for you with everything that's going on, but I figured the music box would be some kind of substitute. Don't be too hard on Ron and the twins; they love you and are just trying to show it, in their own strange way. Keep your chin up and your head held high. I love you and I promise to come and see you over Easter Break.
Until then, Love always,
Charlie.
Ginny smiled and tucked the not back inside the box, locking it. She shook her head; the ability to sneak into other people's stuff without being noticed was definitely genetic. Bloody hell, she'd been doing it to him for years now.
Gryffindor Girls' Dormitory
"Oh my god, Ginny! There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere!" Ginny looked up and smiled as Zi flopped dramatically onto the bed next to her. Ginny leaned over and hugged her friend around the shoulders.
"How was your Christmas?"
"Well, I have to say that Seamus character is pretty fine!" Ginny rolled her eyes but joined Zi in a fit of laughter. A few minutes later, when they finally regained their composure, Zi asked, "How was yours? Everything okay?"
"Charlie was home!" Ginny answered excitedly.
"Oh and I missed him? Damn!" Zi, having been Ginny's best friend since first year, had been made an honorary Weasley by none other than Ginny and Charlie. Zi had spent several summers at The Burrow and was relatively close to Charlie as well, considering the fact that she didn't have any siblings besides her older sister Cho. And Cho, being the bitch she was, didn't really count. Cho was angry that her sister was different; Zi was in Gryffindor, among other things, and completely went against everything that Cho had wanted for her little sister. Ergo, Zi had unofficially adopted Ginny as her sister, saying that there had been a mix up and she was really destined to be the eighth Weasley.
"Yeah, he said he's coming to visit for Easter Break though." Zi smiled and propped herself up against Ginny's headboard. "I don't know how Mum's going to take that though. He and Mum had a row ... I think it was about me, but he refused to tell me."
"Why would your Mum and Charlie have a row over you?"
"Because Mum doesn't know me anymore ... and Charlie does. I heard him say something about her not noticing that I wasn't her little girl anymore." Ginny sighed and, resting her head against the headboard, closed her eyes. "I just wish all this family drama could stop ... I feel horribly talking to Draco about it because his family is so much more fucked up than mine. And on top of all the shit with my family, I've got to keep the whole thing with Draco under wraps ... oh shit!" Ginny's eyes flew open as she realized what she had just done. "Oh holy fucking shit!" Zi was giving her a confused look, bordering on confused anger.
"What thing with Draco?" she asked slowly.
"Oh my god! Oh my bloody god!" Ginny buried her face in a pillow.
"Ginerva Molly Weasley you better tell me what in the bloody hell is going on right now!" Ginny reluctantly sat up to face her best friend; there was no use in trying to hide it now.
"I'm
... dating Draco Malfoy."
"WHAT?!"
Ginny cringed at Zi's tone and volume.
"I'm so so so sorry that I didn't tell you ... when I was in the Forest we ran into each other. And I don't really know how it happened, but he was really kind and nice and not the person that everyone else sees. He's so different when you get to know him. And so I've been sneaking out sometimes to see him and he really knows how to comfort me and stuff. Please don't be mad that I didn't tell you. I couldn't! Draco and I agreed we wouldn't tell anyone because it would just cause problems. And –"
"Ginny, breathe!" Zi was still looking rather pissed, but she wasn't going to murder anyone now, which was definitely a good thing.
"Are you mad?"
"Bloody hell woman, of course I'm mad!" Ginny bit her lip nervously as Zi closed her eyes and counted to ten, taking several deep breaths. "Ginny, are you, in all complete honesty, telling me that you are in a serious relationship with Draco Malfoy?"
"Yeah ..."
"And have you told me everything?" If Ginny hadn't been mildly afraid of Zi at the moment, she would have laughed at how much she sounded like her mother.
"No ... before the holidays, he told me that he loves me. And I told him that I love him too ... because I do." Ginny became extremely interested in her socks as she waited for Zi's reaction.
"Is he tricking you in some way? Does he have you under the Imperious?"
"Oh my bloody god, Zi! How can you think that?! I love him, not because of some stupid spell or anything like that! I love him because ... because he's him! He's caring and sweet and so many other things that no one sees." Ginny sighed heavily, waiting again for Zi's reaction.
"Oh." Zi sighed similarly to Ginny and rested against the headboard. "So I'm assuming your family doesn't know?"
"No, only Charlie. He's super supportive of the whole thing." Zi nodded silently as Ginny attempted to gage her emotions. "Zi, I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Ginny. I'm just a little shocked is all ... I mean with the whole family rivalry, not mentioning house rivalries. But, if he's who makes you happy, then I'm all for it." Ginny smiled widely and enveloped Zi in a bone-crushing hug.
"Oh my god! Thank you so much Zi, you have no idea how much this means to me!"
"Gin air!"
"Oh, sorry!" Ginny released Zi, still smiling, but within a few seconds her smile fell.
"What's wrong?"
"He's not here. He didn't come back on the train. I've got that weird feeling again; something's really wrong. I hope ... oh my god! What if ... no!" Ginny whimpered slightly as the worst 'what-ifs' started running through her mind. She suddenly had a flashback of the horrible dream in which Lucius had been torturing Draco ... only it wasn't a flashback; it was happening right now.
A/N: Yay! A semi-cliffie! Don't worry; I'll post again before the weekend is over, I promise! Firstly, I'd like to apologize for the last scene there ... there's so much crap going on right now that the creative juices are tainted a little bit by my anger and frustration! Eep! Anywho, I hope you all liked this chapter, please please review! Sorry for the lack of Draco, but it will all be explained later! I will post at least one new chapter by Sunday, but I'm starting like 3 new stories this weekend, so I don't make any further promises!
LilBre: Well, yeah, he's a guy so what can you expect? Sorry if that confused you, how was this chapter? No random thought sessions, so it should have been less confusing! Thanks!
MoonlightPrincess: Mwahahaha! I'm all about the hard obstacles! Just kidding, or maybe not! You'll just have to keep reading and find out! How was this chapter? Charlie made his re-appearance! The curse is yet another product of my boring geometry class!
Krysta1989: Here's your update, how'd you like it?
Fieryred20: Much thanks, how was this one?
Skybluepink: Yay, so glad you reviewed! I've been missing your funny reviews! Good luck with that uni thing! Hope everything goes well. Glad you liked the curse and everything else, how was this chappie?
HarryPotterFan670: Thanks a whole bunch! I'm so flattered by all these comments on my writing skills! Yay! How did you like this chapter?
Inukaino: Yes, I'm all about the mad-crazy twists! Narcissa will actually play a really big role in this story ... but you'll just have to wait and find out exactly what that role entails! How did you like this one?
Paintedsecrets: Well, I'm not really sure either, but I manage somehow! I figure since this is what I want to do with my life, I should find time to do it! LOL, I'm mildly afraid that I actually understood all that. What is "shutup and drive" from? Isn't it like a movie or something? Meh, I dunno! Anywho, thanks a bunch. How was this one? (Looking forward to a really random review!)
MasterHarperMenolly: I'm so flattered! I'm very interesting as to whom you think Mr. Volumnius is ... email me or just leave it in your next review! I'm all about the mystery!
All: Thanks so much for all the reviews! I'm constantly flattered and amazed at the comments on my skill (or in my POV, lack thereof). Keep them coming!
Disclaimer: See if I had a little silver box like Ginny, the note would read:
Pia O'Leary,
You don't own Harry Potter!
And I'd have to show it to you all every time I posted a new chapter!