Persuasions and Old Jeans

"Where are you going?" Ginny didn't flinch in the slightest. She simply thrashed her arm at a large pile of books. It toppled over into her large tattered suitcase that was lying open beneath her desk

"I'm going to Diagon Alley." she said tonelessly

"Does mum know?"

"What d'you care?" Ron shuffled towards his sister's unmade bed. "I don't..." he said slowly

"Ronald don't be nervous." Ginny said briskly, rolling two mismatched socks into a ball. She could read the emotion in her brother's words, and she wasn't about to waste her time pointlessly inquiring to make sure her assumptions were correct.

"I'm not." he replied immediately. She turned to face him. Her large green eyes were sympathetic and open.

"Well good." He gave a weak smile as she reached out and awkwardly patted his shoulder. "And you...would you do me a favor?" she mumbled, walking back over to her suitcase

"What?"

"Could...would you just not tell mom about this quidditch thing? If...if you could?" Ginny could sense her brother's back stiffening behind her. He stalled, fingering the articles of clothing strewn all over the bed...

"Why?" he asked finally

""Just...just don't." She snapped her suitcase shut and stood it up with a healthy thunk. Several meaningless thoughts sailed through her tangled mind. And as many things she was unsure of, she knew that she didn't want her mother knowing.

"All right..." he agreed. Suddenly he eyed the suitcase questioningly. "Gin...why are you packing a suitcase to go to Diagon Alley?" Ginny couldn't help but roll her eyes to the ceiling. She was annoyed. Why wouldn't he just leave?

"I''m not packing a suitcase to go to Diagon Alley you-"

"Then, why are you packing a suitcase?" he questioned.

Opening up a second bag, she began to throw random items, into it's largest compartment; pants, old quills, empty ink bottles, her smallest cauldron...grasping a large book she felt one of her nails bend backwards and snap off.

"Urgh..." she dropped the book and scowled down at her index finger now extracting a small portion of dark blood. Ron eyed the cut avidly... "Because..."" she said finally snapping into motion once more "I figured I would stay at Laura's for the rest of the summer..." He raised his eyebrows, in the neurotically superior way he did. Ginny loathed the look her gave her and continued to pack.

"Why?"

"Why the hell not?" she snapped as the tip of her finger throbbed with discomfort

"Well does-"

"No, mum doesn't know! All right?" She listened to the words fly recklessly from her mouth, not remembering decided on them...shaking off the unsettling feeling, she reached onto her bed and pulled at the first thing she saw. Her jeans came loose, from under Ron's foot which he didn't bother moving.

"Well why are you-"

"I don't have to answer your moronic questions!"

Everybody''s watching you now...

Ginny whipped around facing him with her poisonous expression. She narrowed her eyes menacingly and felt that awkward agonizing feeling leak into the room..the one she had, had so little control over lately. She gave a terrible shiver and turned away, arching her shoulders forward.

"Could you please just leave now?"

"Fine." he said, hurt strangling his words. She breathed again as her brother exited the room. Clueless as to why she was so irritated by his presence, she allowed a tear of confusion to escape her eyes. The still and silent room seemed to be drowned in irreversible commotion. She slammed a frustrated hand ono her bed and pulled off the last pair of pants. Slowly she slid out of the skirt she was wearing and began to wiggle into the jeans. They had to fit... they had to. She had no idea why but she knew these pants had to fit her. A harassed feeling, prodding at her she pulled harder, now trying to do up the zipper. Her tiny fingers burned as she yanked the jeans up higher and finally held her breath as she fumbled with the button. But they wouldn't do up. They didn't fit. Miserably she yanked them off and forcefully chucked them at the wall facing her door before crawling underneath her covers and staring at the ceiling. They didn't fit. Nothing fit anymore...

"Sup drama bitch?"

"Excuse me?" Ginny replied to her brother's voice

"Ron tells me you're running away."

"Running away, my ass. What exactly would I be running from?"

"You tell me."

"Fuck you."

"Oh. Mum's tiny little baby girl can curse. Wait until she finds out."

"I have packing to do."

"Doesn't seem like it."

"How so?"

"You don't seem to be packing. You seem to be lying in your bed staring at the ceiling. Which looks exceptionally interesting if I do say so myself."

"Good point. You can leave now."

"What's with the PMS?"

She said nothing

"Where the fuck is Ginny?"

Ginny turned and stared at Fred. Before he was joking around, almost making her laugh but now he was just being a moron. He was annoying the hell out of her as was everyone else. She just wanted to leave, only for about two weeks and be back at Hogwarts. Harry did it every year. Why was this such a big deal for her?

"I''m right here." she said dully

"No, I mean where the fuck is Ginny?"

She blinked.

"You're gonna have to help me out here."

Fred sat down on the edge of her bed still wearing that idiotic grin he never bothered to wipe off his face. It had never really bothered Ginny but right now it was driving her insane.

"I mean the Ginny whose afraid of nothing and no one. Jesus Gin, you have one fight with mum and you wanna run away to Laura's? Mum screams at me like that as a greeting every morning."

"I know she does. Consider yourself lucky."

"Eh?" he asked confusedly

Ginny had no idea where that came from but she meant it.

"I just mean that's not why I'm leaving..."

"Then, why?"

"Do I need a fucking reason to want to see my friend?" she bellowed recklessly

Fred paused still smiling.

"Does Laura even know you're coming Gin?" he asked gently

Ginny hated his tone. It was the tone of someone who was trying to explain to her that Laura probably didn't want her there but was too scared and moronic to come out and say it.

"She won't mind." Ginny announced curtly. And she slammed her suitcase shut.

An hour later she had finished her sloppy packing and washed her hair, Ginny walked silently down the staircase.

"Hi mum." she said to her mother's back, after she could stall no more

"Oh Ginny!" her mother exclaimed, and turned around, "Good, I need some help with dinner, unless of course you want to practice a bit before you-...Ginny why have you packed your bags so early?" she asked in a confused, nervous voice

"The Porters asked me to come stay with them mum." she lied effortlessly, "I figured you wouldn't mind...you don't do you?"

"Oh...oh...no of course I don't." she answered. And with it she turned coldly back to face the oven. Ginny felt reasonless tears well up in her eyes. She was being a horrible daughter again.

"I'll come back at Christmas." she said, voice shaking

"Of course you will."" Mrs Weasley said shortly.

"Mum, please say good bye to me." Ginny begged, her voice almost breaking

"Oh..." Mrs. Weasley turned around and wrapped her arms around her daughter "I wish you wouldn't go Ginny. You know it's almost, never we have this much of the family in one place."

"I know mum. But it isn't a big deal, I''ll see you again. I just couldn't go if you were-"

"Go then." her mother almost spat, releasing her.

There was nothing Ginny could do.

"Fine." she stiffened, not letting herself cry again, over something this stupid. "Bye."

"Good-bye Ginerva." she said in a stone cold voice.

And with it, Ginny grasped a handful of thick power and stepped into the fireplace.