A/N – Hey guys! I finally finished Ch 16, and am now onto Ch 17. I was going to update yesterday, but I didn't feel safe updating on Friday the 13th. Superstitious me ;) Guess what!? I got a fake tan, finally getting rid of this horrible winter skin, it actually looks good – surprisingly. I'm very pleased, and in such a hyperactive mood! Lala.
Enjoy – and don't forget to review!! And don't forget to thank my jazzy, jamming and joyful BETA: Nesserz. (Check out her HG fic "Was It Something I Said?" please?)
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Ch 11 – Tears and Consolations
Dedication: CrazedChipmunk. I'm so sorry for forgetting you!
- - -
The only occupant of the Weasley kitchen when Harry and Ginny arrived was Molly Weasley and she was happily humming and preparing breakfast. The newspapers lay un-opened on the table, the terrible lies unknown to the rest of the Weasley's so far. Mrs Weasley turned her head at the sound of the fireplace, expecting to see someone from the Ministry or a family member.
She was right in seeing a family member, though she didn't expect to see her daughter sobbing in the arms of Harry Potter.
Mrs Weasley stopped what she was doing and hurried over to them, a stricken look on her aged face. "Oh Merlin. . . oh Ginny. . ." She took her daughter from Harry and wrapped her in a hug only mother's can give, the one where they act as a shield from the rest of the world. "Shh, shh" Mrs Weasley whispered stroking her daughter's auburn head.
"What is going on?" she asked Harry, slightly accusingly.
"I found her when she was. . . when she was like this." Harry answered, looking worried. "I think it's because of what was in the papers, which was why I was there in the first place." He added hesitantly.
"It was all lies!" Ginny cried, she sounded like she was having trouble breathing.
"Lies? What lies? What was in the papers?" Mrs Weasley asked, looking shocked and confused. "Not about my Ginny?"
Harry looked around, as if searching for an answer in the small kitchen. He didn't find any. "Yes. . . about Ginny." He said heavily.
Mrs Weasley gasped and bustled over to the where the papers were lying on the table. "Lies. . . what lies?" she muttered, opening the paper. Like Ginny, she didn't have to look far to find the source of the problem.
"Oh. . . oh my. . ." Mrs Weasley said breathlessly, eyes wide and disbelieving. "This c-can't be true."
"I don't think it is." Harry offered.
Mrs Weasley didn't answer. "Arthur! Arthur! Come quick!" she yelled urgently, rushing back over to Ginny who was finding it hard to stand up straight.
"Oh sweetie. . . we'll fix it. It's not. . . it isn't true. . . is it?" Mrs Weasley asked uncertainly. Ginny shook her head mutely, shuddering violently. Harry just stood there, unsure of what to do.
"Arthur! Arth-" Mrs Weasley stopped when Mr Weasley stepped into the kitchen, still in night clothes and looked utterly puzzled.
"Yes Molly dear?" he asked. Then he noticed the silently sobbing Ginny and stopped.
Mrs Weasley pointed wordlessly to the papers, looking angry and upset at the same time. Mr Weasley strode over to the paper and read the page Mrs Weasley had left open seconds before. His gaped and spun around.
"Bloody Ministry! Who do they think they are. . . printing lies about our family?" Mr Weasley paused. "Er, they are lies aren't they Gin?"
"Oh Arthur. . ." Mrs Weasley snapped. "Of course they're lies, like Ginny would do such a thing. I tell you. . . those Petersons have always thought they were above us."
"Do you, do you want me to take Ginny upstairs?" Harry asked tentatively.
"Oh yes, of course Harry dear. Arthur is going to need to sort this out at the Ministry." Mrs Weasley said tiredly, sighing. Harry nodded and picked Ginny up again, as if she was a tiny feather. He carried her up the stairs, the sound of Mr and Mrs Weasley's tense, angry voices fading as the climbed to the top of the stairs. Harry noticed how he seemed a bit big for this house now, almost in an Alice in Wonderland sort of way. The Burrow was still the Burrow, but spending years away from it somehow made it shrink.
Harry nudged open the door to Ginny's room and walked in, laying her gently on the bed. She rolled over instantly, clutching her pillow and muffling her cries by covering her face with it. Harry pulled the blanket over her, uncomfortable.
"If it helps. . ." he said uncertainly, waiting for Ginny's sobs to quiet. ". . . I know you didn't do it." Ginny didn't answer, only squeezed her eyes shut and gripped the pillow tighter. She felt so weak-hearted and silly crying, where was the Gryffindor courage in her? Harry nodded and walked out, shutting the door softly behind him. His footsteps grew fainter as he went further down the hall, back towards the kitchen.
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What woke her up were probably the loud, angry voices of people downstairs. Ginny opened her eyes and stared at her white, peeling off wall, knowing that most of her family were downstairs and were arguing about the current fix. Her head was hot and sweaty, the pillow warm and slightly damp from her tears as well. Her fingers were cold though, icy cold, so she reached up and pressed them against her forehead, savouring the coolness. Judging by the amount of light, she guessed it was the afternoon now.
Ginny shifted over, one of her arms numb from sleeping on it for several hours. As she moved, she felt something hard beneath her, under the thin mattress. She moved again, thinking it was just a loose spring of some sort, but it felt flat. . . like a book. Curious, she leaned over the mattress and stuck her hand under it, feeling something hard. Knitting her eyebrows, she tugged hard, almost smashing her head against the wall as the book slipped out from under the mattress suddenly. It was very worn, and it didn't seem to be a book at all.
It seemed to be a diary.
Her diary, from when she was at Hogwarts. More shouts from downstairs came, but she didn't hear it. Ginny blinked, forgetting all about the morning's events and without a moment's hesitation, opened her diary. It was an entry from her third year.
Dear Diary,
It's been a while hasn't it? Well I do have reasons, namely the TriWizard Tournament. Last night was the Yule Ball and to tell the truth I didn't really enjoy it that much. I may not be that great at dancing, but Neville is ten times worse. Still, I didn't want to hurt his feelings so I didn't mention my toe was really hurting the forty-fifth time he stepped on it. Oh Merlin! You should have seen Ron's face when Hermione walked in with Krum, I thought only Percy got that red. I think that was the first time he truly saw her as a girl, it was kind of funny. Harry didn't seem that angry though, then again he didn't seem to be paying that much attention, except for maybe to Cho dancing with Cedric. I wish he would look at me like that, but he only sees me as Ron's little sister, just like everyone else.
Ginny smiled a little, she remembered writing that entry, all alone in the Common room. How shy and young she was then! She flipped to another page, further forward. This time it was in her sixth year.
Dear Diary,
You won't believe it – I made the Quidditch team! It was amazing, everyone thought I couldn't do it but then I saw Louise's face and I just knew I could. You should have seen Ron's face, actually, everyone's faces. Even Harry was stunned, tonight in the Common room it was like he was actually nervous around me. Harry Potter! Nervous around me! I don't know what I would do without Louise, if she hadn't pushed me to be myself none of this would have happened. We had a huge pillow fight tonight in the common room – Harry tickled me! Do you think that could be taken as a sign of affection? We had to stop though, McGonagall came in and the poor woman was attacked with pillows.
Ginny's smile grew slightly wider; the two entries were two completely different extremes with her personality. She heard her mother shouting downstairs and grimaced, knowing the whole family would be down there. She flipped ahead again, stopping on sometime in her seventh year.
Dear Diary,
Merlin, I love him so much. Harry came and visited yesterday during the Hogsmeade visit, we had lunch together and talked for hours. We're thinking of going away together for a while, after I graduate from Hogwarts at the end of the year. He's gotten so many job offers from different Quidditch teams all over the world, but now he wants to be an Auror. I'd rather he was an Auror; it seems more Harry to be one rather than a Quidditch player. So I'm glad he's thinking of becoming one, it also means he'll be closer all the time. Doing Quidditch, he could be away for months at a time! I love him so much, I can't imagine loving anyone else and I don't think I ever will. I'm sure everyone thinks we're too young to be in love, but we both know we're not. It's one of those things that will last a lifetime.
How foolish and young she was, dreams of love blocking her common sense. No one found true love at seventeen, or saw their true love for the first time when they were ten. She had been so naïve, thinking she wouldn't –couldn't- love anyone else. The idea was ludicrous, just look at her and Jason, now that was love. That entry had been about six months before she and Harry had broken up, the last time she had written in it, in fact.
The voices went quiet suddenly, making Ginny slightly nervous. She didn't feel like facing anyone right now. Luck wasn't with her, however, as she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Heart pounding somewhat, she waited with trepidation for a confrontation. She was slightly relieved however, when Jason knocked and stepped into her room. She smiled then fixed it, remembering the diary she was holding front of her saying things she didn't want anyone to see. Quickly she stuffed it under her pillowsGinny's smile faded, however, at the look on her fiancée's face. Jason didn't look too happy.
"Hi." Ginny said nervously.
Jason seemed to be having trouble breathing.
"I wasn't really expecting you." Ginny said helplessly, looking around at her limitedly furnished room and rumpled clothes.
Jason seemed to find the way to breathe. "You. . . I. . . that's all. . . that's all you can say? I wasn't really expecting you?"
"Yes." Ginny said meekly.
"Ginny. . ." Jason said tiredly, rubbing his forehead.
"Well what else is there to say? I'm a nasty child abuser?" Ginny said angrily. Finally she had an emotion apart from regret and sadness, those feelings made her weak.
"Maybe. Are you?" Jason said quietly, staring at the slightly tilted ceiling.
"I cannot believe you're asking me that." Ginny said slowly.
"Why not? You've been acting differently these past few days Ginny, unlike yourself. You've never gotten angry or loud. That's why I have this sneaking doubt in my head." Jason said sadly.
"Or maybe I've been acting just like myself." Ginny said acidly. It was true; she had been acting more like the Ginny in Hogwarts who didn't care what people thought, rather than the perfect school teacher people had become used to.
"Does the real you do that to children?" Jason said coolly.
"If you knew me, you would know the answer to that question." Ginny said flatly, standing up.
"The thing is I don't think I know you. Or at least, the person you're saying you are. So how do I know?" Jason replied heatedly.
"I would never mistreat a child like that, Jason." Ginny said dangerously, taking a step forward. She didn't know where this sudden strength was coming from, but she was relishing it. It seemed to have been hiding for years.
"The papers don't lie." Jason said testily, thought half-heartedly. He didn't want to believe his Ginny would do this, but it was hard not too.
Ginny laughed coldly. "You are such a Ministry person; they all believe the paper is the law. Of course the papers lie! Don't you remember all those articles about Harry all that time ago?"
"That's another thing," Jason said tersely. "You never even told me what he was doing at your house that morning, or even that night."
"We're friends." Ginny said wearily.
"How? How are you friends? You've never mentioned being friends with Harry Potter before." Jason said, looking slightly hurt.
"Believe it or not, we were at Hogwarts at the same time. He's Ron and Hermione's best friend." Ginny hissed, tired of arguing. She didn't want to fight, not with Jason. He was supposed to believe her; he was supposed to help her not hinder her.
"Well, maybe he'll believe you." Jason said, a note of jealously in his voice that Ginny didn't detect.
"He does, and so does the rest of my family." Ginny said loyally. "Harry and my family were there for me, they still are."
"Well then why do you need me?" Jason asked sadly, walking out the door and shutting it behind him.
Ginny stared at the closed door, hands poised in the air from her passionate speech and mouth open. She shut it quickly, still standing in the middle of her room. This was where she was meant to say 'because I love you', but for some reason, she couldn't say that sentence.
- - - - - - - -
"Ginny, wake up darling. Have something to eat." Mrs Weasley said gently, softly shaking her daughter's shoulder. Ginny opened her eyes, feeling quite fresh despite the current situation.
"Not hungry." She mumbled. She stared up at her mother's anxious face, who was holding a bowl of what looked like soup.
"Nonsense, you'll eat it right now." Mrs Weasley ordered firmly.
Ginny sat up grudgingly, smelling the savoury aroma of the soup. Maybe some food wouldn't be too bad, it seemed to be late in the evening now, so she hadn't eaten all day.
Mrs Weasley sat on the edge of the bed. "You had a fight with Jason, didn't you dear?" she said worriedly. Ginny nodded, not wanting to discuss it.
"I'm sure it'll work out. I think he just had a bit of a shock, everyone did." Mrs Weasley comfortingly, patting her daughter's leg.
"What, and I'm as right as rain?" Ginny said sarcastically then, feeling bad, squeezed her mother's hand.
"No, no. It's hardest of all on you, I know. I just want you to also know that we all know you did nothing of the sort."
"All of you?" Ginny said hopefully.
"All of us." Mrs Weasley confirmed. "Everyone is downstairs and really worried about you. Ron, Percy and all of his family, Charlie, Harry is still here. Such a sweet boy, he's been here all day, trying to help out."
"Really?" Ginny asked disbelievingly.
"Oh yes, even de-gnomed the garden for me. He's worried about you too." Mrs Weasley said absently. "Oh and Hermione arrived a little while ago. We're truly all here for you, whenever you feel ready to face us."
"Hermione? Here?" Ginny almost shouted. What was Hermione doing at the Burrow? She was supposed to be with her parents. Surely she didn't come because of what the papers were saying about Ginny? Maybe she suddenly wanted to tell Ron what was wrong with her.
"Yes, yes. Arrived a couple of hours ago, looked quite distraught actually. A little on the pale side too, she must have something on her mind."
Maybe she'll tell Ron now, Ginny thought hopefully. "I see. . ." she said at the same time.
"Well, whenever you're ready." Mrs Weasley said, leaning over and kissing her daughter on the head. She placed the bowl of soup on the table beside the bed and calmly walked out of the room. Ginny lay back down in her bed, staring resolutely at the ceiling. If she hid in her room the whole time she would get nowhere. Besides, she couldn't hear yelling or shouts anymore coming from downstairs, so that was also a plus. Ginny nodded and got up off the bed, her mind was set. She walked over to her mirror, almost gasping aloud. She looked like crap, total crap.
She ran a brush through her hair and neatened her clothing. Merlin, help me. She thought as she walked out her door and slowly down the stairs, the soup left forgotten. Ginny tread quietly towards the living room, where all the voices were coming from. She paused in the doorway, hidden in the shadows. They were all there, solemn, but there. The light was slightly dim, making the small room look cosy and warm.
"-alright?" the pregnant Angelina was asking Mrs Weasley.
"Oh, I think she'll be fine. It was mainly just the shock and all, but it will all be cleared up sooner or later." Mrs Weasley said steadily. "People will know Ginny would never do that." Someone said something from the far side of the room, just soft enough so Ginny couldn't hear.
"No, no. Arthur will be home quite soon, he's still trying to sort things out with the papers and the Ministry. The Petersons-"
"-Will do anything to get rid of me from Enfantes." Ginny finished, stepping into the room quietly. All eyes turned to her. "They hate me." She said flatly.
"Rubbish, they don't hate you." Mrs Weasley said huffily. Ginny opened her mouth to deny this statement but a sound from the side of the room distracted her. She turned to see Fleur hastily pushing aside what looked like hundreds of letters and then trying to hide them unsuccessfully with her petite frame.
"Euh. . . pardon?" Fleur forced an airy giggle as Ginny kept staring at her. Ginny's heart hammered, she knew exactly what those letters were.
"They're more letters aren't they? Complaining about me." Ginny said bitterly. Fleur looked crestfallen, a small blush appearing on her porcelain skin. Ginny shook her head angrily and walked over to the table. She pushed all the letters off, feeling a small sense of satisfaction at seeing them all land on the ground, showing what she thought of them.
At that moment, Mr Weasley Apparated into the room with a loud pop. In a heartbeat, Ginny knew the outcome of his complaints to the Ministry, just by looking at his defeated face.
"It's okay Dad," she began wearily. "I'll just wait for it to blow over." She turned back to the door, ready to fling herself amongst the pillows and weep. In her room she didn't have to act like she wasn't about to break down and cry.
"I'm afraid that's true, but there's more." Mr Weasley's haggard voice came. Ginny turned, dreading what Mr Weasley was going to say next.
"They're not firing me are they?" she said quietly, not sure she could keep up not crying.
"I'm sorry Ginny. . . but that's not it." Mr Weasley said. His eyes sought out his wife's, telling her in that look what his news was, the look only a married couple can understand.
"Oh no, not now." Mrs Weasley said breathlessly, holding a hand to her mouth.
"I'm afraid so Molly, I'm afraid so." Mr Weasley confirmed. Mrs Weasley sunk into one of the chairs.
"It's time they found out." She said.
Mr Weasley nodded. "Yes." He replied shortly, fingering his wand nervously. Everyone gathered round, sitting down, all eyes had now turned to the tall red and grey haired man in front of them.
"At the beginning of this year there was, as you know, a revolt with the goblins. You know that everyone who wasn't basically noble suffered incredible money losses, some more than others. We all know we were part of that 'some'." Mr Weasley paused, which was understandable as he was getting quite emotional. Ginny knew what was coming; she could actually feel a negative cloud barrelling towards the Burrow.
"It's just been getting worse, we've had less people working at the Ministry because people are getting fired, leading to a lower salary for everyone still lucky enough to be working there. We're losing a lot of money." Mr Weasley continued his voice breaking as he looked around at the devastated family. Ron was holding Hermione's hand tightly, Penny was clinging to Percy, Fred and George were solemn for once in their lives, Bill was holding his sleeping daughter in his arms, keeping an eye on the sleeping Nate on the couch. Ginny braced herself, preparing for the dark cloud to hit.
Mr Weasley paused. In that split second the cloud hit, Ginny grimaced and clenched her fists, knowing the worst was to come. "If it keeps up, we'll lose the Burrow."
Dead silence. There was a snore from Nate and that was it, everyone else was coming to terms with what had just been said. Ginny swore and whirled around, running blindly out the back door. The cool October night air hit her quickly, only strengthening her angry and helpless-feeling mood.
"Shit." Ginny said softly, pulling at a strand of hair. She got even angrier, why shouldn't everyone know how she felt? Why should she remain quiet as usual, choosing to cry instead of doing something?
"SHIT!" she screamed out into the blacker than black night, beating her fist against the wooden rafter that was holding up the small porch. They couldn't lose the Burrow, it was everyone's first home, they grew up in these walls.
"Maybe you should say that just a bit louder, I'm not sure France heard you." A familiar voice said. Ginny turned to see Harry staring at her from the shadows, the darkness cloaking him. No wonder she hadn't seen him. Ginny was about to make a sharp retort when an urge hit her.
An urge to rebel.
An urge that only Harry Potter could help.
"Harry?" she asked carefully, her voice guarded.
"Yeah?" came the instant reply.
"Can you take me dancing?"
Silence. A bird twittered in one of the trees in front of them, the odd one out who hadn't gone to sleep yet.
"Come with me then." Harry said simply.
"Now?" Ginny asked, unable to keep a hint of hope from her voice.
"Yeah, dancing." Harry confirmed.
- - -
Thanks to: michaelrccurtis, mysticalecho, hye em yes, kneh13, fizzie-lizzie, IndiaInk, secondatbat9, Yvette Sorrow, Tabytha, Meli, GWDreamer, jill, Harry kid, blah29, Phoenix, PriBAngel, Goldilocks31890, Zesuit, lost angel92, Toasteh
Sweetjazzbabe – No Chesterfield was just a random name I came up with, although it was the area I grew up in when I was young in America. Thanks for reviewing!
Naz1 – hope that biology essay went all right. ;) No, there is no mistake – she's definitely barren. But let things unravel, you're going to be surprised. (hopefully)
Jag glittrar – It was a bit short, the chapters tend to very. They can go from like 2000 words to about 6000. lol. Why'd you change your name? Yeah, G & J do have a real love, but there are very rocky times ahead.
CrazedChipmunk – It's "poor everyone" really, this is a sad fic. (but happy ending!! I promise!) I'm sorry for forgetting you! I seem to be doing recently. Hopefully the dedication will cheer you up.
Swishy Willow Wand – You're probably the only person to say that, very interesting. Jason isn't a very important character though, so he doesn't have much detail.
Emarald Desire – I will finish this story no matter what. Lol.
xkg511 – really? You like this story even though it's not your type? Wow, I feel quite flattered. What type of story do you usually like?
Theauthorthatwrites2 – I'll try to include Voldie, but I'm really not that talented at anything like that. Except of course, my work-in-progess HG fic I will be writing after finishing this one and (possibly) my LJ. It will have LOTS of Voldie in it, it's the basis of the while fic. I'm actually quite excited about it. But thankyou for reviewing, and yes, I am a "chick" lol.
JamieBell – hope you have an absolutely wonderful time in Taiwan. But don't worry, Tommy will get his "just rewards".
Kwndnl – what do you mean "Peterson from Howarts"?
Bob33 – You'll have to bear with me then, because Harry will be like that. I'm not very good at writing characters that aren't my own, but I do try. And I will also try to include Voldemort, but thing was that he was never part of the plan. If you want a story with Voldie, you should wait until my next HG comes out, where Voldemort is a big part of the plot. Still, I'm glad you like the story! =D
May Liza – Excellent guess ;) You'll just have to wait and see what is going to happen with Ron and Hermione, you may be surprised. Ooh, you're from New Jersey? Way cool, always wanted to go there.
Cherryblossom08 – seadoo is a very amusing word, I don't remember anyone calling it that in America lol. We tend to call it "doughnutting" down here. Oh yes, I have my 2 Siamese Fighting Fish, as well as my gorgeous baby Labrador, her name's Sheba. Aussie accents are alright I suppose, but American ones are cooler. They're all different!
Cggeek241 – I actually did aim to make the Petersons like the Malfoys, glad you picked up on that.
Musicsage92 – I'm glad you got an account! You must tell me when you post stuff, so I can go have a looksie. Thanks for putting my on faves ;) I think the violin looks really difficult, I'm learning guitar at the moment, my friend is teaching me.
Thepunkprincess – Yes, Tommy did lie to his parents. But it wouldn't take much to convince them in the first place, they spoil him. But no, the rest of the kids didn't lie, they weren't in the room with Tommy and Ginny were in there, so they don't know what happened. There should be about 28 chapters in this fic, so we're not even halfway through.
Manders – Glad you liked If You Like Butterbeers, and I am incredibly jealous you live in Florida. What part? I've been to Miami and Orlando.
Icegirl-kat – Glad you liked the drama, but warn me if it gets to over the top. I don't think it does, but just in case ;) Well, Cath is in this one. But she has a bigger role a bit later.
NYCDreamerGirl – That's very high compliment, thankyou! I do like sticking in little hints, and I'm glad you caught the "I need a drink" one. Yeah, Ginny wasn't very nice at school, but she had a lot on her mind. I don't write characters that are not my own so well. Hurrah! Someone who read my Author Notes! Most people go to the personal replies, but there are often important things said in my A/N's. I think more people should do them, I agree with you about making it more personal.
Seekerchic211 – oh yes, but not for a while
Miss Sammieh – no I will not kill Ginny or Harry, that would just be cruel. And yes Louise is definitely coming back, but not until near the end, she has an important part to play. Vital.
HannahLuLu22 – Yup, exactly like Harry in the 5th book. Where the idea came from. Lol, I know she was your fave character, and she is definitely going to make an appearance. But not for a while. She has a vital role in the plot.
Dracoisahottie13 – Lake Tahoe!!? Tell me all about it. is jealous
Deer boy – Lol, I'm sorry, but I do have to ask. You want to take a shower standing? What have you been doing instead?! Haha, got him wrapped around your pinky? I'm allergic to Mosquitoes, I hate the bloody things. Hope you had fun all the same.