Chapter Sixteen: What Is It to Be a Weasley

Wednesday evening. Gryffindor common room. The noise of scrubbing something on or off parchments, chat and gossip, even already planning for the Ball: gowns, make-ups, boys and whatever else that can haunt girls' minds. Guys, on the other hand, were more serious on the matter of Hermione's announcement. What would happen if her words were true? What could they do to prevent or stop Dark Lord's invasion? Nobody could tell. But sounds of biting up all the crap from the dummies, which were all around the common room, were telling a lot.

Dream Team and Ginny settled near the fireplace, peacefully doing their homework. Hermione was sitting straight in an armchair, reading some ancient volume, Harry was also reading a textbook, but was looking at the ceiling from time to time as if praying, 'When does this all end?' Ron was furiously writing something on a pretty long piece of parchment.

"What are you doing, Ron?" asked Ginny without taking her eyes from her own homework. "It isn't Voldemort, its just homework."

"It's even worse then, hm, Voldemort, it is a Potion's essay, and I must do it by tomorrow morning! Stupid Snape!"

"Let me see," said Ginny, extending her hand ready to take the work.

Ron stared at her with huge eyes, then mumbled, "It's seventh year Potions, Gin. You can't help me with it."

"I'll just look through. You need help, don't you?"

"Oh, ok," Ron gave her the essay still unbelieving that she could help him in any way.

'Hmmm, 'The Usage of Lavender in Antidotes for Snakes' Poisons'. Interestin, but easy. Marko told me everything about it two months ago, not long after the Halloween incident,' she read for a few minutes. 'Pretty good for Ron, but can be better.' "You are improving, big brother of mine," she said half-joyfully half-seriously, attempting to sound like a teacher. "But you can make the essay even better if you rewrite this and this passage," Ginny pointed at the places on the parchment with the tip of her wand, "using 'Aroma Poisons' and 'Different Sides of Herbs." After saying this, she returned to her homework, but less then thirty seconds later she tilted her head up meeting three pairs of big eyes, staring right at her. "What?"

Surprisingly, Ron was first to snap out of shock.

"And how, little sister of mine, may I ask, did you get this kind of information in this pretty, small head of yours?"

"You know, Ginny. It is a very specific literature," added Hermione with concern in her voice.

"You want to say, that it is kept in the Restricted Section!" Ron yelled, beginning to lose his temper.

"O, no, Ron, of course not," said Hermione, the peacemaker.

"You haven't answered my question, Ginny," Ron said in a quite dangerous tone.

"Nothing illegal, Ron. Just came across it while doing my own Potions' homework," Ginny tried to say calmly and naturally. She hated to lie. In her opinion, playing with her wand could be a good distracting from her 'truthful speech', but she was very, very wrong.

"What's with your wand?" asked Harry, the observant one.

"What is with it?" Ginny asked innocently.

"It's black," Harry stated. Ron and Hermione immediately turned their heads to examine the wand more closely.

'Dammit. Now I need to go through all this top-secret mess! I hate lying.' "Look, Ron, it's perfectly brown," she turned the wand so that the other side was seen.

"But the other side is still black," said Harry, pointing at the other side.

'Dammit, Harry, why are you so observant?'

"It really is, Gin," said Ron closely examining Ginny's wand.

"Oh, Ron! It's just ink! Give it back!" Ginny grabbed her wand and started to pull, trying to return her wand before anyone got suspicious and Ron would question her. And in this Ron was a professional.

"Ok, ok, have you stupid wand," Ron grumbled and took his hand off Ginny's wand. From such a sudden release Ginny fell on the floor holding her wand for dear life.

"Are you all right, Ginny?" asked Harry with concern and tried to help her stand up.

"I'm fine, no problem." Ginny stood up without accepting Harry's help. "Now, if you don't object, I would like to finish my homework." She sat back on the chair and sank into a textbook or looked like it.

There were a few minutes of silence, everyone tried to look busy with their homework. Ron felt guilty and wanted to smooth out the situation.

"How are Head Girl's duties going, Hermione?" Ron asked sternly, but attempting to make a conversation.

"Maybe you can tell us some little secrets, ha, Herm'?" Harry was really glad that the ice was broken. He thought that he would go crazy if he read one more page today. And if you want to skip studying in Hermione's presence, you should ask her about her other favorite subject: Head Girl business.

"They aren't secrets for nothing, you know," Hermione said without lifting her head from the book.

"Oh, common, Herm', just one little one, please," begged Ron. He was too far from wanting to learn anything tonight.

"Ok, but only one," she paused for bringing the importance of the so called secret. "There is going to be a Ball at the end of the term," Hermione whispered as if opening the most secretive secret of the world.

"Booo, I hate Balls!" Ron said loudly, making Hermione put a hand over his mouth.

"Tsss, it's still a secret, don't yell it on every corner!" she hissed in irritation, but then shrieked because Ron bit her finger, and fell back into the chair.

"I still hate them. But that's not a secret, everyone knows about it," he said more quietly.

"A Ball? Why should Dumbledore organize it?" asked Harry.

"Maybe to lift up the school spirit?" supposed Ron.

"Could be. Who will you go with, Ron?"

"Um…um, I don't know," he sighed. "What about you, Harry?"

"The same. What about you, Ginny?"

"Huh?" Ginny only now was distracted from her homework; she didn't pay attention to the conversation.

"I asked who you would go to the Ball with?"

"I don't know, with whoever asks, I suppose," she mumbled.

"No boyfriends this year, Gin?" asked Hermione surprised.

"Yes, alone as a cactus in a dessert," Ginny answered with no emotion, but longing was visible in her glance.

"You know, Ginny, I want to ask you one question, the answer to which is very important for me," Ron said in an older brother tone.

"Oh, Ron, what now?" Ginny groaned. She must finish the homework and they all keep distracting her!

"The other day Della came to me and asked where my sister was. All that I could say was that I didn't know. She gave me a 'You are your brother, you are the first to care for your sister's whereabouts' lecture and said, she didn't see you anymore in the common room and you kept sneaking out regularly to Gryffindor knows where. Have you any explanation of your behavior?"

'Dammit, dammit, dammit. Why do I have such a brother? What will I tell him?'

"It better not be a new boyfriend!" Ron warned.

'It would've been much easier, if it had been just a guy, well practically it is, but it isn't just any normal guy, its Malfoy himself. There is no way out from this mess!'

"And don't look at me with those puppy eyes, this won't help a bit!" Ron was now in a full mode of an overprotective brother roll.

Ginny couldn't even pip, she was so scared and confused. Snape told her that she couldn't say anything about her potion sessions, even to the closest people. Dozens of excuses flooded her brain, but nothing suited her or came out of her mouth. She was sitting there looking anywhere but at the Dream Team and said nothing. To Ron it looked very suspicious. Yes, he cornered her with boyfriend stuff, but what was this fear from? Maybe there is something worse? Maybe she is sleeping with him?

"Answer, Ginny, you better have a good excuse," Ron said seriously.

Ginny couldn't feel her tongue or even her body. "I…I," she began to mumble, but then tears began to flow down her cheeks. "I caan't tell you!" She yelled, jumped from the chair and ran to the Portrait Hole.

"Look, what you've done, Ron! Again!" reproached Hermione. "Why are you doing this every time she finds a new boyfriend? Aren't you tired of bringing her down?" Ron only looked guiltily at his feet.

"Hey guys, she hasn't run to her bedroom like always!" remarked Harry.

Ginny ran and ran without seeing where she was going. She was turning corners, used many stairs, but her legs themselves brought her to the lab. She opened the door soundly and ran in, still crying and hiding her face behind her hands. She knocked right into Draco, who was awakened by such an unceremonial intrusion.

"Merlin, what's now, Anne? Look what time it is!" Draco said with reproach and irritation, but then saw that she was crying. "What happened, Anne?" he asked with concern.

"Only yesterday you tried everything only not to answer such silly question," Ginny said through sobs.

"But you are not me, you're a Weasley."

"Is this an insult?" She lifted her head up to look at him; tear traces still visible on her face.

"No, it is a statement," Draco put his hand on her shoulders, "Now lets sit, drink some tea and you'll pour your heart to me."

"And why should I do that?" she asked smirking.

"Because we are partners and must share our feelings and blah-blah-blah," he said making funny faces.

"Good reason, especially that blah-blah-blah thing," Ginny said smiling.

"I know that I am smart and all, but back to the point."

"Nothing special, just Ron being Ron."

"But he said something that made you cry and run all the way down here," Draco pointed out unbelievingly.

Ginny sighed. "Of course it wasn't that simple. At first it was my wand, then my sneaking out here, then the Ball at the end of the year and the finest blow – new boyfriend, who I am sneaking to."

"Interesting, interesting. So it finally came. Excuses for relatives and friends, pretty late to my mind."

"Della noticed my absence, Ron is too busy to look after his little sister and thank Founders for that," she lifted up her hands towards the ceiling. "He turned into an overprotective brother and demanded answers about my whereabouts, but I was so confused and…and…and I just told them that I couldn't tell them. How foolish of me! If I am telling that I can't tell something, a mystery is going on and you know what is the result of a mystery plus the Dream Team. I just don't know what to do!" Ginny threw up her hands.

"Yes, Dream Team is always trouble," Draco said with a nod. "Inform Snape, he'll cover for you, don't worry." Draco looked into her eyes. "But that wasn't what got you so upset, was it?" he asked with a wink.

"Well, you know, I don't know how to tell you," she began unconfidently and not looking at him.

"Uuum, that's becoming interesting," Draco smirked.

"Do you really want to know?" she asked trying to hush up the topic.

"Yes," Draco answered firmly.

"It was the boyfriend thing, that got me upset," she said shyly and blushing a little.

"I am feeling myself at a slumber party," Draco grunted.

"You asked yourself, so now listen," she said playfully. "Well, maybe you already know this; but I would like to tell from the beginning." Another grunt. "I didn't have any problems with boyfriends. I had one in my forth year, then two last year, but none this year. Of course I don't have any time for a relationship now, not in the times like this. Maybe I am spoilt, but I miss it so much. This feeling that somebody needs you, somebody cares for you. Somebody who'll do anything to make you happy, who'll just be beside you, when you need him." At the end her voice began to crack and tears again began to stream down her cheeks.

Draco didn't understand her, she spoke about things so foreign to him, but he still wanted to cheer her up somehow.

"Don't worry, Anne," Draco said softly. "You'll find him, here or on the other side of the world, but you'll find him, I am sure," he patted her on the back.

"Maybe I sound hypocritical, but I don't want to look for him, I want him now, here," she slammed the place beside her on the couch and continued to sob. "I want to go to the Ball like everybody else, but even if I've got a date, I have nothing to wear. Nothing," she shook her head for the emphasis.

"Yeh, what a hypocrite you are! I've never thought about you like a so light-headed girl. Boys and clothes are the only things on your mind. Shame on you!" Draco said strictly, but trying to hide a smile.

"What can I do, I am just a girl," Ginny said with a sigh.

"Don't worry, just ask your relatives to give you an evening gown for a birthday. You have a birthday, don't you?" he said carelessly.

"Of course, it's on the 20th of February, but I don't have even a slight chance with them, they can't afford it," she sighed again.

"You have time till May, just make a list of candidates and begin the attack!" Draco joked.

"Ok, I'll do it first thing in the morning!" Ginny said smiling at him.

"Now, all the worry is gone and I really hope that you'll be gone too right now or you won't get enough sleep and the list will be wrong."

"Ok, good night, Marko," Ginny stood up from the couch and headed to the door.

"Good night, Anne, don't include all male population of Hogwarts in your list of victims."

Ginny was already at the doorframe, when she turned back. "What question did you want to ask?"

"What question?"

"Remember, you said that you'd tell your story only if you asked me a question in return."

"Don't worry, you've already answered it."

"Huh, what was it?"

"What is it to be a Weasley."