It seems that almost every time I post I'm apologizing for not posting sooner. Unfortunately, I have a full-time job, and my beta is a full-time college student. That doesn't leave a lot of writing time, but I won't let that stop me. My goal is to update at least once a week, but that can't always happen. Please know that your reviews are great motivators when I get home at night and am sick of looking at a computer. They really keep me going.
Okay, rambling done! Enjoy the next episode…er… chapter of Laws of Love. (I swear I feel like I'm writing a Soap Opera with so many characters and story lines!)
Chapter 16
George stared in shock at the letter in his hand. Katie was trying to leave? Why? He knew that she had been unhappy, but to leave all together without saying anything to him? She must be much more desperate than he had thought.
He looked up from the letter in the direction that Katie had fled. Just how desperate was she?
Stuffing the letter into his pocket he hurried after her.
George sprinted down the hall until he suddenly crashed through what felt like an icy waterfall. Crying out in shock from the cold, he turned back to see the Bloody Baron looking down at him contemplatively.
He felt the nervous fear he had always felt as a student when he saw the bloodstained transparent apparel of the school's most fearsome ghost.
"You had better hurry or she will become one of mine," the gravely voiced ghost informed him with a taunting smirk.
George looked around him desperately, his fear of the ghost forgotten.
"Where?" he cried, unable to remember which direction he had been headed.
"The Astronomy Tower," the ghost answered, raising a spectral eyebrow and giving him a significant look.
George wasted no time, running as fast as his legs could carry him.
The ghost watched George go, wondering if he would be in time.
"Is the Great Bloody Baron going soft?" asked a melodic voice from behind him.
He put a scowl on his face as he turned to greet the Grey Lady.
"Of course not. I just decided that we did not need anymore Gryffindor ghosts," he said, irritably.
The Grey Lady laughed and took his proffered arm. Then the pair of ghosts strolled away to do whatever it is that ghosts do all day.
Meanwhile, George reached the tower just in time to see a flash of dirty blonde hair as Katie plummeted over the side.
"NO!"
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Ginny. That was her name according to the babbling blonde healer. The name was almost a disappointment in that it really didn't tell her much. Since Draco had awoken her this morning explaining her memory-loss situation, Ginny had been so sure that upon learning what her name was, she would remember herself.
Well, she hadn't.
Sighing, she tried to hold still as the healer cast several diagnostic spells over her. It felt like something she had done many times, though she really couldn't remember ever having seen a healer before.
"As far as I can tell you are in excellent physical condition Miss Weasley," The healer informed her a few minutes later.
Ginny blinked.
"I'm Mrs. Malfoy," she corrected even though the name Weasley was tickling at her memory. It was obviously a name she knew well. If only she could remember why.
The healer was now gaping at her.
"Mrs. Draco Malfoy?" the woman asked in shock.
"Yes," Ginny bit out irritably and crossed her arms across her chest.
The women mouthed wordlessly for a moment before clearing her throat and walking away to the other side of the room where the Headmaster (what was his name again?) was waiting patiently.
"Albus, they're going to kill him," she said, not even bothering to lower her voice so that Ginny couldn't hear.
"Is she talking about Draco? Who is going to kill him? Why?" Ginny demanded stalking across the room towards them.
Albus opened his mouth to speak but the healer cut him off.
"Let's start over. Hi, I'm Rachel Weasley. I am your sister-in-law," the woman said holding out a hand.
Ginny shook her hand automatically.
"I'm sorry, Rachel. I don't remember you at all," she confessed.
"Oh, that's a good thing. We've never met before," Rachel explained with a bright smile.
"Oh," Ginny said, smiling back at her.
Rachel shooed Dumbledore away, telling him to round up the boys while she got to know her patient a little better.
As soon as Albus left, albeit reluctantly, Rachel ushered Ginny through a door on the far side of the infirmary.
"This is mine and Charlie's rooms," she said, proudly.
"It's lovely," Ginny said, smiling politely.
Rachel took a moment to soak in the pleasure of the compliment. She had worked very hard on these rooms, and hardly anyone but her and Charlie ever saw them. Maybe she should initiate some kind of weekly get together with some of the other women so that they could give her compliments on the rooms too.
Ginny cleared her throat and Rachel shook her head. Back to business.
A few minutes later, Ginny was seated on a comfortable yet stylish sofa, staring intently at a photograph.
Rachel whipped out her wand and made a duplicate of the picture, enlarging it so that Ginny could see it better. She then conjured a large black marker and wrote the name of each of Ginny's family members over their heads. The Fred and George in the picture sniggered as they kept changing places, but the name written above their heads followed wherever they moved in the picture.
She put an X under the feet of Molly, Arthur, Bill, and Percy.
"This is my husband, Charlie," Rachel said, smiling when Charlie licked his lips and gave her a suggestive look.
They both laughed when Molly walked up behind him and smacked him in the head.
One by one she went through each person telling Ginny everything she knew about him or her, which wasn't much.
Ginny listened silently. It was a lot to take in. The faces seemed familiar to her, but that could be because they resembled her own face.
She focused her attention on her oldest brother, Bill. He seemed the most familiar to her. With his long pony tail and ear ring.
"Mum wanted Bill to cut his hair, but he never would," Ginny said, suddenly.
Rachel smiled and gave her an enthusiastic hug.
"That's great Ginny! You're starting to remember things."
Ginny gave her a hesitant smile in return then her gaze focused on the black X beneath Bill's feet.
"What do the X's mean?"
She knew what the answer would be even before she asked.
The smile slipped off of Rachel's face, and she looked at Ginny with pity.
"It means they're dead, Ginny. They died in the war. Everyone thinks you did too," Rachel answered and summoned a tissue when she saw a tear slip down Ginny's cheek.
"I remember a war…" Ginny whispered.
Rachel put a comforting arm around Ginny's shoulders.
Ginny pulled away suddenly and got to her feet.
"Where is Draco? I don't want to do this anymore. I want to go home," she insisted, terrified of the new images that had sprung into her head.
Rachel nodded at her knowingly.
"I can understand wanting your husband with you. But Ginny, you can't just run away from this…"
"Why not? Draco and I are perfectly happy with the way things are now. Why do they have to change?" she demanded through her tears.
Rachel snatched up the discarded Weasley family photo and stuck it in Ginny's face.
"Because there are people here that love you. They miss you. Your death hurt them the most," Rachel said firmly, but not in a mean way.
Ginny cried harder and Rachel pulled her into a hug.
"They have suffered so much. It would be selfish of you to deny them the happiness that would come with knowing that you are okay."
Ginny cried for a few more minutes then stepped away from Rachel and blew her nose on the tissue.
"Could you get Draco for me?" she asked, trembling.
Rachel stared at her for a long minute.
"If you promise not to run away," she said finally.
Ginny nodded, afraid that if she tried to speak she'd start crying again.
Sitting back on the couch, Ginny looked at the photograph again while Rachel went to her fireplace.
Draco stepped through a few seconds later and gathered his wife in his arms.
"Are you okay?" he asked softly as she clung to him.
"Yes. No, I don't know. I'm scared. Will you stay with me?" she asked hopefully.
Draco pulled back and looked into her eyes. Her pouted lips tugged at his heart, and he knew he'd never be able to deny her anything again.
"Of course I will," he answered and kissed her.
Rachel cleared her throat and they both turned to glare at her.
She raised her hands in an 'I mean no harm' gesture.
"Ginny's brothers are going to be emotional enough as it is. If you are there with her, Mr. Malfoy, someone is going to get hurt. And it will probably be you," she said warningly.
Ginny looked closely at her husband.
"They don't like you. I remember that. And when they find out that you've had me all this time, they will hurt you," she said, solemnly.
Draco took her hand in his.
"I don't care. If you want me with you, I'll be there. They are going to find out about us anyway," he said, bringing her hand to his lips.
Rachel opened her mouth to comment, but Ginny held up a hand to stop her.
"I think we need to do this in steps. Today, we'll just let them get used to the idea that I'm alive. Then tomorrow I'll tell them about us, and your part in all of this. Once I've extracted vows that they'll not hurt you, we will let them see that you are here," Ginny said, decisively.
"If that is what you think is best," Draco said, secretly relieved.
They turned to look at Rachel who nodded her approval.
Ten minutes later, Ginny cautiously made her way to the infirmary trying to hide behind Rachel.
"Where is George?" Albus asked the group of brothers waiting in the infirmary.
"He was supposed to be at the shop, but when I flooed over there he wasn't around," Fred said, a bit peeved that George was skipping work.
Albus got an odd look on his face then excused himself saying he needed to check on something.
"Wait, why did you summon us here?" Charlie called, but Dumbledore was gone.
A moment of silence passed as the brothers stood there, unsure of what to do.
"Wait right here," they heard Rachel tell somebody behind the door that led to her and Charlie's rooms.
"Rache? What is going on?" Charlie asked coming toward her.
She held up a hand and beckoned all of the brothers to gather around the partially closed door.
"Where is Albus?" she asked, suddenly nervous.
"He had to go do something," Ron said gesturing vaguely at the door.
"Coward," Rachel muttered under her breath.
"Okay then. Well, this might come as quite a shock. So please brace yourselves, and try not to overwhelm her," Rachel announced with a bright smile.
She then pulled the door open to reveal a very scared, but a very much alive, Ginny.
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"Katie, why?" George sobbed; holding her unconscious form in his arms as he carefully made his way up the front steps of the school
He was filled with relief and guilt as he watched the steady rise and fall of her chest. She was alive, but badly injured. George had been able to get his wand out and slow her fall considerably, but she'd still hit the grassy lawn rather hard and had been knocked unconscious.
Albus met him half way and helped direct him to the infirmary where a crowd of red heads was huddled together on the far side of the room. He paid them no mind as he gently lay Katie down and yelled for Rachel.
When she didn't come right away, he looked up to see the group of people watching him. His brothers and sister stood there with tears in their eyes, looking at him in shock.
At first he wondered what had upset them, and then his eyes went back to his sister. Ginny, who was supposed to be dead, was standing there staring at him while his fiancé lay unconscious on the hospital bed.
George burst into tears and fell to his knees not able to decide if he wanted to walk to Ginny or stay beside Katie. Luckily, his sister made the decision for him.
"George?" she asked, hurrying over to him while their brothers trailed after her, not wanting her to disappear again.
He nodded and looked up at her with such anguish she nearly fell down beside him. When she was close enough, George wrapped his arms around her waist and sobbed into her stomach while she stroked his hair in comfort.
"Ginny… Katie… I can't…" he murmured then hiccupped and returned to sobbing again.
"Shh, its okay, George. I'm not going anywhere," she looked up solemnly at her other brothers as she said the last part.
They let out a collective sigh of relief and Ginny smiled at them. How could she have even thought of running away from them?
"Katie," George mumbled, struggling to his feet.
Fred supported him on one side, Ginny the other.
"Look George, Rachel is going to fix her right up. See?" Fred said indicating the healer who was swiftly taking readings and muttering under her breath.
Rachel cast the brain diagnostic spell three times; not happy with what she was seeing.
She glanced up at George sharply.
"Tell me what happened," she commanded.
George took a few deep breaths, then shook his head and dissolved into sobs again.
Rachel looked back down at her patient, fighting hysteria herself.
"I'm afraid Miss Bell tried to take her own life by stepping off of the Astronomy Tower ledge," Albus Dumbledore's voice cut through the sound of George's crying and rang across the room.
Ron felt a surge of anger and had to literally bite his tongue to keep from yelling at George. But the sight of his brother reduced to hiccupping sobs was enough to stall the anger. George knew what he'd done, and it would be best for Ron to not interfere in any way.
Ginny stared in horror at the girl lying on the bed. She remembered Katie as a student a few years older than herself. However, it seemed that this girl was very important to George. Why had she tried to kill herself?
She looked at her sobbing mess of a brother and a thousand questions popped into her head. Who could give her answers?
Ginny wracked her brain, shuffling through memories that didn't make much sense until she saw an image of a bushy haired girl with big brown eyes.
"Where is Hermione?" she asked startling everyone in the room.
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Hermione sat on a sofa in her parents' living room discussing baby names with her father while her mother had already begun to knit a pink bonnet.
"Mum, what if they baby is a boy? He can't wear a pink bonnet," Hermione pointed out lazily.
She was full from the delicious Easter Ham that her mother had made, and was feeling quite drowsy. She also was as content and relaxed as she had been since she had started teaching.
"If you can float objects in the air, and peel potatoes with the flick of a wand, then surely you can change the color of a small bonnet," her mother responded with a cheeky grin.
Hermione and her father chuckled.
Suddenly, there was a loud crack and Albus Dumbledore's head appeared in the fireplace.
"Albus, what is it?" Hermione asked, snapping out of her after-dinner stupor to kneel by the grate.
"I hate to interrupt your holiday, but there is a situation here… Well, a couple actually, and I could really use your help."
Hermione looked pitifully at her parents. She had really enjoyed this trip and part of her didn't want to leave them again.
Hermione's mother walked over to her and pulled her daughter into a hug.
"She'll be right there, Headmaster," her father called.
Albus nodded then disappeared.
"I don't have to go. I could stay…" Hermione said, her voice catching.
Her mother smiled and brushed the hair back from Hermione's face.
"We love you, Hermione. We are very proud of you," she said softly.
Hermione's father placed a hand on her back.
"We also know that you have a lot of responsibilities that you need to get back to. Try not to wait so long before you come home again next time though, okay?" he asked.
She nodded and hugged them both.
"I guess I should bring my husband next time," she said, half-heartedly.
"Well, I have to admit that I am curious to meet the father of my grandchild," her mother said happily.
"Yeah, well he's an ass, so don't say I didn't warn you," she said.
Her parents just laughed.
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Hermione walked into her rooms put her bag on the bed and then went to the bathroom to freshen up. When she returned to the bedroom Severus was waiting for her.
She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close for a minute.
"What?" He asked when she stepped back and just stared at him.
"You are an ass."
A silent moment passed.
"And?"
She shook her head and sighed.
"You are an ass and I guess that is okay."
He arched an eyebrow at her.
"Is this a new discovery or are you trying to start a fight?" he asked, warily.
She laughed and kissed him.
"Neither. I'm just stating a fact."
'Must be a pregnancy thing,' he thought, not daring to say it aloud.
Hermione laughed again, like she knew what he was thinking.
"So, what did I miss?"
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Melanie sat at a desk in her study working on her potion review questions for her NEWTs. The task itself was not very difficult until you added the distraction of having her husband nibbling on her neck.
"Harry, I can't concentrate while you're doing that," she said, faking annoyance.
She loved it when he touched her, but he didn't need to know that.
Harry pouted at her and she couldn't help but grin.
"Fine," she said, sighing in defeat and throwing down her quill.
Harry grinned in triumph, and then swept everything off of the desk and onto the floor.
"My books!" she cried and then gasped as Harry swiftly laid her back on the now clear desk and climbed on top of her.
"I've always wanted to do that," he confessed and pulled his shirt over his head.
Melanie laughed despite herself.
"So, we are playing out fantasies now huh?" she asked running her hands down his bare chest and then helping him remove his pants before they both started attacking her clothes.
"Why? You got some you want to try?" he asked nipping her ear as he lowered his naked body onto hers.
"Maybe," she purred as his hands found her breasts.
"Wait your turn," he said replacing a hand with his mouth.
He then proceeded to drive all thoughts of studying from her mind.
Hours later, Melanie was awoken by a slap to the face.
She gasped and sat up in bed glaring at Harry in shock.
He was sleeping, but not very peacefully. He was moaning and thrashing, his arms flinging out everywhere.
"Harry? Harry!" she had to practically yell before he woke up.
"Huh? What happened?" he asked, sleepily.
"You hit me," she accused.
"No I… in my sleep? I'm sorry Melanie. Are you okay?" he asked pulling her against him and gingerly running his hands over her face and neck.
"Yes, I'm okay now. It was just a shock to be slapped awake," she said, wiping away a stray tear.
He kissed her.
"I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do?" he pleaded for forgiveness.
Melanie thought about the name that he had been moaning before she woke him.
"You can tell me who Ginny is."
End Chapter 16
A/N: Okay, so still a cliff-hangar, but not as drastic as the last chapter.
As I expect this week to be really busy, I thought I'd write up a preview of what to expect next. I'm sorry, but it will most likely be two weeks before I update again.
Preview: Up next Harry and Melanie will have to deal with Ginny being alive. Draco's part in Ginny's life will be revealed to the Weasley brothers, and he will have an unlikely defender. We'll learn a little more about Katie's fate. Ron will make an unexpected decision, and we'll get a good look at Charlie and Rachel's life. After that, I'm thinking of skipping ahead a few months so I can have some fun with Hermione and Snape as the reality of becoming parents begins to sink in.