Disclaimer: I own only one character. Jeanie. lol Not a big thing, but don't sue me. Everybody else belong to Jo! Merci beaucoup!
Yes, yes I know! But chapter sixteen is finally up. Enjoy!
Previously in Chapter Fifteen:
"Some reason. He was there for an awfully long time. I mean, what were you doing with him?" She stepped back and looked at him. Her eyes snapping with anger.
"You think I'm sleeping with him?" Did he? He didn't really know what to think. Before he could answer she had walked back into her office and was intending in shutting the door in face, but he caught it. He pushed it open and shut it behind him, locking the door.
"I honestly don't know what to think. When a man is in a room with my fiancée for over a half and hour what else am I to think?" She felt like he had taken her heart and thrown it across the room and had a hippogriff step on it. She whirled around and gave a laugh of disbelief.
"I can't believe you! You asked me to marry you last night and then you accuse me of sleeping with Ron Weasley? You, of all people, should not talk about sleeping around," she said angrily, not realizing what she had said. He stepped back at her last sentence. Did she know?
"You don't know what I did when Ginny went into her coma. I wanted to change after. I didn't want to be the bastard anymore. But when she woke up I knew that things would be different. She didn't remember me. She hated me. She thought I was a Death Eater. But then she came to me. I tried to resist, honestly. I tried because of you, but I was in love with her. When I was with her, I slept around. All the time. I was never faithful to her. Only in the first few months of our marriage. But when that car hit her, everything changed for me. I knew that I didn't want to lose her. It was a horrible experience. I never intended on hurting you too. I ended it with Ginny and then I proposed to you. I do love her. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm not what you thought I was," he said. While he said this, she listened intently. They were, still, staring into the fire.
"What's your real name then?" She flushed and looked down. She looked up at him and bit her lip.
"My name is Jennifer Sarah Weasley. First cousin to Ginevra Molly Weasley," she said quietly. He sat back with his mouth open. He was shocked; but then again… everything started snapping into place. Her attitude was Ginny's. Her facial expressions were Ron's. Her hair, Weasley red. Her build was Ginny's. She had freckles in almost the same places as Ginny, but hers were a lighter color. Her eyes were brown like Ginny's. She could pass for Ginny's twin. That was why he had been attracted to her. He was reminded of Ginny.
"I better go. I'm going to Floo there," she said as she grabbed her wand. He nodded and watched as she walked over to the fire and grabbed some powder and looked back at him. She opened her mouth to speak but he shook his head.
"Go. And good luck." She nodded and threw in the powder and stepped in shouting, "The Burrow!" Draco watched as the green flames engulfed her.
As Jenny stepped out into the living room she heard no one. Maybe I'm not supposed to be here, she thought frantically. Maybe I got the house wrong. Oh please let this be it! She quietly walked towards the couch and tentatively touched it. She vaguely remembered it. She ran her hand up the arm and a smell wafted to her nose. It smelled like her mother's cooking. Suddenly her mind was whisked back years before.
"Jennifer! Don't play in the dirt honey! We've got dinner with your aunt in less than ten minutes! Ron and Ginny don't do that. Ok you three, time to wash up, hurry up!" Jenny turned to see her mother standing with her hands on her hips, with her lips pursed.
"Oh Sam let them play. They're children," came her father's voice. Her mother glared at him, but he playfully slapped her bum and walked into the house to find his brother.
"I don't care what he says, it's time to wash up. Come on you three!" Groaning they stood up to follow her into the kitchen. Ron stood by the sink watching as they washed their hands and when they were done ran into the living and jumped onto the couch.
"Ouch Ronald! That was my footie!" Jenny cried as Ron landed on her foot.
"Oh quit being a baby, baby," he said smirking. She hit him on the shoulder and when she did he tackled her and began tickling her sides. She turned over and felt the soft cushions on the floor when she heard her aunt calling them for dinner.
She stood there with a smile on her face as she remembered. Yes, that had been fun. She only remembered the couch because she fell. She gave a little laugh. She turned around and screamed when she came face-to-face with a Weasley. She put her hand to her chest and stared at them.
"Sorry, can I help you?" he asked. He looked at her and she thought for a moment that he had recognized her because of the look that came over his face, but he shook his head.
"Yes, I'm looking for Ron," she said, adding her accent.
"He's in the kitchen, would you like me to get him?" She smiled, slightly and nodded. He turned to go, but stopped.
"What's your name? Just in case he asks," he said. She bit her lip, contemplating whether or not to give her name away.
"Jeanie Birming," she said smiling. He nodded and walked away. She sighed and sat down on the edge of the couch. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. She didn't want to face Ginny. She didn't want to have to see her. She heard someone and she turned.
"I didn't think you'd come. I was sitting in there talking to them, wondering if you'd come," Ron said smiling. She smiled weakly.
"No, I knew I had to come. I know that I have to face them sooner or later," she said weakly. He nodded. He slid his hands into his pockets. He looked down and then looked up at her.
"I don't really know how you want to do this. We could introduce you as—" Jeanie cut him off.
"No. Let's just go in there and see what happens. Okay?" He nodded.
"But I still think—"
"No Ron. Please, let's just go in there," she said biting her lip. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Okay then. Come on," he said and led her to the kitchen. She took a deep breath and followed him slowly. Ron opened the kitchen door and she heard loud talking and laughing and Mrs. Weasley yelling at Fred and George. She walked through the door that Ron was holding open for her. Everyone looked up and smiled at first. Mrs. Weasley turned around to see why everyone had stopped making such a fuss. When her eyes landed on Jeanie, the plate in her hand dropped and shattered on the floor. Jeanie, suddenly, felt as if a chasm in her body had opened up and she was about to erupt.
"Merlin…" someone said. Ron looked between her and Mrs. Weasley and smiled slightly. Mrs. Weasley clasped a hand over her mouth and stepped forward. When she was standing in front of Jeanie.
"You can't… are you… Jenny-Jenny Weasley?" she asked quietly. Jeanie felt her throat close up and felt the tears well in her eyes. She nodded and closed her eyes tightly. She didn't want to see the faces of her family. She felt hands on her shoulders and then a bone-crushing hug. She slid her arms around Mrs. Weasley and cried on her shoulder. Mrs. Weasley cried too and held her, rocking her back and forth. "It's okay," she said, running her hand down her hair. They pulled apart and she brushed the tears off of her face gently. Like a mother. "Come and sit down," she said, pulling her toward a seat.
Once she was sitting Mrs. Weasley gave plates to everyone then sat down. Mr. Weasley didn't know what to do. He sat down also and just stared at her, hardly believing. Could it be true? That his niece, his only niece, was here in England and didn't die with her parents? They had never known what really happened. All they knew is that they died. How did Ron find her? How did he know? He couldn't take his eyes off her. She looked so much like his brother.
"Where have you been Jenny?" he asked softly. She looked at him, her mouth open, her breathing shallow. She didn't want to answer questions. She looked at Ron and he nodded. She swallowed and took her fork in her left-hand shakily. The only left-handed Weasley. Ever.
"I've been in England," she said, dropping the accent she had used to fool everyone. Still looking at her, he couldn't steady his hands.
"For how long?" He saw her swallow.
"Since I was seventeen. I'm twenty-three now," she whispered. Gasps around the table could be heard. She had been here for six years with no word to her family, how could she do it?
"What have you been doing all this time?" She closed her eyes and set her fork down on her plate shakily.
"I've been working at the Ministry," she said clearing her throat. Sputter's and whispers broke out around the table.
"But dad you're the Minister of Magic, shouldn't you have known she was there?" Fred or George asked, looking at him.
"Yes I should, but I didn't. How long?"
"Since I moved here. I had to change my name," she said looking at the engagement ring on her finger.
"What was it?"
"Jeanie Birming," she said not looking at Ginny who gasped and was staring at her.
"I placed you on the Auror level because you had skills. I had your resume, but I never knew it was you," Mr. Weasley said speechlessly. "I had you down the hall from Harry, Ron and Draco. How did you find out Ron?"
"I recognized her. So I had to confront her," he said looking at the family.
"Were you at the Christmas Ball?" Mr. Weasley asked looking at her.
"Yes she was," Ginny said staring at her. Jenny looked at her and swallowed.
"Who were you with?" Bill asked looking at her through his blue eyes.
"I was with a friend," she said twirling her hair nervously. Ginny snorted and looked at her, Jeanie looked at her with wide eyes.
"A friend? Is that what you call him? He's more than a friend I think," she sneered looking at her ring finger. Jeanie pulled her hand under the table. "An engagement ring? To who are you engaged Jenny? Come on tell us," she said getting angry.
"I don't need to tell you, since you've been with him behind my back now do I Ginevra?" Jeanie countered acted. Ginny's nostrils flared and she stood up slamming her hands on the dining room table.
"I love him! And he loves me!" Jeanie couldn't take it anymore. She stood up and faced Ginny.
"I know! He doesn't love me! He never has, it's always been—" she choked on a sob. Suddenly Ginny felt horrible. She hadn't seen her cousin in years, believing her to be dead and this is how she treats her? She should be happy for her. She hadn't had much of a life. "It's always been you," she finished in a whisper. "I don't want to fight over him. If you want Draco, take him. He's only marrying me for one reason and that's not a good enough reason for me," she said, tears streaming down her face.
Ginny looked down, closing her eyes. She didn't want to hurt her. She knew he loved her and not Jenny, she knew how hard it was to love someone and have them not love you back. She pushed her hair back and looked at her, not being able to stop the hurtful words coming from her mouth.
"Well at least I didn't sleep with him on the first date. I'm not a slut like you. As you said, he's only marrying you for the baby," she said staring at her, not believing what she had just said. Silence fell over the room as all eyes fell on her. A fire was burning in Jeanie's eyes and Ginny felt like she was looking into a mirror.
"Yeah, that's it. Call me names because Draco is marrying me. Hate me because I'm pregnant with his child. Go ahead and hate me," she quietly. She looked down, running her finger in a small circle on the table.
"As much as you hate me Ginny, I don't hate you. I never have hated you. You were always so strong and you could do so much! So much that I could never do. When mom, dad and everyone died I was there you know?" She looked up all anger was replaced with the emptiness and sadness of losing everyone she cared about. The family all exchanged looks and Ginny swallowed the lump in her throat. "But I came back to England. I came back with Patrick, and I wish I hadn't. I wish I had stayed back there so I wouldn't have had to go through this. I wish I could have stayed with my adoptive family," she said staring at nothing. The haunted look came back into her brown eyes, dulling them.
"You have no idea how hard it was. Watching them, watching them die. And then coming back here, knowing you would blame me. I knew that this would happen. I just," she sighed, not looking at anyone. "I just want to-to be where I belong and I don't belong here." She shook her head. "I've wanted to come to you and tell you that I was alive, but I just couldn't do it. I just couldn't. I couldn't come and be… be turned away. I didn't want that. I didn't want that at all." They had the feeling that she wasn't talking to Ginny anymore; she was talking to everyone. She turned to Ron who was watching her every move.
"This was a bad idea," she said in a resigned voice. "You tried, but I told you I didn't want to come." Ginny watched her, feeling a panic rise in her. If Jeanie left then she would be blamed. She mentally shook herself. She shouldn't think about herself. She had missed her cousin. She had been the only other girl in the family. She had thought she was dead. She wasn't. Ginny's heart pounded. What should she do? She didn't want to lose her again. She was frozen to the spot.
"Jennifer," Mr. Weasley said, standing and walking over to her. "We don't blame you. It was Death Eater's. You couldn't have done anything anyway, you were too young," he said gently. She looked down and swallowed. "You couldn't help it. It-it wasn't you." He took her hands in his and forced her to meet his eyes. "We love you. We have missed you and Patrick. We thought you were gone. We thought all of you were gone. But you aren't! You're standing in front of us, all of us." He gently cupped her face. "And we wouldn't want it any other way." She burst into tears and he brought her to him. She cried on his shoulder, her body wracking with sobs. He tried to calm her and ran his hand over her back in circles. She cried until she couldn't cry anymore.
"Jenny?" came the timid voice of Ginny. Arthur let go of his niece and stepped back. She turned around to her and sighed. Suddenly, Jeanie looked so much older than just twenty-three. She shook her head and stepped away from Ginny when she grabbed her arm. "Don't. Please?" she asked. Jeanie bit her bottom lip and nodded.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean any of it! You deserve to be happy. If Draco makes you happy then I am happy for you. What you said to me… it-it broke my heart. I had been so ugly to you and you were so nice," Ginny said, tears welling in her eyes. She opened her mouth to continue, but Jeanie raised her hand.
"Don't," she said. "I don't need explanations all I want is to know that you're sorry." Ginny felt the tears leak out and fall down her cheeks. Her lower lip trembled and she bit it. Her breath came out shakily. Jeanie and Ginny were almost exactly the same height. Looking at the two of them, you could barely tell them apart. If someone didn't know them so well they could pass as twins. Except that Jeanie's hair was darker and she had more of a mysterious side. Ginny flung herself at her cousin and they hugged for what seemed like an eternity. When they pulled back, Jeanie smiled.
"I-I've missed you," she said biting her lip.
"Me too," Ginny said.
Author's Note:
So there you have it. The next installment to Loving Her. I hope it was what you were looking forward too. If not well… I'm sorry. I know it's taken me a while to get this chapter up, but I have had some major, MAJOR, writer's block lately. Plus, I am starting a story, not a fanfiction, and hopefully it'll go as planed.
I will start school on the 15th of August, so I'm going to try and finish this story up. Chapter 17 should be up by Wednesday. If I can get it written and checked it'll be up tonight or tomorrow.
Coming in the next chapter: (Hopefully)
Draco and Harry have a meeting, Jeanie goes to Ginny to tell her her true feelings on Draco, we see Lucius.
I hope you'll enjoy the last few chapters. I'm going to try and make them as exciting, funny, sad, and enjoyable as possible. Please, be patient.