Summer

It was the first week of June, and the boys were due to come back in two weeks. And Ginny was afraid. She hadn't managed to change her situation. Crow and his gang were getting even more violent, and Ginny felt like they were getting tired of her and she would soon die. It was painful to come back to them each time, painful to come home in the dark and with so many parts of her bleeding. A lucky thing though, was her magic. She was happy to be a witch, as her magic always sensed when she had an injury, and it would heal the worst of it. But it didn't prevent the scars from forming. Crow was especially proud of them. He was responsible for half of them, the sick fucker. The boys would soon notice them.

She had succeeded in getting Ron away from her, and even if that hurt, she was relieved he couldn't see anything. It had been simple, really. It all started with Ron questioning her.

"Why do you never play with me anymore? Why are you always sick? You're not funny!"

Ginny wanted to tell Ron, that no, she was not funny, because in fact her current situation prevented her from being happy. But she couldn't say that to her older brother still so innocent.

"I'm sorry Ron, I'll try better."

"You said that last time as well! You better have another answer!"

Ah. So there had been another time. She couldn't even remember. Maybe too many hits in the head had made her forgets things. But she did not like the tone this conversation was taking. She had enough commanding adults for a lifetime.

"Listen Ron, I'm sorry. What do you want me to say? I don't want to play to your silly games anymore! I have my own games to play with!"

"There are not silly games! You are the one who is silly! And your games they suck! They are girl games!"

Well. Her brother was slowly starting to annoy her. She had no patience left for him.

"Ron, please, stop being difficult. Do you hear yourself speak? You seem like a three-year-old. Grow up already!"

But it only made Ron's inferiority complex rose to the surface.

"Who is a three-year-old? I think it's you really. You decided on a whim to stop playing with me, and each time I see you you're wobbling, like you can't walk properly, falling for nothing and holding a part of her body like you're suffering. Yeah, no, you're more like 90 years old! Next time I see you maybe you'll be crawling!"

That had hit too close to home for her.

"Fuck off Ron. I had enough of you. I told you I don't want to play your games, so now you listen to me and…

"NO! YOU FUCK OFF!"

And on those words Ron pushed her. She fell down, hard, right when her mother entered the room.

"RONALD BILLIUS WEASLEY! IS IT FROM YOU THAT I HEARD SUCH DISGUSTING WORDS? AND WHAT ABOUT PUSHING YOUR SISTER? YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED! FOLLOW ME, YOUNG MAN. I WILL SPEAK TO YOUR FATHER ABOUT IT!"

It seemed her mother came in right to hear Ron swear and push her. Right. Way to go. Her mother had really no idea how many times she heard or said those swear words and that what Ron did to her was nothing compared to what she lived almost daily. Well, at least this little scene succeeded in getting Ron away from her. He was still not speaking to her since his punishment. For her part, she needed help, and soon.

In fact, Ginny could not recognize herself, and she avoided looking in a mirror because she felt ashamed whenever she caught her reflection. She was amazed nobody in her family had caught on yet. She was covered in bruises and every time she moved, she was hurting somewhere. Deep scars were etched in her back because of the whip, and she had to steal makeup in her mother's drawers to hide her drawn features. She wore long sleeved t-shirts and trousers. Anything to hide the state she was in. Yet a part of her longed for her mother's embrace and consolation, her dad's sweet words and her brother's cuddling. This part of her was sick of hiding and realising that things since April were taking a turn for the worse and were still going downhill. She was scared for her future. That is why she wanted to tell everything to her parents, but her pride prevented her from doing that. She was just waiting for someone to say something because she could no longer hide properly how she was feeling. Maybe the boy's arrival would change that. Maybe someone would see the signs.

The dreaded date arrived. Her parents took her and Ron to the platform to get her brothers. Fred and George came first out of the train, jumping to hug her. She put on the best smile she could, a smile that could not reach her eyes. But they did not notice, they were too happy to care. The twins had pranked Percy as the train arrived in London and now Percy was smelling like cow poo. Everyone was laughing their head off while once again her mother was scolding the twins.

Looking back on the scene, Ginny realised she should not have expected that her brother's arrival would change things. Here they were, laughing at a poor pranking while she was just there, suffering, and they did not notice. Did she do that to herself, she wondered, had she become an expert to hide her injuries, her external appearance? Did she not want that at the beginning, to work for her parent in secret? To bring them the money they did not have? Had she not thrown her body to the wolves? She was there now, and there was no changing anything. Maybe it was fate punishing her for her selfishness, doing that in secret by herself and ending hurting herself?

Ron also helped in turning them against her. He played the poor victim, and the twins were happy to avenge him, if only to test their new products on a poor victim. Percy was closed off in his bedroom, not only to avoid the twins but also because he had found a new project that fascinated him, and he wanted to finish it before returning to Hogwarts in September. Charlie was occupied with his grown up stuff, and sneaking off himself to see his girlfriend, Nymphadora Tonks.

Anyway, June went by and it was now the beginning of July. Ginny was still successfully sneaking away, even if one time there was a close call. Her older brothers were drinking on the roof and almost spotted her on her way to the house. Luckily, she spotted them before. They would not have liked to see her in the state she was in anyway. It was harder to stay on the broom as Ginny was struggling to stand upright. Who would use a baseball bat on a child? Dangerous child abusers, that's the answer. Still, nobody had reacted over Ginny's different strange illness that had her bed-ridden. Everyone was doing their own business and Ginny's mother had so much to do around the house, she only took ten minutes at night to kiss her daughter goodnight. Ginny could not take it anymore, she was exhausted.

However, an event went in the way preventing Ginny to finally confess to her family. On a warm evening of July, her mother took her outside and told her Luna's mother had died.

"You remember who is Luna, right? The Lovegoods live just over this hill. You used to play together when you were young, you are the same age. They stopped visiting because I had a disagreement with Luna's mother, but now that she passed away, I think it is important to support poor Luna."

Ginny was dumbfounded, she remembered Luna approximately and she would have never in a million year imagined her eccentric mother to die.

"How did she die?"

"Ginevra Weasley, you know better than to ask such a rude question! But I'll tell you because you have to understand the state Luna must be. Her mother died as she was trying to do a dangerous potion, and it was her daughter who found her. She must be so traumatized, poor dear child. That is why I offered Xenophilius to drop you to their house so that you play with Luna to distract her. Maybe stay a week or two… maybe more"

"For how long you say?" She could not remember feeling so betrayed. She was cast aside, again.

"In truth Ginny, I told him you will stay as long as you wish, but I think it is best you stay at least for a whole month. I know I am asking a lot, but I also know you have grown a lot this year. You are a full-grown girl now, I know I can count on you to be there for Luna. She is just a little girl who lost her mother, with nobody being there with her. Xenophilius must have caught himself in a giant pile of work to avoid his daughter that looks too much like his passed wife."

Ginny wanted to scream. And me, can you see me? I am here, in front of you. Can't you see how bad I am feeling? Why are you sending me away? Why? Yet, she kept everything to herself and agreed to spend half her summer to the Lovegood's. Maybe her parents couldn't be bothered to check on their last child. Or maybe they didn't want to see the signs. Maybe she was to assume alone what she had provoked. Maybe they were waiting for Ginny to come speak about it. Ginny's mom had come see her each time she pretended to be sick, but maybe she thought Ginny was pretending and did not want to do anything with a lying child. But then again, she pretended to be sick. It was not for that she was bed ridden. But then she also had to stop making excuses for them. Especially when they were sending her away. She was hurt that she was considered so little. Before, her mother used to tell her stories about how much she wanted a girl and how much she was happy Ginny was born, how she was supposed to be an exceptional witch as she was the 7th child after 7 Weasley generations without any witch. Well now Ginny did not feel wanted nor special.

Luna was a quiet child, crying herself to sleep every night, asking for her mother. Her father was nowhere to be seen, and in a way, Ginny felt bad for Luna. That is why she tried to be there for her, speaking through the hole of the door as Luna refused to get out of her bedroom. She tried thousands of ways to get her out, offering a walk outside, cooking together, to take a shower, or open her door for Ginny to speak with her instead of the door. But she stopped trying when she understood she will never succeed. Instead, other duties awaited her, such as going to town to be abused to get money. For her parents. The parents who ignored her and sent her away. Her deep resentment towards them was growing each time she went to town.

As the month to be spent at the Lovegoods was ending, Ginny sent a letter to her parents explaining she'll stay the next month in their house. She had resigned herself, thinking that her situation would never change and that she could not fight it anymore. She was not strong enough, and any rebellion will be squashed by Crow. Her parents wouldn't listen or believe her. Things were really going downhill at the town and she knew she could not look her parents in the eyes if she came back home. At the Lovegoods, nobody was questioning her, and she did her business. Her parent agreed, knowing that next year Ginny will be all alone with Ron once again and that she should enjoy her summer with her neighbour.

Poor Luna... And poor Ginny, nobody pays attention to her