Forbidden yet Foreseen
Birth
"Learn from your mistakes!"
It was the morning of December 25 and Ginny awoke with a start when someone was pounding on her door. She and Hermione shared her room and both of them looked sleepily at each other until Hermione yawned: "Christmas Day!"
The both of them got dressed and then headed downstairs to the kitchen, where Ron and Harry sat with Mr. Weasley at the table, Mrs. Weasley standing next to them, offering them breakfast. Hermione sat down beside Harry and Ginny stood a while rather tired, unable to move furthermore. She then felt a hand on her shoulder. She spun around to see George rush past her – and Fred standing almost next to her. He winked at her before following George to sit down as well.
"Sit down, Ginny, dear", her mother told her and she went groggily to the only empty seat left: the one next to Fred.
The last days they had seemed to ignore what happened between them, Fred apparently really forgot about it while Ginny thought about it every other minute. She felt confused, yet she tried to do it like him and just forget about it. As she now sat down beside him, she felt something rush down her spine, through her veins, quickly reaching her heart that began beating faster immediately.
The Weasleys and their guests helped themselves to toast and pancakes and juice and sausages and cheese and every other thing that one could eat. Ginny just poured herself some orange juice, sipping on it once in a while.
"You alright, Gin?", Ron asked with a mouth full of toast. "You're not eating at all…"
She nodded. "I'm just tired…", she replied, not noticing Fred watching her closely.
"Well, eat up, everyone", Mr. Weasley said. "It's present time!"
"Presents!", Ron spit out – literally, for pieces of his toast flew across the table and landed on Ginny's lap.
Ginny threw him an angry look and tried to push the pieces away with her fingers, yet she was too disgusted to actually touch those. It was then when Fred offered her a napkin. She shortly met his gaze, taking the napkin out of his hand and pushing the pieces of Ron's meal clumsily off her lap. She wasn't the only one who noticed that her cheeks went rather red under her freckles. She was glad when her father finally got up from the table and helped his wife to pull up the food and plates.
After that they all went into the living room, crouching together on the couch and armchairs. Ginny got an armchair for herself – even if her ownership didn't last long. Fred and George approached her, George sitting down on the edge of the couch next to Ron and Hermione (while Harry occupied the other armchair), Fred trying to squeeze himself on the edge of the armchair. Ginny sighed and moved aside so that he might have found a place next to her in the armchair but he stood up again, watching the armchair as if it would jump up any minute.
"That's not going to work", he said, before he suddenly pulled Ginny up by putting his arms around her.
She let out a shriek of surprise. He then sat down in the armchair, placing her on his lap as if she was a doll. She turned to look at him in shock, feeling her cheeks redden again, but he just winked at her. She cleared her throat and turned to look at her mother and father who approached them with big bags apparently holding their presents.
The next half an hour was filled with the noise of people unwrapping presents, with sounds of joy, disappointment and surprise, with laughter and talking. Ginny got a new sweater form her parents, a blue one with a small flower on the front, and a set of Muggle stuff from her father (containing a rubber duck, some hairpins, a small old-fashioned mirror, a hairnet and some odd looking pieces of wood with dots on it that looked like they were some sort of game). She also got a book about Quidditch from Hermione (which caused some jealous looks from the Weasley boys), an oddly shaped eggcup from Ron and a bracelet from Harry.
She quickly (even if unwillingly) got up from Fred's lap and hugged everyone to thank them. She then placed the presents she got for her loving ones into their hands (a hat for her father, a scarf for her mother, two socks for Ron, a singing flower for Harry, a necklace for Hermione and two pair of gloves for the twins). When she returned to the armchair, Fred was playing with her rubber duck.
"Hey, that's mine!", she said.
"I know", he grinned. "What about we both play with it the next time you take a bath, Gin?"
"Fred!", she blurted out indignantly, blushing a deep shade of crimson.
He only laughed and pulled her back on his lap.
"Nevermind, dear", he whispered and handed her another present.
She turned to look at him, taking the present.
"Is this from you?", she asked, looking at George and Fred in turn.
They both nodded.
She unwrapped it to find a book. She frowned and looked through the book. There was nothing written in it.
At the front page she found the words: "This is the diary of Ginny Weasley."
At the end of the page it said: "Courtesy of Fred and George Weasley."
She looked at them puzzled before they grinned at her.
"A diary? So you can sneak through it, right?", she said with a smirk.
"You know us too well, Gin", George said, smiling.
"But it's not an ordinary diary", Fred said.
"It's a book that reveals how you really feel", George added.
Ginny stared at them. "What!"
"If you are confused about something, just write down what you think –", Fred began.
"Or what you think… to think –", George added.
"And the words will change into those you really mean!"
"That sounds… brilliant…", she whispered.
"Well, thank you", Fred said, smiling at her.
"How did you manage such a complex spell within a book?"
"Well, that's a secret but it contains Veritaserum to be clear…", George said, quietly.
Ginny's eyes widened and she looked alarmed at their parents, but when Fred gave her a gentle kick into her side, she forgot what she wanted to say. Their parents never noticed their conversation for Mr. Weasley was trying to examine a flashing Christmas star that Harry had given him.
She turned to look at Fred again who winked at her.
She then remembered her good manners.
"Thank you, anyway", she said to both of them. "This might come in handy…"
Fred chuckled and George grabbed Ginny's Quidditch book that seemed to have interested him all morning long.
"Hey", Ginny heard Fred's voice whispering. "Here's something just from me…"
She looked at him and took the little object. She quickly unwrapped it and found a rather large snowflake that seemed to be made of ice yet it wasn't melting in her hands and it didn't feel cold at all. Its shape was so beautiful that Ginny could just stare at it.
"Turn it around", Fred whispered, watching her intensely.
She did so and discovered a small handwriting on the back. She held it closer to decipher the small words. It said: "That's what brothers are for." She felt a smile cross her lips, and she turned around to kiss Fred on the cheek.
"Thank you", she whispered. "This is so sweet…"
He winked, raising a hand to push her hair out of her eyes that quickly fixed on his.
Someone cleared his or her throat and Ginny almost fell off of Fred's lap.
She fast got to her feet, standing next to the armchair, staring at her mother.
"So what about a little walk through the snow before dinner?", Mrs. Weasley announced, smiling brightly.
Everyone got to their feet and started to move loudly to the door to put on their winter clothes. Harry, Ron and Hermione were the first to go, next came Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and then George who stood in the doorframe waiting for his twin who motioned him to go ahead. Ginny still stood next to the armchair.
"Hey, everything okay with you?", Fred asked, stepping next to her.
"I'm fine", she said, her mind racing. "I'm just… I don't think I will walk with you", she added.
Fred threw her a concerned look. "You sure?"
"Yeah, I'm still tired and –"
"But the fresh air will wake you up."
"I don't feel like walking…", she said, rubbing her forehead.
When she started shifting, Fred quickly grabbed her, preventing her from falling down.
"You should have eaten something at breakfast", he said. "You look pale…"
"I'm fine…", she murmured, trying to free herself. "Really."
"You don't look like you're fine", he whispered, locking eyes with her.
"Leave me, please", she hissed.
Fred suddenly saw tears in her eyes.
"Ginny, please, tell me what's wrong", he said, sounding rather worried.
"You", she said, finally breaking free from him. "You are!"
He threw her a puzzled look. "But –"
"No!", she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. Without another word she ran upstairs.
Fred watched her leave before deciding to tell George, he would stay here with Ginny who apparently felt sick. After telling George, he followed her. When he reached her bedroom, he knocked on the door gently. With no response coming from the other side, he opened the door to find the room empty. He looked around and then heard water from the bathroom at the end of the corridor.
He sighed and walked towards the bathroom, again knocking on the door. There again was no response at all but he could hear the water of the shower and another sound that appeared to be cries. He quickly forgot about his good manners and entered the bathroom – to find his sister sitting on the ground; her arms clung around her knees, her head resting on top of them. She cried silently.
He slowly sat down beside her, gently touching her head.
She suddenly jumped up, seemingly noticing she wasn't alone anymore. Her eyes widened when she saw Fred standing next to her, his look puzzled. She looked down at herself – and let out a shriek. She seemingly had forgotten about the fact that she wanted to take a shower and got rid of her clothes. Grabbing a towel and covering the last remaining pride of hers, she shoved Fred out of the room.
"Out! Out! OUT!", she yelled at him and finally threw the door shut in front of his nose.
"Come on, Gin", he said through the door. "I saw you naked before, no big deal!"
"No, this is different!", she shouted back.
"But I'm still your brother –", he began; before she jerked open the door again, staring at him out of tearful eyes.
"Yeah and that's the problem!", she whispered and entered the bathroom again, sitting (the towel around her body now) on the edge of the bathtub.
"Problem? What d'you –", he said, following her inside.
"You know what I mean!", she hissed, covering her face in her hands.
"But –", he began and sat down next to her.
"Do you remember when you gave me your present? How… how we looked at each other and how I kissed you on the cheek and … -"
"Yeah I remember, what's wrong with that?"
"But do you remember how Mum said after that, no, it doesn't matter what she said but that she … interrupted this … moment… you know? I felt as if I had been caught off guard… as if I did something wrong… as if…" Sobs erupted from her throat.
"But you didn't", he whispered, touching her hand gently.
"Yeah I did… we did, Fred!", she said, looking at him.
He just stared at her, suddenly feeling her concern. He removed his hand from hers and rubbed his forehead, closing his eyes while doing so.
"I'm sorry", he then said, not looking up. "I didn't know this would turn out to be like this…"
"Me neither", she whispered.
They both sat on the edge of the bathtub, silently thinking about what to do.
Fred was the first to move. He got up and closed the bathroom door. He then turned to look at Ginny.
"Is it really that complicated?", he heard himself say.
Ginny stared at him, absentmindedly wiping the tears off her face.
"I mean", he went on. "Okay, it might be… erm… not usual… but didn't we grow up, hearing this over and over again: "Learn from your mistakes!"? So… why not first making mistakes before crying about it?"
Ginny still stared at him; she slowly got up from the edge of the bathtub, holding the towel tightly in front of her chest. She watched him with encouraged eyes, yet she couldn't yet share his hopes entirely. He held out a hand to her and she took it. She walked to him and looked up into his sparkling blue eyes. Her mind went blank when he leant closer to her.
Her throat seemed to be squeezed again but when his lips touched hers, she just felt the spark (that had lurked in his eyes) fly over to her, sinking into her skin, rushing through her veins and finally bursting in her heart. She grabbed the towel tighter, pulling her free arm around his waist. He dragged both arms around her trembling body, drawing her closer.
Holding and kissing each other, they soon forgot about the problem that grew stronger with every second that their lips were pressed together and their tongues were playing innocently. Standing in the middle of the bathroom, the both of them forgot about the laws of Mankind.
A/N: So, it's done... Birth is finished... let's get over to Life, the next part of Forbidden yet Foreseen in which Fred and Ginny try to hide (and yet to live) their love to each other... read on! And thank you! Please review!