Chapter 3
Ginny didn't remember the walk to her room, falling asleep, or indeed anything that happened after that 'Happy Christmas' had registered in her ears. All she knew was that she woke up once again to anxious voices – Hermione's and her mothers – and Sirius growling, sounding very much like he would have liked nothing better than to start yelling.
Her eyes opened slowly. The first thing she noticed that bright Christmas morning was the dusty room, little bits of fuzz floating around in the rays of sunlight drifting lazily through pulled back dark green curtains. More of the ageless dirt had been stirred up by her night time visit. Her friends and Mother were the only other people in the room. Next came the fact that she was lying on that same bed, stretched out, comfortable beneath the warm blankets. She was back in Regulus's room.
Finally Sirius's temper got the better of him. "What do you think you're doing in here, Ginny?" he shouted. "Didn't I tell you to stay out?"
Ginny blinked, confusion setting in. "I don't remember coming in here," she answered honestly. In her head the word again flitted past. "Honestly, after I wandered about for a bit, I thought I'd gone back to my room."
Hermione gazed at her appraisingly, seeing through the half truth, but she said nothing. Molly, on the other hand, looked worried. "Are you having blackouts, dear? Maybe we should go to St. Mungo's and get you checked out…"
"No, no!" Ginny insisted. She was terrified of what they might find wrong with her. "I'm fine. Maybe I was just sleepwalking or something. It won't happen again, promise." She looked around and managed a weak smile. "Happy Christmas, everyone."
The comment sounded so out of place that Sirius was momentarily thrown out of his rage. Hermione stifled a giggle and helped Ginny up. Together, the two of them rushed passed Sirius, who was quickly regaining the furious flush in his cheeks, and down to the kitchen.
"What really happened, Ginny?" Hermione prodded.
"I really don't know," Ginny repeated. "I was up there before, when I couldn't sleep, but I thought I went back to the room. Actually…"
"What?" Hermione prompted eagerly.
"I only remember going out the door," Ginny confessed. "And…" She stopped.
Hermione stopped as well and looked back at Ginny curiously. "And…?"
Making a spur of the moment decision, Ginny grabbed Hermione's hand and dragged her back upstairs to an unused and still dirty room. She glanced around in the hallway before closing the door as tightly as she could and facing a confused Hermione.
"There was a man in there," Ginny said bluntly. "Last time, too. He claims to be Regulus Black. He was there the night before as well."
"Regulus Black was killed," Hermione protested. "Sirius said so. And even if he wasn't, having a known Death Eater in the house isn't exactly a good thing!" Hermione jumped in realisation and rushed for the door.
Ginny blocked her. "You can't tell anyone, Hermione," she growled. "Promise me. Swear to me right now."
"But Ginny—!"
"He's not dangerous," she whispered urgently. "And he's not a Death Eater. Not anymore. If he was, don't you think he would have killed me for finding him?"
Hermione huffed and glared at her friend. "No, I don't. I think he knows that it would look suspicious if a well-known girl just up an disappeared. I think he knows that it would start a search and that he'd be discovered!"
"He hasn't been discovered yet! I doubt even Dumbledore knows he's here!" Ginny's eyes shone with excitement. "Hermione, really! He's so easy to talk to and he's such a good listener. He's not dangerous." Then her eyes narrowed. "Now swear to me. Swear on… on… on my life that you won't tell anyone."
"Ginny, no, I can't—"
"Hermione, this is important! I can't expose him, I just can't! You have to swear to me!"
Hermione bit her lip. "Alright," she said finally.
"Say it!" Ginny ordered a little harshly.
Hermione broke Ginny's hold on her wrist. "I swear on your life that I won't tell a soul about Regulus," she whispered haltingly.
"Good." Ginny nodded in satisfaction. "Alright. Well, we'd better get back to breakfast before they miss us," she said. Ginny turned her back on Hermione and stalked down to the kitchen.
Hermione remained frozen for a moment longer, staring after her friend, wondering what had overcome Ginny that would cause her to act so severe.
Ginny was impatient for the day to be over. She shifted in her seat in the drawing room, trying not to look to uncomfortable or anxious while pretending to have a wonderful Christmas with her family. More than once she caught Hermione staring uneasily at her, but she refused to meet the bushy haired girl's gaze.
Finally everyone had thanked everyone else for their gifts. Ginny had gone through the motions of the customary exchanging of words without really paying attention to whom she spoke or what she thanked them for. As people filed out one by one, Ginny attempted a casual exit, forcing herself to walk slowly.
Unfortunately for her, Hermione was determined to get in a word or two before she could sneak off.
"Ginny, I need to talk to you," she hissed in Ginny's ear. She'd followed the redhead out and up a floor to their room.
"Hermione—"
"I'll keep your secret, of course, but that doesn't mean I want you wandering off to see someone who no one else has seen or knows about, a man who's not only supposed to be dead, but a known Death Eater!" She dragged Ginny into their room and shut the door. "I won't have you leaving the room tonight. If that means I have to stay up with you then I will."
Ginny glared at Hermione venomously. "You can't stop me," she challenged.
"Ginny, I'm bigger than you. I could call for your mother or Sirius. Don't tell me I what I can't do." Hermione's tone was stern but her eyes were full of concern.
Ginny collapsed onto her bed in defeat.
Hermione's smug smile nearly sent Ginny into a rage. "I knew you wouldn't want to jeopardise him," she said. Then she sat next to Ginny. "I'm sorry, really. I don't want you mad at me, but I don't want to see you hurt. You don't know anything about him."
"And now I never will," Ginny grumbled into the mattress.
"Sorry," Hermione repeated. "I've got to get a good book. I'll see you tonight." It was both a promise and a warning.
Ginny sat up as soon as the door clicked shut. She hurled her pillow at the wall and was rewarded by a dull thump and a cloud of choking dust. As it settled she slumped over and tried to suppress hot tears of fury that sprung to her chocolate eyes with little success. By the time Hermione returned, Ginny had cried herself to sleep.
"Good morning, Ginny," Hermione greeted sleepily when Ginny finally opened her eyes. "Thanks for not going anywhere."
"I guess all those semi-sleepless nights finally caught up with me," Ginny said. She stretched out and cocked her head in Hermione's direction. She hesitated a moment longer before speaking again. "Thanks for being so concerned about me, Hermione. I really appreciate it."
Hermione smiled wearily. "I don't want to see you hurt," she repeated. "He could be dangerous." She stifled a yawn.
Ginny laughed. "C'mon. You'll feel better after some breakfast."
But food was just a distraction. Ginny watched Hermione carefully as she slowly consumed the food Molly placed on the table in front of her. She was outwardly as calm as she could possibly be, but inwardly she bounced with the eagerness of a five year old on a sugar rush.
All of Ginny's energies that day went into keeping Hermione awake until it was a reasonable bedtime. By at least four hours past dark, after she had exhausted her last topic of conversation with the girl, everyone else was deep asleep and Hermione was whisked away to dream land the second her head hit the pillow. Ginny grinned; it seemed Hermione didn't have experience with insomnia.
She crept out of her room for the third time and up the two flights of creaky stairs. She paused on each familiar landing to listen for sounds before moving on. She was extra quiet passing her mother's and Sirius's doors and slinking into Regulus's magically immaculate and dimly lit room.
Regulus looked up from a copy of the Daily Prophet and smiled. "I was beginning to think you had forgotten about me," he teased.
Ginny scowled, her anxiousness melting away. "It was only one night," she retorted.
Regulus sighed and gestured for her to take the chair; he lay half propped up by his pillows on his bed. Ginny complied without hesitation. "One day when you said you'd be back," he reminded her. "I think your company has left me susceptible to the loneliness I experienced when I first became reclusive."
"Sorry." Ginny averted her eyes to the floor. "I was detained. I fell asleep. In any case, my friend was up all night reading."
"Which friend?" Regulus asked curiously.
Ginny hesitated. "Hermione."
After a long moment of tense silence, Regulus said, "You told her." He didn't sound angry, just mildly surprised.
Ginny nodded. "She swore on my life that she wouldn't tell," she added hurriedly.
Regulus raised an eyebrow. "On your life?" he questioned sceptically.
"Well she would have told if I'd made her swear on anything else," Ginny muttered.
Regulus sat up fully and put the paper down. "Ginny, if you get hurt because of that it'll be on my head. I don't want anyone else hurt because of me."
Ginny closed her eyes and thought. "I won't get hurt," she decided finally. "But don't tell Hermione, that threat is the only thing holding her to her promise."
A wry grin creased his face. "I won't tell." He stared intently out the window. "Well, Christmas is over…" he ventured. He met her eyes again. "How long until you have to go back?"
Startled, Ginny blinked and leaned back against the chair. "Oh, I'd forgotten I had to go back to school…" Regulus chuckled at that. "Um… seven days," she replied quietly. Seven days. Horror swept through Ginny. What would she do at Hogwarts when she couldn't sleep? Who would she talk to? Her heart squeezed painfully and her stomach clenched as her body rejected the idea.
Regulus nodded absently. "Well, only seven days to get to know each other well enough to keep Hermione from saying you don't know anything about me," he said contently. "I'll miss our little chats, though, won't you?"
Ginny nodded numbly then sat bolt upright as his words hit her. "How did you know what Hermione said to me?" she demanded.
"I told you last time," he explained patiently. "I can hear everything in this room. It's always been that way."
Ginny remained rigid as she thought of another question. "How did I get back here? I remember leaving and then when I woke up I was in your bed again."
"You collapsed form exhaustion right after I wished you a happy Christmas." Regulus peered at her curiously. "I knew I couldn't sneak you down to your room so I left you up here."
"You got me in trouble."
"I'm sorry." He sure didn't sound sorry.
Ginny shook her head. "So… getting to know each other, huh?"
"Tell me about yourself, Ginny."
Ginny hesitated again. "Well… I'm the youngest of seven children. I'm the only daughter born to a Weasley in seven generations. I always get the old stuff, being the youngest, and it gets really annoying."
"But what about you personally?" interrupted Regulus. "You know, hopes and dreams, crushes, what annoys you, things like that."
Ginny pondered for a moment. "Well… I suppose I don't know what I want to be. I love quititch and I'm pretty good at it, too. I get good grades, so I guess I could be just about anything. It annoys me when people bully others. I'm dating a Hufflepuff named Michael Corner. He's sweet, I guess, but he's not really what I'm looking for. I…" Ginny blushed and looked away. "I used to have a crush on Harry Potter. For the longest time. I… still do, I guess, but it's not so prominent anymore. At least I can be in the same room as him now without cringing and blushing like an idiot."
"I honestly can't see you doing that," Regulus chuckled.
"Yeah well… I was younger. I've relaxed a whole lot and it really helps. I like being his friend."
"So what's your type, if not Michael Corner?" Regulus prodded.
Ginny blushed again and ducked her head. "I suppose someone interesting who would know when to leave well enough alone and when to come closer. Someone smart and kind and loyal." She laughed somewhat bitterly. "I just want the fairy tale, the Prince Charming. It's ridiculous, I know."
"No," he disagreed. "I think it's smart. You deserve a Prince Charming, Ginny."
"Thanks," she whispered. "What about you? What's your type?"
Regulus regarded her momentarily with calculating eyes. "I had a type once. She was smart and sweet and fragile. She was companionate and wonderful. She had her faults, of course, such as an inane ability to turn up where she shouldn't at exactly the right moment. She was friends with my brother but they bickered constantly. She got on well with my parents and she was always around when I needed her. She gave me her heart and soul, just as I gave her mine." He gave a short, humourless laugh. "She was a terrible Death Eater. But she was always so afraid. I don't think she got out before she died."
Ginny was quiet for a long time. "I'm sorry," she said finally.
"Don't be," he dismissed. "It was a long time ago. My only regret is leaving her to face the world alone." He gazed out the window. "I've been so concentrated on staying alive that I haven't even visited her grave. She died nearly six years ago. Premature death, to be sure. The medical reason was that her heart just stopped beating." He laughed dryly again. "A broken heart." His head dropped into his hands and his next comment was muffled. "It's all my fault."
Ginny got up and sat next to Regulus uncertainly. She patted his back. "You know, we could go to her grave now," she suggested. "We can sneak out the window. I'd just have to go get my cloak…"
"Use one of mine," Regulus suggested. He got up and tossed her a dark green cloak from the wardrobe, removing another for himself. He turned back to her, a faint smile on his lips. "Thanks, Ginny," he said. "I needed that."
"No problem."
Sneaking out had not been a problem. Now Ginny stood a few feet away from a tombstone in a dark, dank graveyard while Regulus stood motionless right before it, staring blankly. He took out his wand and conjured up some beautiful flowers, which he laid carefully onto the dewy grass. A tear trickling down his cheek lit briefly in the moonlight before he wiped it away on the back of his hand.
Ginny huddled in his warm cloak. The atmosphere around her made her miserable, almost depressed. She could tell it meant a lot to Regulus that she had come with him, though, when he turned and smiled at her.
"Let's go," he said, his deep voice disturbing the eerie silence. "You should be back in bed before anyone wakes."
Ginny agreed hurriedly and was about to start walking back down the street when Regulus stopped her with a hand. "I'll apparate us there," he said. "Not inside, but close enough so we don't have to suffer this infernal chill." He gripped her arm a little tighter, spun a bit, and suddenly Ginny lost all sense of direction.
It was almost like being pushed through a thick, heavy rubber tube. Ginny cringed and tried to squirm into a more comfortable position, which she found just as the feeling disappeared and she discovered she was kneeling on the ground just in front of number 12, Grimmuald place. Regulus smiled secretively and motioned for her to follow him.
Ginny stood on shaky legs and complied. Her stomach told her to stay in one place until it re-mastered itself, but she pushed its concerns aside in favour of the warmth of the old house.
She sighed, gazing up the wall just in time to see Regulus scramble through the window like a cat. She waited patiently until he tossed down a rope that she could use to help herself climb up. The only problem she could see with this arrangement as she methodically placed one foot in front of the other and one hand farther up the rope than before was the biting winter cold and the lack of truly toned muscle; the muscles that weren't required for quititch that she had to use for climbing, that is.
Once she had successfully scaled the wall with Regulus's help and guidance, Ginny paused to regain her breath and bearings.
"Goodnight, Ginny," Regulus said finally. He wasn't even the least bit out of breath. "Thank you. Please don't hesitate to come tomorrow."
"I'll be here if Hermione doesn't stop me," Ginny answered between gulps of air. "Goodnight." She closed to door behind her and crept down the stairs, feeling a familiar exhaustion roll over her. She nearly fell down the last six steps when her eyes fluttered closed, but somehow managed to catch herself and crawl into bed before she let herself be taken by a dark, dreamless sleep.
