WARNING: No Draco or Blaise in this chapter… I know, I'll make it up to you, I swear!

Chapter 13:

Spearing her asparagus with her fork, wishing it was Harry Potter's tanned hand. She had managed to sit between George and Fred, and Harry was down at the other end of the table, but it still felt too close.

The usual Weasley chaos reigned in the magically enhanced dining room, with the added bonus of a screaming Lila in the other room, who Fleur and Bill were desperately trying to ignore in the hopes that she would go back to sleep.

"So, Percy, do tell us about that absurd cauldron density scandal that I heard so much about…" Charlie asked with a twinkle in his cinnamon eyes, raising his glass to his lips, thankful that it contained alcohol.

"Good Gods, Char, you really want him to start talking about that?" Fred broke in before Percy could say a thing, "Wouldn't you rather hear about-"

"Flobberworms?" George's contribution had Ginny grinning, while Charlie chuckled, and their mother clucked at them in an irritated fashion. Percy settled on a haughty look, and stuck his nose in the air.

Instantly, both twins were seen imitating him from the other end of the table. Harry hurriedly started a conversation about the Quidditch season as he saw how red Molly Weasley's face was getting. It was never a good sign.

Ginny looked around at the familiar faces, smiling softly. Ron was stuffing as much of his mother's cooking into his open mouth, and Ginny tried to imagine the look of disgust that Hermione shot him in these kinds of situations. Next to him, Arthur sat calmly, stoically, and Ginny wondered just how her father managed to keep his cool with his crazy family.

Harry was on Arthur's other side, and Ginny quickly passed over him to look at Percy who looked no different from the last time she had seen him at for just a few minutes the Christmas before. He still looked highly uncomfortable, and very angry, and she wondered briefly if he would ever let go of the past. Somehow, despite what their mother wanted, Ginny doubted that he would ever feel truly a part of things as he had before the rift.

On Percy's other side, Fleur looked calm, and happy, as she held Bill's hand, her beautiful face breathtaking in the soft light.

Ginny traced the scars that marred her brother's face with her eyes, reminders of the past, and how Fleur had nursed him back to health, and had stayed by his side every moment of his recovery, despite learning of her pregnancy. For that, Ginny would not hear an unpleasant word about her sister-in-law, and felt a strong sense of loyalty and respect for the older woman. She was a lot stronger than she had seemed at first sight.

Fred was sitting next to Bill, and was currently flicking his peas nonchalantly at the back of Percy's red head. George, to Ginny's left, was currently catching flack from their mother who was sitting beside him, about his lack of a steady girlfriend.

"Honestly, Mum, I'll give you grandkids one day. I've been practicing every chance I get." George spoke so earnestly, that it took Ginny a moment to tune into what he had actually said, and then she nearly spat her pumpkin juice into Harry's green eyes.

Not seeming to quite get what her son had said, Molly simply replied absently, "That's nice dear. I just want to see you happy."

George winked at Ginny's sputtering face, before turning back to his well-meaning mum, "Oh, I am definitely happy."

Fleur calmly took another bite of her turkey, thinking about how the general chaotic atmosphere of the Weasley table had overwhelmed her prior to having a baby. For some reason, she was happier and happier that she had not had twins. She could also understand Bill's hesitation in having more children until Lila was quite a bit older.

Ginny winced at a particularly loud yell, and glanced over at the beleaguered new parents.

"Would you like me to try to rock her back to sleep?" She leaned behind Fred to ask Fleur softly. Fleur shot her a look of gratitude and nodded frantically, expressing her thanks with her quiet, charming French accent.

Excusing herself with a smile, Ginny stood and smoothed her black dress over her hips before making her way to Lila's crib.

The small face scrunched in confusion looking up at her aunt, before Lila started screaming again, arms flailing. Ginny stared at her in fascination for a moment, really staring at her niece, taking in how tiny and perfect she was. Despite the fact that she was making so much noise, and was bright red.

Reaching down, Ginny gently lifted the baby out of the soft blankets, holding her against her chest. Rocking Lila, and crooning lightly, Ginny sat in one of the big, worn, overstuffed chairs that flanked the large fireplace

Lila calmed down slowly, her face settling into sleep with a few sniffles. Smiling down at her, Ginny stroked a finger down her soft cheek, smiling as Lila sighed at the touch. There was just something so innocent about babies. Ginny laughed softly as she thought about the kids she had met the summer before working at Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. Babies sometimes, more often then not, grew up to be little brats.

Despite her mother asking her about it almost every month since puberty, Ginny really didn't know if she'd ever be ready for kids. She barely knew what she wanted to do with her life after Hogwarts.

Hermione had talked up being a medi-witch, Ron and Harry had talked up being an Auror, her father wanted her to come into the Ministry, Bill had mentioned Gringotts more than a few times, and Fred and George seemed to think that she would be coming to work for them full time. Ginny… had no idea. But she had the rest of her sixth year, and then seventh to think it over. Which was plenty of time, no matter what her mother thought.

Hell, she had no idea where she even wanted to live. Ginny definitely knew she didn't want to live in, or near the Burrow, which would break her mother's heart, but she hadn't thought further than that. There was an idea that perhaps she might like to see America… She desperately wanted to travel… the trip to Egypt a few years prior with her family had been incredible.

Harry watched Ginny rocking the sleeping baby in front of the roaring fire, her hair shining in the light. Wondering briefly what she was thinking about, he reached out to gently touch her shoulder, "Hey."

Ginny closed her eyes, and sighed inwardly. It took a lot of effort to deal with Harry now. "Hi Harry. You're probably missing your pudding."

"No problem." Harry pulled the other chair over and sat down, smiling at her, "I'm not really hungry. I wanted to talk to you more."

"Harry, we've talked." She smiled at him gently, sadly, "there's nothing more to say."

They sat in silence, each watching the fire. Harry fought back the tears he could feel threatening, blinking rapidly. It hurt.

"Was there anything I could have done?" Ginny could barely hear him, he spoke so softly.

"No." She answered honestly, "Harry… We both needed to grow up. I mean… I am not the same person I was at eleven. And you are not the same person either. We tried, and it was nice, but we are not soulmates."

Harry wiped a hand over his face, and stared at the pictures that lined the mantle. Big smiles graced the faces of all of the Weasleys there, and he caught one of Ginny waving energetically in front of the Quidditch pitch at Hogwarts.

"Ginny…" He paused, trying to get it together, "I love you. I want you to be happy… and I realize I hurt you… but I want to try again."

She sighed, and tilted her head back against the chair. It still hurt to talk to Harry. It ached. Ginny knew she didn't love him, but it still hurt. And she really didn't want to give him any hope.

"Harry, we were together for like two months, and it was great. We slept together. And then you left with Hermione and Ron." Ginny held up a hand as Harry started to speak to forestall him, "I know, you had to. But you left me in the middle of the night, without saying a word. That hurt."

"I'm sorry, Gin." Harry reached over to place his hand over her fingers where they rest on Lila's chubby arm. Ginny stared down for a moment, before gently removing her hand to place it on Lila's belly. "I never meant to hurt you. It just felt… it was too hard to say goodbye to you."

"But… that's what hurt the most. Is that you thought only of yourself-" Ginny stopped abruptly, her mind working. This felt oddly familiar. It felt like… what she had done to Draco.

"Ginny?" Harry watched her with concern, "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah…" Ginny blinked, and stood up slowly, cradling Lila to her. "I have… I have somewhere to go."

Harry stared in astonishment as Ginny carefully laid the sleeping baby back in the crib, and turned to the front closet to grab her cloak. "Where?"

"I'm… not entirely sure." Ginny grinned at him in excitement, all of her thoughts on seeing Draco and Blaise.

"What?" Harry called after her as she ran upstairs in search of her purse.

The Weasley family paused mid-pudding hearing Harry call out, and Ginny running up the stairs.

"Should I go check on them?" Molly looked to Arthur questioningly, who looked indecisive about it.

George and Fred exchanged a glance, and made a decision.

"Uh, Mum?" Fred smiled winningly at Molly, "I have something to tell you. Do you remember Mara?"

George slipped from the table as the family focused on Fred, and made his way past a confused-looking Harry to the stairs.

"Gin?" He knocked on the door lightly, watching as it opened from not being closed properly.

Ginny looked at herself in the mirror, pulling at the hem of her dress which hit her thighs a couple of inches above her knees. She was so nervous, and yet she couldn't figure out why. There was a good chance that she was just going to get rejected again… But still… She had to figure out where they were, and see what happened.

"Gin?" George spoke again, his little sister was off in her own world, but she looked radiant. Happy for the first time since… since before she had gotten sick. And nervous.

"Hey George." She turned to smile at him briefly, before pulling on a black cardigan over the dress. "Do I look ok?"

"Depends," he leaned across the doorframe, and crossed his arms over his chest, "Who are you trying to look ok for?" He grinned at her, "Harry?"

Ginny stuck her tongue out at him via the mirror, "No, not Harry. He just made me think about things with Draco and Blaise. And now… well… I want to see them. I want to make this right. And I don't care if they shoot me down." She paused to think about it, "Well, I don't care much."

George watched her carefully for a few more moments, the silence between them stretching as she ran a brush through her hair, "Is this what you want?"

"What do you mean?" She turned to look at him fully, taking in his serious tone.

He stepped away from the door, and came to sit on her bed, grinning at the pink, frilly coverlet on it, "I mean… Do they honestly make you happy? Is it worth it?"

"Yes." Ginny answered automatically, a soft grin curving her generous lips, "Yes. I… well… I want to be with them. I have no idea where they are tonight, but I thought I would floo Malfoy Manor… they're bound to be together. I know Blaise won't go home."

George listened to her think out loud for a moment, before making his decision. "Gin, I know where they are."

"You do?" She turned to him with wide eyes, before narrowing them in suspicion, "Why do you know?"

"Uh, Padma told me."

"Why would Padma know?" Ginny shook her head, realizing something, "You know what, I don't care. I just want to know where they are."

"The Savoy." George took in her uncomprehending stare for a moment before taking mercy on her, "It's a Muggle hotel in downtown London."

"London?" Ginny sagged slightly, and sank down on the bed beside him. "This is impossible…"

"Well, not completely." He grinned at her, and reached out to wrap an arm around her shoulders tightly. "Leave it to Fred and me." Ginny looked at him somewhat apprehensively, prompting him to add, "No, it won't be illegal."

--

Padma reached up to stroke the nose of her horse Ava, speaking quietly to the skittish creature, "Hi girl, did you miss me?" She hugged the horse gently before feeding her the bit and pulling it over her head.

She loved coming home to her parent's manor for the simple reason that she could ride as much as she wanted over the extensive fields, letting her mind wander aimlessly.

Gripping the saddle, she hoisted herself up in a graceful, practiced move, and straddled the large brown horse with ease.

Feeling the horse's muscles flexing along her thighs, Padma held the reins in one hand and deftly moved her toward the exit of the stables, grinning at her twin who was grooming her own horse. Parvati saluted her with the brush before turning back to the now-gleaming horseflesh.

"Come on, Ava, let's see what you've got." Padma kicked her heels, and Ava took off, the snow crunching under her flying hooves.

The air was crisp and cool, and chilled her bare cheeks. It felt exhilarating, and Padma was again reminded why she liked coming home, despite how much she loved Hogwarts.

As far as she could see, it was almost frighteningly still, and silent, the snow glowing from the setting sun. Allowing Ava to slow to a cantor, Padma stood up in her stirrups to see the lake in the distance where she and Parvati still ice-skated every year.

Hearing the hoof beats on the snow behind her, she turned to see Parvati approaching on Ellie, a gentle black mare. "Hey Parv. I thought you were headed in?" She turned to grin at her, sitting back down in the worn saddle, the dark leather creaking with the cold.

"I was. But I wanted to talk to you." Parvati had Ellie fall into Ava's rhythm, and spoke seriously. Padma glanced at her, a dark eyebrow raised under the hair that Parvati had talked her into cutting the day before.

"What about?"

Parvati adjusted her own riding helmet a bit more snugly, before looking ahead to the line of trees that denoted the edge of their property. "Seamus."

"What about him?" Padma masked her shock carefully, automatically. She and Parvati, despite appearances, were very different. Parvati tended to be the lighter of the two, she wore her heart on her sleeve. She made Padma a little nervous in some ways.

Well aware of the differences in their personalities, Parvati took a moment to think about what she would say, which was uncharacteristic for her. After a long silence, she spoke, "Why do you like him?"

"His arse cuts a fine line in his pants."

"Very funny." Parvati grinned at her sister's humour, which tended to rear its head in the strangest moments. "I have this theory."

Padma leaned down to stroke Ava's neck gently, smiling when the horse whinnied softly at the touch, "Oh, do tell."

"Well, we both know how in love with Ginny Seamus is. That's not going to change."

"I know. There's always a chance though."

"See, I don't think that's what it is. I honestly don't think you care all that much about Seamus Finnegan."

"Huh. Well, that would be news to me." Padma stared ahead as they slowed the horses to a walk, and followed the property line. The Patils were a very old pureblood family, and their manor had been in the family since the time of Merlin. She idly reflected on the fact that the twins both felt the draw to this land, and knew that they would be forever connected to the property.

"I think you're scared." Parvati nodded vehemently as she spoke, she had put a lot of thought into this, "You are so completely in control of everything, that a romantic relationship would scare the shit out of you. You can't control love."

"That doesn't explain why I like Seamus. Whoops, do I spot a flaw in your theory?" Padma smirked facetiously, angry that now two people had said the same thing, and hating that she felt like she was the one in the dark for once.

"Don't be like that, Padma." Parvati reigned in her own temper, knowing what her sister was doing, "You like Seamus, because you know there's no hope of him returning the feelings."

"Whatever. I don't want to deal with this shit." Padma kicked Ava with more force than necessary, and held on as she took off in a mad gallop, leaving Parvati staring after her.

"Well, that went well."

Later that evening, Padma lay in her large bed, staring out the window at the moon, wondering why she wasn't more excited to be home, in her own bed, on Christmas Eve.

She knew she had her issues. Padma loved to think of herself as being the one behind the scenes in charge. Already missing chatting with Ginny, the only person that she ever felt she could be completely open with, Padma sighed and flipped over onto her stomache, breathing in the scent of clean linen and jasmine.

Thinking about what George, and then Parvati had said, she wondered if perhaps she was too in control. The thought of trusting someone like that… of opening herself up, well, it frightened her. It scared the hell out of her, actually. She couldn't even pinpoint why.

The Weasley twin's relationship was something she'd always envied since coming to Hogwarts. They were so close, no secrets. Padma had not had that with Parvati, recognizing early on that Parvati was akin to a sieve with secrets. She couldn't help her nature, but that didn't mean that Padma felt completely comfortable with her twin. They had both long since realized that they would always be close, but were too different.

The Weasleys. Ginny had been a shocker to Padma. She was so incredibly complex, and she had decided that she and Padma were going to be friends in her fourth year. Ginny was her closest friend by far, and it was odd that she was also now thinking about her brother the way that she had been.

George was a mystery. He was so open, and yet so closed off at the same time. It confused Padma completely. She also knew enough of his reputation, not just at Hogwarts, but out in the wizarding world, to know just how experienced he was, and how much his attention wandered. Padma couldn't even start to think of how she would deal with someone like that.

Groaning at her own melodramatic musings, Padma forced herself to wonder what her parents had gotten her for Christmas. They really weren't that creative, so she could bet items one through ten on the list that they always made the twins send home at the beginning of December were under the tree.

Falling asleep seemed a long way off somehow.

--

George slipped out of the hotel after giving Ginny a quick hug, and a reminder to use the spell if she needed him for anything. Feeling his star heat up, he grinned, and rubbed it, letting her know he had felt it.

Time to head back to the Burrow, and to their mum, who they hadn't told about the little trip to London. George sighed, and headed into an alley to apparate into the front yard.

Fred met him on the front porch, looking harassed. "I hope Ginny will be appreciative of what I just went through. I didn't even have Mara here to soften the blow!"

Aiming a smack to the back of George's head as he laughed, Fred thought back on the horror of the remainder of dinner. His pudding had been completely spoiled by his mum bursting into tears, then berating him for not telling her sooner, then about where Mara was, and then wedding talk, followed closely by baby talk. This, and no Ginny or George who were his traditional allies against the family.

Irritatingly enough, Fleur had known Mara despite being a few years ahead of his fiancé at school, and she had been able to share a few stories that she remembered, mostly about Mara and ex-boyfriends, which Fred had definitely not wanted to hear about.

He had then spent the remainder of the evening in simmering jealousy, and wanting to talk to Mara so badly that he could taste it, cursing her yet again for going home to France to be with her family for the holidays. Fred conveniently ignored the fact that he would be going to see her the next day, and then she would be coming home with him on Boxing Day.

George couldn't seem to control his laughter as Fred related all of this to him. He really felt that Mara was the best thing that could have happened to him.

"So, when are you going to give me a little Fred or Mara?" He asked casually, watching Fred make a sour face at the mention of children, a subject that Molly Weasley had already thoroughly exhausted.

"Enough out of you! You are no longer allowed to make fun of me for a week concerning all of this, considering that I went through that for you to get Ginny out of her, to likely have sex with two men." George made a face at that, and Fred pushed his own disgust aside to revel in getting back at his twin, "Yeah, that's right, I went there."

They walked into the house together, bracing themselves against what awaited them there in the form of their formidable mother. George shot a glance at Fred, "That was a good one. But we are in agreement that they will do nothing but play tiddlywinks, right? I won't be able to sleep if I can't get that image out of my head."

Fred held out his hand, and they shook solemnly, "Agreed."

Ginny squared her slight shoulders, and held onto the railing as the elevator rose steadily toward the top of the hotel. It was a special elevator that only gained access to that suite, and had a huge amount of Muggle security on it, which George had dispersed with one flick of his wand for her.

Catching her breath, she felt the movement under her feet, and wearily stared at her hands, knuckles turning white under the strain to keep from freaking out about the strange mode of travel. It unnerved her, but she kept thinking about the reward waiting for her at the top of the hotel.

The device chimed quietly, indicating that she had arrived at her destination. Doors sliding open, she stepped out onto plush carpeting, and stopped feeling the strong wards that someone… Blaise by the feel of it, had set up.

Ginny sighed, and looked into the large living room, trying to spot someone. This was not quite how she had envisioned this. Feeling silly, she called out, "Hello?"

A/N: I'm sorry!!! That was the best place to end it.

Thank you for the awesome reviews, especially Airmid and Toxicvamp, Julie, and so on. You guys have been totally supportive, and great from the start, and I look forward to your reviews like an addict to crack. Only a couple more chapters left! (I'm a little sad about that….)

Also… I'm starting to get sick of beta-ing my own work. I'm making a plea for anyone who would be willing to beta the sequel to please message me. PLEASE!!!!!! I'm a busy university student, plus I'm now on contract to write a book. I just don't have the time to properly beta anymore, and I don't want to put out fanfics that are of lesser quality because of that. Thank you so much in advance!