GINNY'S OTHER LIFE

Chapter 6

Ginny collapsed on the floor right at their feet.

"Merlin Ron, help me," Hermione cried out as she tried to break Ginny's fall.

Ron caught her shoulders and gently laid her back. "I think she just fainted Mione."

"Brilliant deduction mister big-shot Auror. So what do we do for her?"

"Your asking me?" How should I know?"

"Your impossible sometimes Ron. Just hold her and I'll massage her arms. Maybe that will help."

Within a minute or two, it seemed to be hours to Ron, Ginny stirred and let out a moan. She opened her eyes and looked at the two holding her. Then she started to cry. Tear were streaming down her face as she reached out and pulled her brother to her.

"Ron, is it really you? And Hermione. Oh how I've missed you both."

Then she pulled out of Ron's arms and wiped away the tears.

Ginny looked at them both, and with a squeaky voice, spoke to them for seemed like the first time in a very long time.

"Are you guys still mad at me?"

"No sis. We were never mad at you. We love you Gin, we both do. We all do. The whole family, we all love you. Come on, let me help you up."

Hermione took one arm and Ron the other, and they pulled he to her feet.

"We mean it Gin, We all love you."

"Yes, I know that now. Harry told me so."

"Er Harry told you."

"Yea, he did. He said that you both were looking for me."

She reached out pulled them both into a tight hug.

"I want to go home Ron, Mione. I've missed everyone so much. Can you take me home now."

"Yes, in a bit Gin."

"Are dad and mum still mad at me for getting dad fired?"

"No Gin. We know that you are innocent of those charges. We've always known. The ministry reversed their earlier decision and cleared you of all charges Gin. They want you back."

"Yea, I know they cleared my name. Harry told me just last night. I can go back now. He told me that you were looking for me to take me home. Is he with you now?"

Ron and Hermione just looked at each other. They didn't know what to make of her claims about talking to Harry. It was too surreal.

Ron look carefully at his sister. "Gin. I.."

Hermione quickly interrupted him. "No Ron. Not yet."

She turned to Ginny and smiled. "Let's get you up stairs to your flat Gin. Then we can talk."

"NO, No. I never want to go back there. It's just too painful right now. Please just take me home."

"Ok Gin, but don't you need your clothes, or what ever. We could get them for you, if you would like."

"No. I have nothing there of value, and I have very few clothes. Just take me home, please."

She started to cry again, and Hermione took her in her arms and comforted her.

"It's ok Gin. We understand. We love and want to do what's best for you. Come on Ron, let's get her in the car and get out of here. It's a long ride home."

Hermione helped Ginny into the back seat of Ron's car. She buckled her seat belt, then pulled Ginny close to her and buckled her in. Ginny's head was resting on Hermione's, shoulder, and as soon as Ron started the engine and pulled out onto the main road, Ginny was asleep.

Ginny slept against Hermione most of the way home, occasionally waking with tears streaming down her face. She would snuggle closer to Hermione, let out a sigh, and fall back to sleep. They arrived at Ron's flat, woke Ginny and carefully guided her into their sitting room.

Ginny looked around, looked at her brother, than gazed at Hermione's left hand.

"Wow!, so you guys are married now. That's great, I'm happy for you both. Harry didn't tell me you were married. So when did it happen?"

"Almost a year ago Gin," Ron told her. "We really wanted you to be there with us, but we couldn't find you. We sent owls many times, but they always returned undelivered."

Ginny started to cry again as she fell into her brother's arms.

"I'm sorry I took off like that. I thought everyone hated me, and I couldn't live with that."

"That's ok Gin. We understand," Hermione said to her. "You must be hungry. I'll make us something to eat, then we'll talk a bit."

"Ok Mione. Can we go see my family then?"

"Soon Gin. But we have to talk a bit. I can see that you're still tired, and I think it best that you get a good nights sleep first."

Hermione prepared a delicious meal for them, the best Ginny had eaten in a long time, and she ate ravenously, savouring every bite. She drank down a Butterbeer, also her first in a long time. It brought back many pleasant memories that she had long forgotten.

"Gin, Ron has to work tomorrow, and he feels that he should do a few things for you first. Do you know where your wand is? Is it in your flat?"

"Yea. I haven't used it in a while, I think. There is not much you can do with a wand in the Muggle world. I think that I only used it to cast the contraceptive charms."

That statement shook Ginny, and she burst into tears again. She didn't mean to let that slip out.

"Gin, where is your wand now?"

Ginny wiped away the tears. "Sorry I said that Mione."

Then the tears really flowed. With difficulty, she said that she hides her wand under her mattress.

"Ok now Gin. Ron is going to go back to your flat after work. He will get your wand and whatever else of value he finds. That will give you and I time to talk girl-to-girl. Is there anything else he can do for you while he's there?"

"Well, my job, and I think I owe my rent. I get paid on Monday. I suppose I should go back then, I can't afford to loose that job."

Hermione just shook her head. "Gin, listen to me, look at me. All that is in the past. You are never going back there. Do you understand that?"

Ginny just held her head in her hands cried hysterically. Hermione pulled Ron aside to talk.

"Ron, she hides her wand under her mattress. Go through her clothes and toss anything that is worn or not appropriate, and take anything else that's worth taking. Then I think that you should see the building manager. If she owes anything, just pay it. Also you should go to that factory place and see if you can pick up her pay check."

"Got it Mione. I will be able to leave work early. Then I'll take care of it all. It will be a while, I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Thanks Ron. You're the greatest."

Hermione sat on the bed along side Ginny, and placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Let's talk Gin, while Ron's away. Tell me about your using the contraceptive charms."

Ginny burst into tears again. "Oh Mione, I've done bad things. I'm a whore Mione, a perverted whore," she cried.

"It's all right Gin. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"I know, but I need to get it out Mione. I need to tell someone."

Ginny took a deep breath and sighed. "Mione, I did the most despicable things with any man that would have me, almost every weekend. I went to pubs and picked-up anyone who would buy me a drink. Sometimes I took then to my flat and let them do anything they wanted to do to me. Sometimes I let them have me right there in the pub's loo. Most of the time I don't even remember how I got home. I'd wake up in the morning hung-over and naked an smelling like an old toilet. It was terrible Mione, but I couldn't stop. I was just a bloody whore, willing to take on any guy with a glass of whiskey."

Ginny sobbed on Hermione's shoulder. "Mione, I did terrible perverted things. Thing I deeply regret. But I couldn't help myself Mione. I couldn't stop, and I don't know why."

Hermione rocked her in her arms. "It's ok Gin, I understand. But it's over now. Your safe with us. It will be ok Gin. We all love you."

Hermione continued to comfort Ginny as best she could. It took some time, but eventually Ginny calmed down.

"Gin, if your ready, I'd like to talk to you about a few things. Your hair Gin, what's with that? It's a mess."

"Yea, I know. At first I cut it very short and died it to hide the red. I guess I was trying not to be 'Ginny the redhead Weasley'. I couldn't afford to go to a hairdresser, and my red hair just grew back. Several more times I tried to dye it blond, but it just came put a dirty brown. Maybe you could trim it a bit for me, you know, cut it back some."

"Sure Gin. Now about Harry."

Ginny just wrung her hands together and looked down at the floor. The tears started again, and Ginny put her head in her hands, sniffled, and looked up to Hermione's eyes.

"He's dead, isn't he. Harry's dead, I know it."

Hermione was startled. How could Ginny know this she thought.

"Gin, I'm so sorry, but yes, Harry is dead. He was killed about a month age in Australia. That's where he had been hiding all this time. Ron and I brought his body back and burred him next to his parents at Godric's Hollow. We didn't notify the press or the ministry, and I think we should keep it that way. The last thing Harry would have wanted was more publicity."

Hermione took a deep breath and sighed. "How did you know that Harry had died Gin?" she asked.

Tears were again streaming down her face. "I don't know Mione. He talked to me last night. I didn't see him, I only heard him in my head. He told me that he loved me, that all my family loves me."

Ginny was now struggling to get the words out. Her voice nearly died on each word she spoke.

"Mione, he told me many things I didn't know. Things like you and Ron were on my street looking for me. I asked if I would be seeing him soon, and he said no, and that Ron would explain everything after you found me."

Ginny coughed and tried to clear her throat enough to continue.

"He said the you and Ron were looking for me, but that he was not with them. Then you told me things that Harry had told me, things that I had know way of knowing, so I knew that it couldn't have been just a dream Mione. It had to be real. And that could have only been if Harry was dead Mione."

The tears were pouring down her face now, and she struggled to continue.

"Mione, I asked God to help me. I asked God to help Harry tell me what to do."

Ginny took a deep breath and cleared her throat.

"And He did Mione. God helped Harry talk to me in my head. He talked to me from the beyond, from heaven or wherever. And Harry convinced me not to kill myself. He told me that he forgave me, even though I didn't tell him about the things I had done. He just knew Mione, he knew that I had done bad things. Mione, how else could he know those things unless he was dead and had been watching me from heaven. Then he told me that God forgives me also"

Hermione was totally confused by Ginny's story. She had no idea what to say to this girl.

"Mione, his last words to me were that he loved me, always and forever. Then he thanked God for this gift. I didn't know what he meant by that Mione. But I do now. I prayed to God to help me, and I prayed to Harry to help me. And that's what he did. God allowed him to enter my mind and tell me what to do. And that saved me Mione. I was ready to end it all right then and their, but Harry talked me out of it. He saved me again Mione. With the help of God's gift, Harry saved my life again. And no one will ever convince me otherwise."

"Gin, I believe you. I have no reason not to believe you."

Well, that was only a little lie Hermione thought to herself.

"Ron will be back in a while, and if we are going to go to the Burrow tomorrow, you need a good night's sleep. I know that seeing everyone will be quite emotionally draining for you. Get yourself ready, Oh, I'm sorry, let me get you one of my night shirts, ok."

Ginny did whatever and slipped on Hermione's night shirt. She hadn't slept with anything covering her in a long time, and it felt nice. Hermione gave her a dose of a dreamless sleep potion, and she quickly slipped into a peaceful slumber.

End chapter six