Chapter 12
"Mum," Ginny groaned, "why can't I go back?"
"No. Absolutely not." Mrs. Weasley told her daughter, "Out of the question!"
Ginny sighed. "It won't make a difference if I'm here or there. At least there, I can learn something."
"Ginevra Molly Weasley, you are not going back to that school and that's that." She said in a stern voice.
"Dad," Ginny shouted. "Will you please talk to her. She says I can't go back to Hogwarts!"
"Now, Molly." Arthur said, coming up to his wife. "There is no reason to keep Ginevra home. We're being watched already. How would it look to the ministry if neither of our children show up to school?"
"Arthur, this is absurd! You can't possibly be suggesting that we let her go back when that horrible man has been made headmaster."
"That is exactly what I'm suggesting Molly." He said calmly, trying to sooth her. "Ginevra will be no safer here than she would be there."
"Oh thank you Dad!" Ginny exclaimed, hugging her dad.
"Yes, yes, dear. Now, go on up to your room." said Arthur, looking at his daughter.
Ginny grinned and made her way up to her room. She was so grateful to her dad for taking her side. Maybe now she could enjoy her birthday. It was hard to believe that she was turning sixteen already. One more year and she would be able to do magic anytime she wanted.
That was another reason she wanted to go back to school. At least there she could practice magic. Here, she was trapped, like a bird in a cage.
A bird. Her thoughts drifted back to the days she spent visiting the Room of Requirements. The days when she used to sing with the little yellow bird. Until she walked in and found it dead in the hands of Draco Malfoy.
Draco... His face loomed in her mind. She could see it co clearly. His pale skin. His oh-so-blonde hair. His stormy gray eyes, which seemed to look into her soul. And that sneer, that cold, mocking sneer.
Her heart beat a little faster when she thought of his kiss. She closed her eyes and could almost feel his cool lips on her own. It made her shiver. The image grew, becoming less like reality as the Draco in her mind deepened the kiss. It became more urgent, more passionate. Ginny felt herself quiver and opened her eyes. Her breathing had become labored.
She tried to shake the image from her mind by concentrating on her breathing. Don't go there. She told herself. He's a Malfoy. He's a Death Eater. He tried to kill Dumbledore.
'But he didn't.' argued the voice in her head.
But he was going to.
'No he wasn't.' the voice said back. 'You heard what Harry said. Draco wasn't going to kill Dumbledore. He said Draco had lowered his wand.'
Ginny sighed. It was no use to even think about this. He was a Malfoy, after all. Even if she did like him, (which she didn't) Ginny told herself, he wouldn't want to be with her anyhow.
Draco read the page again. Was it possible? He asked himself. Could his family really have been so closely involved with Muggles? No. Surely it wasn't true. But there it was, in black and white. He stared down at the text.
The Malfoys of Britain arrived with William the Conqueror. Armand Malfoy, who provided unique, and possibly magical, services to the King, was given a large piece of prime land in Wiltshire. This land has served as the Malfoy family's home since it was bequeathed.
The members of the Malfoy family often integrated themselves into the high societies of the Muggle population. This way, they gained both stature and wealth among the Muggles.
It is believed that the first Lucius Malfoy sought the hand of an English queen, going so far as to offer her his hand. His offer was refused and it is believed, though not confirmed, that the ill tempered Malfoy placed a hex on the Queen.
With the passing of the Statute of Secrecy, the Malfoys removed themselves from Muggle society, throwing their support entirely behind the new-found Ministry of Magic.
Since the passing of the law, no Malfoy is known to have married a Muggle or Muggle born witch or wizard. This decision has, over many centuries, purified the Malfoy family
He could hardly believe it. If this book was to be believed, his family was not always so faithful to the belief of purebloods. Everything he had been taught growing up would be a lie.
Draco checked the page number once more before closing it. The book was so old and covered in such a layer of dust that he had almost passed it up in his attempt to find a new book to read. He slipped the book under his pillow and went back to his desk. Pulling his copy of Magical Families of Britain to him, Draco flipped to a page in the back of the book. There, he read Ginny's short biography again. It seemed as though he spent most of his days reading the small paragraph. The information never changed. He knew it would not change, not until she married and had children.
Draco had an image of Ginny smiling, a blonde toddler in her arms, flash through his mind. Merlin, he thought, what the bloody hell is this witch doing to me? Yet Draco couldn't pull himself away from the book, away from his only connection to her.
He groaned, slamming the book closed. It did him no good to fixate on her. Get over it, Draco! He scorned himself. Yearning for a Weasley. She's in love with Potter! That Mudblood is practically her sister. Draco shuddered.
A Mudblood! He thought. Not just any Mudblood either. No, it just has to be Granger, doesn't it?
'What are you say? It's not as if you plan to marry the girl!' a voice, that sounded peculiarly like his father, whispered.
Draco shook his head.
Ginny woke up to sunlight streaming through her window. It was early but she could smell her mother cooking breakfast. The smell of chocolate chip pancakes drifted upstairs and she jumped out of bed. She threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and rushed downstairs to the kitchen.
Her mother was walking about the kitchen, her wand waving as she cooked breakfast. Fred and George were at the table discussing new products. They looked up when she entered.
"Happy Birthday, Ginny." They coursed together.
"Blimey, Gin." Fred said, "Sixteen already!"
"You'll be able to do magic next year." George added.
She grinned, "I know! It's exciting!" She hugged her mother. "Morning, Mum." she added.
"Good morning, Ginny, dear. Breakfast will be ready in a moment."
"Maybe you can come work for us at the shop once you've finished Hogwarts." One of the twins said, continuing their conversation with her.
"That would be amazing!" Ginny squealed, hugging her brothers.
As she took her seat next to Fred, the back door opened and Mr. Weasley entered, Bill and Fleur close behind him.
"Hey there, Gin. Happy Birthday!" said Bill.
"Oui," said Fleur, "Zees ees a beeg day, ees eet not?"
Ginny smiled at them both. "Thank you."
Bill pulled a package out of his inner robe pocket. "This is for you Gin."
She reached out eagerly to take it from him but the box flew into the air and floated away.
"Not now, Bill." Mrs. Weasley scolded. "Presents come after breakfast." And with that the box floated out of sight and into the other room.
Ginny sighed. Oh well.
Plates began landing on the table and she could see an assortment of foods before her. She helped herself to pancakes and scrambled eggs and sausage. They ate breakfast and talked about the future. And for the moment, they could all forget about the war going on outside of their little home.
After breakfast, they filed into the sitting room and Ginny saw a small mound of presents awaiting her.
"Happy birthday dear." Mr. Weasley told his daughter as he handed her one of the gifts. "This one is from your mother and me."
Ginny tore open the box revealing a new quill with a bottle of ink.
"The ink changes colors when you write with it." Her mother said.
She smiled warmly. "Thanks. I love it."
The next box handed to her was from Bill and Fleur. "We hope you like it." Bill smiled.
Inside the box was a set of crystal vials. "Are- are these real?" she stammered.
"Sure are, Gin. I remembered how good you are at potions and thought you would like them."
Ginny hugged her brother and sister-in-law. "They're wonderful!"
The twins gave her a large box full of products from their shop. "Thought you might like some to take back to school with you." Said George, and Fred winked.
She spent the next half hour opening gifts. Charlie had sent her a dragon pendant necklace from Romania. She received a book called Perfectly Punctual Jobs for Aspiring Witches and Wizards from Percy. Her Great Aunt Muriel sent her a copy of Rita Skeeter's new book, which she promptly threw away. And in a long, thin box Ginny found a single white rose.
Her heart thumped as she tried to figure out how he could have gotten it to her. She knew it must have been from Harry, though no card accompanied it. She carried the gifts up to her room and put them away.
The rose sat in a clear crystal vase on her desk where she could see it every day when she woke up.