The Long Road Home, chapter 9
Rated:R
Summary: Sequel to Ginny's Gift. Read that story first. Harry must deal with the aftermath of Voldemort's defeat.
A/N: The following chapter contains a rather unfortunate occurrence. I deeply regret having to write it, but unfortunately, that's the way the story goes. If you would rather read a story full of happy events, I refer you to Caitlyn and
Marian. Also this chapter is rated R, so be forewarned.
Ginny's mother sank down into a chair, as if her legs had suddenly become too
weak to support her. Her hand was still over her heart. "I thought it was over,"
she said softly, but as she continued, her voice rose. "It was supposed to be
OVER!"
"What happened?" Ginny asked quickly.
Croaker began to tell them about a huge operation, which had been planned to
bring in several remaining Death Eater cells. They'd been acting on information
given voluntarily by someone who had been very well placed to name names. The
Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office had had to become involved, but its
involvement was only supposed to have been peripheral. Ginny's father had been
sent out to Goole to bring in a collection of cursed Muggle items, but the owner
had put up more resistance than expected. Reinforcements had been called in but
not before Ginny's dad had been injured.
"What's the matter with him?" asked her mother anxiously. "Was he hurt
badly?"
"I haven't got details," Croaker replied. "I've only had word that he's in
hospital. It may well be something minor, but with all that's been happening
today there have been quite a lot of casualties, and the Medi-wizards have to
see to the worst of it first."
Ginny's mother had gone white, and Ginny herself wondered if this day could
possibly get any worse. Croaker's use of the word "casualties" was rather
alarming. Ginny jumped as the teakettle suddenly began to whistle. She'd
forgotten that her mother had started it heating before they'd learned the real
reason behind Croaker's visit. Mechanically, Ginny moved towards the stove with
the intention of measuring out the tea leaves.
"Leave it, Ginny," her mother said sharply. "There's no time for that now.
I've got to go to your father."
But before Ginny could even begin to turn back towards her place at the
table, there was a pop in the room as Bill appeared. He looked quite
dishevelled and he had a bandage around one arm.
"Bill!" her mother exclaimed. "Have you heard?"
"About Dad? Yes. I see you've already heard the news." He sat at the kitchen
table and buried his face in his hands. "What a day! I could do with a cuppa."
"Bill, how could you! Your father's in hospital. We need to go to him."
"Calm down, Mum. It's not that bad. They'll patch him up, and he'll be home
by tomorrow, I'm certain."
"How can you say it's not that bad if they're keeping him overnight?"
"He's only broken his leg, and they've got more serious cases to see to
first. If you went to him now, there'd be nothing to do but wait around and
worry."
Ginny, who had been preparing tea for her brother, let out a breath. She
brought the teapot over to the table and filled four mugs with the amber liquid.
"He's broken his leg?" her mother practically shouted. "Why are we all
sitting here drinking tea?"
"It's only a broken leg, Mum," said Ginny calmly. "They'll patch it up soon
enough. What's the big deal?"
"Oh, you have no idea…" But then her mother seemed to catch herself, as if
she'd said too much. "They seem to have patched you up pretty quickly," she went
on, looking sharply at her oldest son's arm.
"Did it myself. I didn't want to wait around."
Bill casually reached a long arm out to the shelf behind him, took the bottle
of Ogden's Old Firewhisky from it and added a healthy measure to his tea. Then
he tipped the bottle over his mother's mug, before holding it up in offering to
Croaker. The Unspeakable shook his head. "I'm on duty," he muttered.
"There isn't any sense in us all rushing off in a state to see Dad," Bill
went on. "It's a madhouse over there at the moment, and we'll just be in the
way. It's best if we take our time and calm down before we all descend on him."
Croaker gulped down his tea. "I'm off if I'm no longer needed. I'll just be
getting back to work."
He had soon disappeared in a roar of emerald flames, and Bill made his mother
sit and drink a second cup of tea spiked with Firewhisky before he'd let her
even think of getting up from the table. Then another argument ensued when Ginny
wanted to go to St Mungo's with the others.
"Out of the question, Ginny," her mother said. "You have to finish packing
your things. And someone has to be here to keep an eye on supper."
"Who's going to be here to eat it?" Ginny asked in protest. "You're all going
to be at St. Mungo's, and Harry isn't going to be home."
"We don't know when anyone is going to be back, Ginny, and you have to eat."
Ginny grudgingly gave in, although she knew right away she wasn't going to
feel like eating anything. With nothing better to do, she finished up her
washing and ironing, taking secret delight in cutting a few corners. She knew it
was childish of her, but she needed to think about something, anything other
than what was really going on around her.
She had just finished packing her trunk, laying Harry's Firebolt in last of
all, when she heard a noise from downstairs. Going down to investigate, she
found Bill had come home to give her an update on their father's condition.
"It's a bit worse than they thought. Leg's broken in more than one place,
apparently. He's going to be fine, though. They've given him something for the
pain, so he's happy, but they weren't going to be able to mend his bones until
tomorrow. They've got a splint on it in the mean time."
"So everything's going to be all right," Ginny replied.
"Yeah. Mum is going to stay with him for a bit, though. He's all right, but
she's pretty shaken up. I think she had some sort of nasty reminder this
afternoon."
"What do you mean, reminder?"
Bill thought for a moment. "It's hard to explain. I barely remember it, but I
think she's been through something like this before, only worse. You know,
during the first war."
Ginny nodded, remembering her mother's extreme reaction earlier, although she
didn't really understand. It was a subject that had never been brought up
before, but she had the distinct impression that Bill knew more about it than he
let on. He just didn't want to talk about it.
"Listen," Bill went on, changing the subject, "if you're going to be all
right, I'm going to go back to St Mungo's to see what Mum is up to. If I don't
watch her, she'll have taken over the place, and be telling the matrons how to
do their job."
"Oh, won't they love that! She's had plenty of practice at it today."
The corners of Bill's mouth twitched. "I'm going to close the fireplace so no
one can come through. We'll Apparate home, all right?"
"Is that really necessary?"
"I think so, yes. Now don't argue with me over this."
"Bill, I'll be fine."
"I know you will because I'm closing off the Floo. I'll see you later."
His tone brooked no argument, and Ginny suddenly didn't have the energy to
protest. What did it matter? Either way she'd be spending her last evening at
home alone. With the Floo closed off and the wards that had been put in place,
no one but family members and certain designated family friends, such as
Hermione, could approach the Burrow unless he came on foot or by broom. And who
would bother?
She wandered into the kitchen now, wondering what to do. She had finished her
packing, and although it was time for supper, she wasn't hungry at all. She
lifted the lids of a few of the pots her mother had left warming on the stove,
but even the aroma of her favourite foods didn't entice her.
She was about to go back upstairs and find something to occupy herself when a
messy-haired figured suddenly appeared in front of her. She took a step back in
her surprise before launching herself into his arms.
"Harry, what are you doing here?"
"They sent me home." He'd pulled her tightly against him and laid his cheek
on the top of her head.
"But your owl said…"
"I know, but my boss said I could come home."
"Thank God." She drew back, intending to kiss him.
"Isn't your mother going to walk in on us?"
"She isn't here."
Ginny took advantage of the house being entirely empty for a few minutes.
When she pulled back, Harry said, "Wow… Where is everyone?"
"St Mungo's."
"What?"
"I reckon I know what you were referring to in that owl today. Dad was
involved in a raid and got into some trouble. Bill was just here and said he's
going to be fine, but Mum had kittens."
"What happened to him?"
"Broken leg. He should be home tomorrow."
"They're keeping him with a broken leg? Are you sure he's all right?"
"There were a lot of other patients, apparently. They couldn't fix his leg
straight away. They've made him comfortable and will see to him in the morning."
"And they've left you here alone."
"I wasn't finished packing. Listen, Mum left supper on the cooker. Are you
hungry?"
"Yeah, I could do with a bite."
"Why don't you go upstairs and change, and I'll get us some supper then."
Ginny didn't bother to clean up the kitchen directly after their meal. Her
time with Harry was almost at an end now, and she didn't want to waste it on
mundane chores. Harry seemed to be just as aware as she that this would be their
last evening together for a long time, and once they were both seated on the
sofa, the Wizarding Wireless Network playing softly in the background, he put an
arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer. She laid her head on his shoulder,
and they sat there for a long time not moving and not speaking.
"I'm going to miss you," Harry told her, breaking the silence at last. "I
don't know how I'll survive until December."
"Hush, Harry. I don't want to think about it." She had to swallow hard in
order to compose herself. She'd been pushing thoughts like this out of her head
all day. As much as she'd been worried about her father, the distraction had
been welcome in a way, although in the end, one worrisome thought had simply
driven out another. "We're just going to have to do our best to keep ourselves
occupied…"
She trailed off, unable to go on without starting to cry. Harry must have
understood. He hugged her even closer before tipping her chin up so that she
could meet his gaze. His own eyes seemed a bit bright. "I'll be here when you
get back."
"I don't want to go." She couldn't stop the tear that escaped this time.
Harry pulled her fully into his arms, and she felt him kiss the top of her
head. "I don't want you to."
Then he buried his face against the side of her neck and held her for a while
longer. Some unspoken communion between them caused them to pull apart just far
enough for Harry to fit his lips against hers. This was going to have to last
them for almost four months, and both of them knew it. She returned the kiss
briefly, before reaching up to take off his glasses. She'd realised as soon as
they started that neither one of them was going to rein in his passion for very
long. Then she tangled her hands in his hair and pressed as closely to him as
she could, while his arms tightened around her waist until they were nearly
crushing her.
Instinctively she knew where this was going to lead, but she also knew she
was going to have to say something soon. But she didn't want to stop him either.
It felt as if her entire body was awake in a way it had only been a few times in
the past. His lips had left hers and were hungrily exploring her neck now, while
his arms loosened their grip and his hands began to move gently across her back.
She tilted her head back to grant him freer access. Just a few inches more
and he'd be at a spot that she knew would send an electric jolt through her.
Right… there. She shivered in his arms, gripping his head more tightly to keep
him there. At the same time she felt his hands skim up her sides, stopping just
below the edge of her bra.
She waited, anticipating his touch on her breasts next, but it did not come.
Instead he raised his head to look at her. His hair was wild from her hands
running through it, his eyes burned with green fire, and his breathing was
ragged. She knew what he was about to ask of her, and in the next moment, as
soon as he'd caught his breath, his words proved her right.
"Ginny, I want… Can we…"
She thought her heart was going break. "No, we can't."
"I know what I promised your father, Ginny. I promised we wouldn't do
anything we shouldn't. But we wouldn't be doing anything wrong. I love you. You
love me. It isn't wrong."
"I know, Harry, but we still can't."
"Why?" His tone was beginning to take on a desperate edge.
"Because it isn't the right time."
"Not the right time? How could it not be the right time? We have the house to
ourselves. We don't know when we're going to see each other again…"
"I know, but it's not the right time." She looked at him pleadingly, while
she felt the blush rising in her cheeks, begging him to understand so she
wouldn't have to spell it out for him. And all the while she cursed to herself
about the unfairness of it all. Of all the times it had to happen, it had to be
now. If not for that, she would have given herself to him as she'd been longing
to do ever since her birthday.
He stared back at her for a few minutes, and Ginny was beginning to suspect
the was going to have to get on with it and tell him. But then she saw his eyes
widen as realisation dawned over his features, and he went redder than she was.
"Oh…" he said, moving away from her a bit. "Oh… I, uh, I understand."
He dropped his hands into his lap and looked at them. "Harry," Ginny said at
last, "just because we can't make love, doesn't mean you can't touch me at all."
He looked back up at her, his expression a mixture of longing and
guardedness. "Ginny…"
"What's wrong."
Harry sighed. "You're going to kill me, you know that? I want you so much.
You don't know how much."
"Yes, I do. You don't think I want you just as badly?"
"What am I going to do without you?"
"You'll manage. We both will because we have to. And at the end of next
June…"
"That's forever!"
"I know, but I'll be free then. Can you wait that long? Because that's the
longest it can be. Who knows? Maybe we'll see each other before then. Christmas…
Anything can happen."
"I wasn't just talking about sex, Ginny."
"Neither was I." She reached for him then, taking his face between her hands
and pulling him closer. "I love you, Harry. That's all that matters."
She leaned in and kissed him, allowing all the depth of her feeling to pour
into that one gesture as if she could brand an impression on his lips forever.
When they came up for air, she'd pushed him backwards so that he's almost
slumped sideways onto the sofa. She turned her attention to his neck then,
pushing him further down until she was lying on top of him and his arms
tightened convulsively around her. She found his lips once more and felt his
hands slide from her waist to her hips, his fingers biting into her softness as
he pressed the lower part of his body against hers. At the same time he made a
growling sort of sound in his throat, one which caused a shiver of triumph to
pass through her.
She shifted against him, moving her hips instinctively and seeking to produce
the same sound from him. He responded by attempting to flip them both over, but
the sofa was too narrow. Ginny felt herself falling and she clutched desperately
at Harry with one hand, while with the other she tried to grasp the sofa. The
only thing she succeeded in doing was pulling Harry down to the floor as well,
while a slightly shabby blanket, which normally lay across the back of the sofa,
slithered down onto them.
She began to laugh, and Harry joined her for a moment before leaning over her
once more and pulling her into yet another kiss. When he broke away from her,
he'd rolled completely over her, bringing the old blanket with him so that the
two were covered with it, forming a sort of cocoon.
She couldn't see his eyes now in the darkness, but she could feel them on
her. He brought up a hand and touched her face. She covered his hand with her
own, leaning into the caress before turning and touching her lips to the centre
of his palm. Then she took his hand in hers, knowing he was expecting her to
bring it to her breast. But instead, she placed it somewhere that was somehow
much more intimate, at the collar of her blouse.
She sensed a hesitation for a brief moment, and then she could feel the
slight tremor in his fingers as he began to undo the buttons. His hands soon
found their way to the warm skin over her stomach, while he began to nip his way
along her neck. She caught her breath as she felt his teeth graze her collar
bone. Soft hair caressed her shoulder as he continued to place random kisses
along the upper part of her chest.
Her own hands, meanwhile, had been busy working the tail of his shirt free of
his trousers and pushing it up so that she could explore his bare flesh in her
turn. He pushed up on his elbows so that he could allow her access to his chest.
The movement caused their hips to press together once more, causing her to gasp
with pleasure at the intimate contact.
It wasn't fair, she thought to herself once more. She could feel how much he
wanted her. The evidence was pressing against her very centre, making her feel a
strange restlessness deep within. It demanded that she rub back against him, and
she did so, eliciting a groan.
She was going to have to do something. One of them could find release at any
rate. She began to reach for him, her hand delving beneath the waistband of his
trousers, but Harry had other ideas. Before she reached her goal, he put his
hand to her wrist and stopped her.
"No," he whispered. "Not like that. It's either both of us, or neither one."
"But…"
"Don't worry about me."
He was reaching behind her back, lifting her gently so he could unclasp her
bra. Then she felt his hands on her bare breasts and rational thought left her.
She'd never before experienced the sensation of his warm hands on her flesh like
this. His fingers squeezed and flexed experimentally, and she wanted to cry out.
Then she felt his lips begin to explore her, and she did.
The sound Ginny made probably explained why neither of them heard the
telltale popping sound of someone Apparating into the room. There was no
mistaking the voice however.
"What do you make of that, George?"
Ginny's heart had been racing out of control already. Now it seemed likely to
hammer its way out of her chest as she and Harry froze in panic. She thought she
heard Harry swear under his breath.
"I dunno, Fred, but it looks to me as if there's more than one person under
there." The glee in her brother's tone was unmistakable.
"That it does, George."
"But Ginny is supposed to be here by herself, isn't she, Fred?"
Ginny felt like swearing herself. She felt Harry shift ever so slowly to one
side. There wasn't much sense in pretending they weren't there now, but to have
to blanket fall off of them and expose Ginny's state of undress would be
disastrous. She was going to have to right her clothing as best she could.
"Who do you think she's under there with?" asked George.
"Can't be Harry. Mum said he'd be working late. George, you don't think she's
cheating on him, do you?"
"Horrible suggestion, but it can't be anything else, can it?"
"So who could it be?"
"Malfoy?"
"Longbottom?"
"Creevey?"
"The bloke with two names… Finch-Fletchley?"
"Nah, he's a poof."
"Right."
"Whoever it is, I say we give him one minute to show himself before we hex
him."
"That's an excellent suggestion. It a matter of our dear sister's honour,
after all."
Harry must have thought it prudent to show himself at this point, for he
pushed the blanket aside and raised his head. Ginny was still fumbling with her
buttons, shock at being discovered like this making the task much more difficult
than it should have been, but fortunately Harry had moved to the side that
blocked the twins' view of her. Harry's hair was in even more wild disarray than
usual, and his expression was an odd combination of fear and anger.
"Harry, mate!" exclaimed George. "We heard you were working late."
"Nice way to take advantage of an empty house," added Fred.
"Now that poses us a small problem. Just what were you doing under there?"
Harry couldn't reply. He was busy fumbling about for his glasses.
"You know, George, it seems to me that Harry promised Mum and Dad that he
wouldn't do anything he wasn't supposed to. Now I don't know much, but I'm
pretty sure you and our sister shouldn't be doing anything under a blanket on
the floor. What do you reckon George?"
Ginny finally got the last button done up and scrambled to her feet. "Okay,
listen you two. I don't know what you're doing here, but you can just get out."
"Sorry, can't do that," said Fred.
"Get out now, or I'll make you sorry."
George, instead of trembling with fear in the face of Ginny's anger, was
looking at her strangely. He tilted his head to one side for a moment, before
remarking, "You know, you'd be a lot more forceful if your buttons were done up
properly."
"Is this a new style or something?" asked Fred. "Leave two buttons on top and
then skip a few?"
Ginny felt her face flame scarlet. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw
Harry had turned almost purple.
"Hey, Harry," said George, grinning evilly, "if you need any buttons done up,
I wouldn't ask Ginny to help you. She doesn't seem to have got the hang of it
yet."
"GET OUT!" Ginny screamed at her brothers.
"We'll be leaving, won't we, George?"
"Yeah, I think our work here is done."
"You might want to make it look a bit more innocent, though. We came over to
tell you to open the Floo. Mum came over from St Mungo's to see us, but she's
ready to come home, and she's in no condition to Apparate."
"Yeah. Too much Firewhisky in her tea. She's a bit… unsteady."
"But I think she'd sober up pretty quickly if she saw the two of you in this
condition."
Ginny's heart began racing again. As embarrassing as it was to be caught by
the twins, it was far preferable to having her mother walk in on her and Harry.
Even though her mother had been behaving a bit less like Mad-Eye Moody these
days, the thought of her reaction to what had just been transpiring was
frightening. She could deal with the twins later. For now, she was going to have
to make it look as if Harry had just come home, and that meant cleaning up all
traces of their supper together. Without another word, she raced into the
kitchen.
The twins hadn't finished with Harry, however. Their voices drifted in from
the living room. "So, Harry, how'd the two of you wind up on the floor?"
"I would think the sofa would be much more comfortable."
"Not to mention you had the whole house to yourself. Surely you could have
found a bed…"
"I think Dad's going to have to add some new spaces to the clock if this
keeps up."
"Soused…"
"In flagrante delicto…"
Ginny stuck her head back into the living room. "I thought you were leaving.
If you're going to stay, make yourselves useful for once. On second thought, do
me a favour. Open the Floo and get out." She held her wand up for good measure
when the twins didn't jump to do her bidding right away.
"Harry, get upstairs. I'll tell Mum you just got home."
She heard the twins snigger when she said this. "Yeah, Mum's really going to
buy that one, Gin."
"MOVE!"
Her brothers evidently knew they'd pushed her too far now. Fred turned
towards the fireplace and opened it, before they both waved cheerily. "Don't do
anything we wouldn't do," said George before the two Disapparated.
"That leaves us with a lot of choices, doesn't it?" commented Harry when
they'd gone.
"Unfortunately there's no time now, is there?"
"Do you want any help?"
"No, I can do the washing up."
"I meant with your buttons…" he said, smirking.
Ginny had completely forgotten, but she scowled at Harry and threw the
dishtowel at him, hitting him in the face with it. "You have to get upstairs
before Mum gets back. I'll finish in here. And fix my buttons. When you hear her
come in, we'll make it look good."
Ginny made swift work of the washing up and had the kitchen looking in its
usual spotless order when she heard a noise coming from the fireplace. "Steady
there, Mum," came Bill's voice from behind her.
"I'm fine, Bill," Ginny's mother tried to snap, but her words were slurred
just enough to make it sound unconvincing. She jerked her arm from he son's hand
and lurched toward the kitchen table.
Ginny put the kettle on, while her mother began rambling on about her
father's condition. When the water boiled, there was a bit of a scene when her
mother wanted another shot of Ogden's in her cup, and Bill had to hide the
bottle.
In the middle of all this, Harry put in an appearance. Ginny's mother looked
up immediately. "Harry, dear, when did you get home?"
"Just before you did, Mum," Ginny replied quickly.
Ginny's mother got out of her seat. "You can't have eaten; you must be
peckish. They're working you far to hard, dear. You sit and let me get you
something to eat."
"It's all right, Mrs Weasley, I'm really not hungry," replied Harry.
"It won't be a bother, dear." She began to walk none too steadily towards the
cooker.
Harry watched her, alarmed. "Really, Mrs Weasley…"
"Come on, Mum." Bill was standing up and putting a hand on his mother's arm.
"Let's get you to bed."
"But Harry…"
"I'll get him something, Mum," said Ginny to get rid of her mother as much as
anything. "You go to bed. We'll be along soon."
Ginny's mother looked doubtful. "Well all right then. Don't stay up too late.
You have to be off early tomorrow."
"Good night, Mum."
Ginny let out a long sigh of relief when her mother and brother disappeared
upstairs. "We won't be able to stay down here too long," she said to Harry.
"I'll go up to bed now. I won't be making any trouble for you that way." He
leaned close to her and kissed her cheek. "I'll see you later."
It was only after he'd disappeared up the steps that she realised that he'd
said later and not tomorrow.
*
Harry lay awake in Ron's room waiting until the house had gone completely
quiet. He wasn't worried about Ginny's mother waking up. From the looks of
things, she ought to be quite sound asleep and likely to remain that way until
morning. He had no idea if Bill was a light sleeper, or even what Ginny's
brother might say if he were to catch Harry, but after the run-in with the
twins, he decided not to take any chances. It was after midnight when he threw
back his blankets, slipped the invisibility cloak on over his pyjama bottoms and
slipped silently down the steps to Ginny's room.
He opened the door soundlessly and found her asleep, her hair fanned out on
her pillow. He padded over next to her bed and watched her sleep for a few
moments, wondering as he did so how he could have gone for so many years and not
seen her.
He hated to wake her up but he had to. He couldn't risk startling her out of
her sleep and having her cry out, waking everybody. He slid out of the
invisibility cloak and gently grasped her shoulder, giving it a gentle shake.
"Ginny," he whispered.
She stirred and her eyes fluttered open. "Harry," she said after a moment of
disorientation. "What are you doing here?"
"It's the last night before you leave. I want to spend it with you. Sleeping,
I mean. I know we can't…"
"But if Mum comes in and catches you…"
"We'll just make certain we wake up early, and I've got my cloak. Please,
Gin, just let me hold you."
She slid over on the mattress to make room for him, but once he'd climbed in
with her, he had to struggle to hold onto his good intentions. His mind insisted
on reminding him that just a few hours previous they'd been lying on the living
room floor together, exploring…
That had ended in disaster, he reminded himself. Concentrating on the twins'
interruption was a much safer prospect than dwelling on what had preceded. The
intensity of his need for her had come as a shock. When they finally did make
love, he wondered if he was going to survive the experience. A tingle of desire
passed through him. Twins. He had to think of the twins' leering faces.
Ginny's head was resting against his bare shoulder, strands of her long hair
tickling as she stirred. She put an arm around his waist and snuggled closer. "G'night,
Harry." She was already drifting back off.
He kissed the top of her head. "Night, Gin."
Harry awoke in the grey dawn to find Ginny still asleep in his arms. Someday
they would be able to share a bed without having to worry about Ginny's mother
coming in and screeching at them. Someday. But that day was not today. They had
the entire school year ahead to get through before they could even begin to
consider the possibility of sharing the rest of their lives.
He wondered about kissing her awake and decided it wasn't such a good idea.
It would be too easy to lose himself. "Gin… Gin, wake up," he whispered into her
ear.
He heard a groan and felt her stretch against him. "Go 'way. I'm tired," she
murmured.
"I know, but we have to do this now, while we still have some privacy."
Her eyes opened and she stared back at him gravely. "It's time, isn't it?"
Harry swallowed hard and nodded. He was afraid that if he spoke now his voice
would break.
"Oh, Harry…" She snuggled closer to him. "I don't want to go. You know that,
don't you?"
He somehow found his voice. "Yes… yes, I know. And I know you have to even if
I don't want you to."
"I wish you didn't have to work so you could come to King's Cross with me."
"I suppose it would draw things out a bit more, but do you really want to say
goodbye in front of everyone? If any reporters thought I'd turn up…"
"You're right… I'll write to you."
"I want to know everything, even the stupid, little things. Especially them.
I want to feel as if I'm there with you."
"I'm going to miss you, Harry. Terribly." Tears were starting to slip out of
the corners of her eyes.
"Gin, don't cry."
"I can't help it. I don't want to leave you."
"Gin, I love you, and I'm going to be here when you come back. I'm always
going to be here for you."
She was crying harder now, and Harry was finding it more and more difficult
not to follow suit. Already his voice was hoarse with the effort he was making
to hold his emotions in check. He finally had to give into them, and they both
clung to each other for a while, crying quietly.
A noise out on the landing caused them to break apart suddenly. Heart
pounding, Harry stared into Ginny's red-rimmed eyes for a moment. He was going
to have to act quickly or they'd be discovered. He kissed her quickly and hard
on the lips before snatching up the invisibility cloak and slipping underneath
it. Just in time. Mrs Weasley was knocking at the door. "Ginny, time to get up."
"I'll be along in a minute, Mum," she called back.
Mrs Weasley must have heard the catch in her voice. "Is everything all right,
dear?"
Ginny looked at the spot where she'd seen Harry disappear, a look of panic
taking over her features. "Of course it is. I'll be downstairs soon."
Too late. Mrs Weasley opened the door. "Ginny, you've been crying."
Harry saw Ginny swipe at her eyes impatiently. "I'll be all right," she said
in a small voice, and Harry could tell she was trying to put a brave face on
things for her mother.
"It's Harry, isn't it?"
"What else would it be?"
Mr Weasley crossed the room and took Ginny into a motherly hug. "You haven't
chosen an easy road for yourself, have you?" Harry heard Mrs Weasley say softly
to her daughter.
"It's not a choice, Mum. It's not as if I can choose to stop feeling this
way."
Ginny's mother stepped back, placing her hands on her daughter's shoulders
and looking her in the eye. She sighed. "Yes, I think I know that, but Ginny,
this is only ten months out of your life. The both of you have your whole lives
ahead of you. If you take this separation one day at a time, you'll get through
it. You will. And then you'll be ready to start your life together."
Harry was shocked to hear her say that. He'd only begun thinking in those
terms himself recently. And from the way she'd been watching them so closely… It
hadn't been because she didn't approve of the relationship, he now realised. It
had been for other reasons. Mrs Weasley wanted her daughter to be happy; she
wanted him to be happy--she'd said in the past that he was like one of
her own… In spite of his sadness at having to say goodbye to Ginny, there was
something warm and comforting about that thought.
"I know, Mum. I keep telling myself I'll manage somehow. But the telling is
one thing. The doing is another."
"One day at a time." She paused and then changed the subject slightly. "We
need to make sure Harry gets up in time to say goodbye to you properly," Mrs
Weasley was going on. "I'll see about waking him, shall I?"
Harry watched Ginny's eyes go round for a split second before she mastered
herself. Harry's own heart began to beat out of control. "Yes, Mum," Ginny
replied in a slightly strained voice. "Why don't you do that?"
Harry couldn't believe it, but there was nothing he could do to attract
Ginny's attention without her mother discovering he'd been there all along. As
soon as Mrs Weasley left the room, and her footfalls were heard climbing the
stairs to Ron's room, Ginny looked straight at the spot where Harry was still
standing, and hissed, "Bathroom. Now."
"But I haven't said goodbye."
"There's no time for that now. If Mum finds you…"
He cut her off as he slipped off his invisibility cloak for a swift kiss.
"I've said everything else, but this. Have a good term. I love you. I'll write
to you."
"Harry, I'm going to see you at breakfast…"
"I know, but I'm not going to say all that in front of your mother."
"Just go before she gets back down here!"
*
Several hours later, Ginny found herself in the prefects' compartment on the
Hogwarts Express. The other students were all chattering away happily about the
events of the summer, while she sat in a corner feeling very much separate from
it all. She and Harry hadn't had a chance at any more time alone together that
morning, and so they really hadn't had what she considered a proper goodbye.
Sitting here now as the train rattled along the tracks, Ginny could think of a
hundred things she'd have told him if she'd got the chance. She opened her trunk
and took out a roll of parchment. She may not have had an opportunity to say
anything, but she could write it down.
She only set down her quill when the train arrived in Hogsmeade.
A/N: Many thanks to Caitlyn and Marian for their suggestions for this
chapter. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed.
Chapter 10
Summary: Sequel to Ginny's Gift. Read that story first. Harry must deal with the aftermath of Voldemort's defeat.
A/N: The following chapter contains a rather unfortunate occurrence. I deeply regret having to write it, but unfortunately, that's the way the story goes. If you would rather read a story full of happy events, I refer you to Caitlyn and
Marian. Also this chapter is rated R, so be forewarned.
Ginny's mother sank down into a chair, as if her legs had suddenly become too
weak to support her. Her hand was still over her heart. "I thought it was over,"
she said softly, but as she continued, her voice rose. "It was supposed to be
OVER!"
"What happened?" Ginny asked quickly.
Croaker began to tell them about a huge operation, which had been planned to
bring in several remaining Death Eater cells. They'd been acting on information
given voluntarily by someone who had been very well placed to name names. The
Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office had had to become involved, but its
involvement was only supposed to have been peripheral. Ginny's father had been
sent out to Goole to bring in a collection of cursed Muggle items, but the owner
had put up more resistance than expected. Reinforcements had been called in but
not before Ginny's dad had been injured.
"What's the matter with him?" asked her mother anxiously. "Was he hurt
badly?"
"I haven't got details," Croaker replied. "I've only had word that he's in
hospital. It may well be something minor, but with all that's been happening
today there have been quite a lot of casualties, and the Medi-wizards have to
see to the worst of it first."
Ginny's mother had gone white, and Ginny herself wondered if this day could
possibly get any worse. Croaker's use of the word "casualties" was rather
alarming. Ginny jumped as the teakettle suddenly began to whistle. She'd
forgotten that her mother had started it heating before they'd learned the real
reason behind Croaker's visit. Mechanically, Ginny moved towards the stove with
the intention of measuring out the tea leaves.
"Leave it, Ginny," her mother said sharply. "There's no time for that now.
I've got to go to your father."
But before Ginny could even begin to turn back towards her place at the
table, there was a pop in the room as Bill appeared. He looked quite
dishevelled and he had a bandage around one arm.
"Bill!" her mother exclaimed. "Have you heard?"
"About Dad? Yes. I see you've already heard the news." He sat at the kitchen
table and buried his face in his hands. "What a day! I could do with a cuppa."
"Bill, how could you! Your father's in hospital. We need to go to him."
"Calm down, Mum. It's not that bad. They'll patch him up, and he'll be home
by tomorrow, I'm certain."
"How can you say it's not that bad if they're keeping him overnight?"
"He's only broken his leg, and they've got more serious cases to see to
first. If you went to him now, there'd be nothing to do but wait around and
worry."
Ginny, who had been preparing tea for her brother, let out a breath. She
brought the teapot over to the table and filled four mugs with the amber liquid.
"He's broken his leg?" her mother practically shouted. "Why are we all
sitting here drinking tea?"
"It's only a broken leg, Mum," said Ginny calmly. "They'll patch it up soon
enough. What's the big deal?"
"Oh, you have no idea…" But then her mother seemed to catch herself, as if
she'd said too much. "They seem to have patched you up pretty quickly," she went
on, looking sharply at her oldest son's arm.
"Did it myself. I didn't want to wait around."
Bill casually reached a long arm out to the shelf behind him, took the bottle
of Ogden's Old Firewhisky from it and added a healthy measure to his tea. Then
he tipped the bottle over his mother's mug, before holding it up in offering to
Croaker. The Unspeakable shook his head. "I'm on duty," he muttered.
"There isn't any sense in us all rushing off in a state to see Dad," Bill
went on. "It's a madhouse over there at the moment, and we'll just be in the
way. It's best if we take our time and calm down before we all descend on him."
Croaker gulped down his tea. "I'm off if I'm no longer needed. I'll just be
getting back to work."
He had soon disappeared in a roar of emerald flames, and Bill made his mother
sit and drink a second cup of tea spiked with Firewhisky before he'd let her
even think of getting up from the table. Then another argument ensued when Ginny
wanted to go to St Mungo's with the others.
"Out of the question, Ginny," her mother said. "You have to finish packing
your things. And someone has to be here to keep an eye on supper."
"Who's going to be here to eat it?" Ginny asked in protest. "You're all going
to be at St. Mungo's, and Harry isn't going to be home."
"We don't know when anyone is going to be back, Ginny, and you have to eat."
Ginny grudgingly gave in, although she knew right away she wasn't going to
feel like eating anything. With nothing better to do, she finished up her
washing and ironing, taking secret delight in cutting a few corners. She knew it
was childish of her, but she needed to think about something, anything other
than what was really going on around her.
She had just finished packing her trunk, laying Harry's Firebolt in last of
all, when she heard a noise from downstairs. Going down to investigate, she
found Bill had come home to give her an update on their father's condition.
"It's a bit worse than they thought. Leg's broken in more than one place,
apparently. He's going to be fine, though. They've given him something for the
pain, so he's happy, but they weren't going to be able to mend his bones until
tomorrow. They've got a splint on it in the mean time."
"So everything's going to be all right," Ginny replied.
"Yeah. Mum is going to stay with him for a bit, though. He's all right, but
she's pretty shaken up. I think she had some sort of nasty reminder this
afternoon."
"What do you mean, reminder?"
Bill thought for a moment. "It's hard to explain. I barely remember it, but I
think she's been through something like this before, only worse. You know,
during the first war."
Ginny nodded, remembering her mother's extreme reaction earlier, although she
didn't really understand. It was a subject that had never been brought up
before, but she had the distinct impression that Bill knew more about it than he
let on. He just didn't want to talk about it.
"Listen," Bill went on, changing the subject, "if you're going to be all
right, I'm going to go back to St Mungo's to see what Mum is up to. If I don't
watch her, she'll have taken over the place, and be telling the matrons how to
do their job."
"Oh, won't they love that! She's had plenty of practice at it today."
The corners of Bill's mouth twitched. "I'm going to close the fireplace so no
one can come through. We'll Apparate home, all right?"
"Is that really necessary?"
"I think so, yes. Now don't argue with me over this."
"Bill, I'll be fine."
"I know you will because I'm closing off the Floo. I'll see you later."
His tone brooked no argument, and Ginny suddenly didn't have the energy to
protest. What did it matter? Either way she'd be spending her last evening at
home alone. With the Floo closed off and the wards that had been put in place,
no one but family members and certain designated family friends, such as
Hermione, could approach the Burrow unless he came on foot or by broom. And who
would bother?
She wandered into the kitchen now, wondering what to do. She had finished her
packing, and although it was time for supper, she wasn't hungry at all. She
lifted the lids of a few of the pots her mother had left warming on the stove,
but even the aroma of her favourite foods didn't entice her.
She was about to go back upstairs and find something to occupy herself when a
messy-haired figured suddenly appeared in front of her. She took a step back in
her surprise before launching herself into his arms.
"Harry, what are you doing here?"
"They sent me home." He'd pulled her tightly against him and laid his cheek
on the top of her head.
"But your owl said…"
"I know, but my boss said I could come home."
"Thank God." She drew back, intending to kiss him.
"Isn't your mother going to walk in on us?"
"She isn't here."
Ginny took advantage of the house being entirely empty for a few minutes.
When she pulled back, Harry said, "Wow… Where is everyone?"
"St Mungo's."
"What?"
"I reckon I know what you were referring to in that owl today. Dad was
involved in a raid and got into some trouble. Bill was just here and said he's
going to be fine, but Mum had kittens."
"What happened to him?"
"Broken leg. He should be home tomorrow."
"They're keeping him with a broken leg? Are you sure he's all right?"
"There were a lot of other patients, apparently. They couldn't fix his leg
straight away. They've made him comfortable and will see to him in the morning."
"And they've left you here alone."
"I wasn't finished packing. Listen, Mum left supper on the cooker. Are you
hungry?"
"Yeah, I could do with a bite."
"Why don't you go upstairs and change, and I'll get us some supper then."
Ginny didn't bother to clean up the kitchen directly after their meal. Her
time with Harry was almost at an end now, and she didn't want to waste it on
mundane chores. Harry seemed to be just as aware as she that this would be their
last evening together for a long time, and once they were both seated on the
sofa, the Wizarding Wireless Network playing softly in the background, he put an
arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer. She laid her head on his shoulder,
and they sat there for a long time not moving and not speaking.
"I'm going to miss you," Harry told her, breaking the silence at last. "I
don't know how I'll survive until December."
"Hush, Harry. I don't want to think about it." She had to swallow hard in
order to compose herself. She'd been pushing thoughts like this out of her head
all day. As much as she'd been worried about her father, the distraction had
been welcome in a way, although in the end, one worrisome thought had simply
driven out another. "We're just going to have to do our best to keep ourselves
occupied…"
She trailed off, unable to go on without starting to cry. Harry must have
understood. He hugged her even closer before tipping her chin up so that she
could meet his gaze. His own eyes seemed a bit bright. "I'll be here when you
get back."
"I don't want to go." She couldn't stop the tear that escaped this time.
Harry pulled her fully into his arms, and she felt him kiss the top of her
head. "I don't want you to."
Then he buried his face against the side of her neck and held her for a while
longer. Some unspoken communion between them caused them to pull apart just far
enough for Harry to fit his lips against hers. This was going to have to last
them for almost four months, and both of them knew it. She returned the kiss
briefly, before reaching up to take off his glasses. She'd realised as soon as
they started that neither one of them was going to rein in his passion for very
long. Then she tangled her hands in his hair and pressed as closely to him as
she could, while his arms tightened around her waist until they were nearly
crushing her.
Instinctively she knew where this was going to lead, but she also knew she
was going to have to say something soon. But she didn't want to stop him either.
It felt as if her entire body was awake in a way it had only been a few times in
the past. His lips had left hers and were hungrily exploring her neck now, while
his arms loosened their grip and his hands began to move gently across her back.
She tilted her head back to grant him freer access. Just a few inches more
and he'd be at a spot that she knew would send an electric jolt through her.
Right… there. She shivered in his arms, gripping his head more tightly to keep
him there. At the same time she felt his hands skim up her sides, stopping just
below the edge of her bra.
She waited, anticipating his touch on her breasts next, but it did not come.
Instead he raised his head to look at her. His hair was wild from her hands
running through it, his eyes burned with green fire, and his breathing was
ragged. She knew what he was about to ask of her, and in the next moment, as
soon as he'd caught his breath, his words proved her right.
"Ginny, I want… Can we…"
She thought her heart was going break. "No, we can't."
"I know what I promised your father, Ginny. I promised we wouldn't do
anything we shouldn't. But we wouldn't be doing anything wrong. I love you. You
love me. It isn't wrong."
"I know, Harry, but we still can't."
"Why?" His tone was beginning to take on a desperate edge.
"Because it isn't the right time."
"Not the right time? How could it not be the right time? We have the house to
ourselves. We don't know when we're going to see each other again…"
"I know, but it's not the right time." She looked at him pleadingly, while
she felt the blush rising in her cheeks, begging him to understand so she
wouldn't have to spell it out for him. And all the while she cursed to herself
about the unfairness of it all. Of all the times it had to happen, it had to be
now. If not for that, she would have given herself to him as she'd been longing
to do ever since her birthday.
He stared back at her for a few minutes, and Ginny was beginning to suspect
the was going to have to get on with it and tell him. But then she saw his eyes
widen as realisation dawned over his features, and he went redder than she was.
"Oh…" he said, moving away from her a bit. "Oh… I, uh, I understand."
He dropped his hands into his lap and looked at them. "Harry," Ginny said at
last, "just because we can't make love, doesn't mean you can't touch me at all."
He looked back up at her, his expression a mixture of longing and
guardedness. "Ginny…"
"What's wrong."
Harry sighed. "You're going to kill me, you know that? I want you so much.
You don't know how much."
"Yes, I do. You don't think I want you just as badly?"
"What am I going to do without you?"
"You'll manage. We both will because we have to. And at the end of next
June…"
"That's forever!"
"I know, but I'll be free then. Can you wait that long? Because that's the
longest it can be. Who knows? Maybe we'll see each other before then. Christmas…
Anything can happen."
"I wasn't just talking about sex, Ginny."
"Neither was I." She reached for him then, taking his face between her hands
and pulling him closer. "I love you, Harry. That's all that matters."
She leaned in and kissed him, allowing all the depth of her feeling to pour
into that one gesture as if she could brand an impression on his lips forever.
When they came up for air, she'd pushed him backwards so that he's almost
slumped sideways onto the sofa. She turned her attention to his neck then,
pushing him further down until she was lying on top of him and his arms
tightened convulsively around her. She found his lips once more and felt his
hands slide from her waist to her hips, his fingers biting into her softness as
he pressed the lower part of his body against hers. At the same time he made a
growling sort of sound in his throat, one which caused a shiver of triumph to
pass through her.
She shifted against him, moving her hips instinctively and seeking to produce
the same sound from him. He responded by attempting to flip them both over, but
the sofa was too narrow. Ginny felt herself falling and she clutched desperately
at Harry with one hand, while with the other she tried to grasp the sofa. The
only thing she succeeded in doing was pulling Harry down to the floor as well,
while a slightly shabby blanket, which normally lay across the back of the sofa,
slithered down onto them.
She began to laugh, and Harry joined her for a moment before leaning over her
once more and pulling her into yet another kiss. When he broke away from her,
he'd rolled completely over her, bringing the old blanket with him so that the
two were covered with it, forming a sort of cocoon.
She couldn't see his eyes now in the darkness, but she could feel them on
her. He brought up a hand and touched her face. She covered his hand with her
own, leaning into the caress before turning and touching her lips to the centre
of his palm. Then she took his hand in hers, knowing he was expecting her to
bring it to her breast. But instead, she placed it somewhere that was somehow
much more intimate, at the collar of her blouse.
She sensed a hesitation for a brief moment, and then she could feel the
slight tremor in his fingers as he began to undo the buttons. His hands soon
found their way to the warm skin over her stomach, while he began to nip his way
along her neck. She caught her breath as she felt his teeth graze her collar
bone. Soft hair caressed her shoulder as he continued to place random kisses
along the upper part of her chest.
Her own hands, meanwhile, had been busy working the tail of his shirt free of
his trousers and pushing it up so that she could explore his bare flesh in her
turn. He pushed up on his elbows so that he could allow her access to his chest.
The movement caused their hips to press together once more, causing her to gasp
with pleasure at the intimate contact.
It wasn't fair, she thought to herself once more. She could feel how much he
wanted her. The evidence was pressing against her very centre, making her feel a
strange restlessness deep within. It demanded that she rub back against him, and
she did so, eliciting a groan.
She was going to have to do something. One of them could find release at any
rate. She began to reach for him, her hand delving beneath the waistband of his
trousers, but Harry had other ideas. Before she reached her goal, he put his
hand to her wrist and stopped her.
"No," he whispered. "Not like that. It's either both of us, or neither one."
"But…"
"Don't worry about me."
He was reaching behind her back, lifting her gently so he could unclasp her
bra. Then she felt his hands on her bare breasts and rational thought left her.
She'd never before experienced the sensation of his warm hands on her flesh like
this. His fingers squeezed and flexed experimentally, and she wanted to cry out.
Then she felt his lips begin to explore her, and she did.
The sound Ginny made probably explained why neither of them heard the
telltale popping sound of someone Apparating into the room. There was no
mistaking the voice however.
"What do you make of that, George?"
Ginny's heart had been racing out of control already. Now it seemed likely to
hammer its way out of her chest as she and Harry froze in panic. She thought she
heard Harry swear under his breath.
"I dunno, Fred, but it looks to me as if there's more than one person under
there." The glee in her brother's tone was unmistakable.
"That it does, George."
"But Ginny is supposed to be here by herself, isn't she, Fred?"
Ginny felt like swearing herself. She felt Harry shift ever so slowly to one
side. There wasn't much sense in pretending they weren't there now, but to have
to blanket fall off of them and expose Ginny's state of undress would be
disastrous. She was going to have to right her clothing as best she could.
"Who do you think she's under there with?" asked George.
"Can't be Harry. Mum said he'd be working late. George, you don't think she's
cheating on him, do you?"
"Horrible suggestion, but it can't be anything else, can it?"
"So who could it be?"
"Malfoy?"
"Longbottom?"
"Creevey?"
"The bloke with two names… Finch-Fletchley?"
"Nah, he's a poof."
"Right."
"Whoever it is, I say we give him one minute to show himself before we hex
him."
"That's an excellent suggestion. It a matter of our dear sister's honour,
after all."
Harry must have thought it prudent to show himself at this point, for he
pushed the blanket aside and raised his head. Ginny was still fumbling with her
buttons, shock at being discovered like this making the task much more difficult
than it should have been, but fortunately Harry had moved to the side that
blocked the twins' view of her. Harry's hair was in even more wild disarray than
usual, and his expression was an odd combination of fear and anger.
"Harry, mate!" exclaimed George. "We heard you were working late."
"Nice way to take advantage of an empty house," added Fred.
"Now that poses us a small problem. Just what were you doing under there?"
Harry couldn't reply. He was busy fumbling about for his glasses.
"You know, George, it seems to me that Harry promised Mum and Dad that he
wouldn't do anything he wasn't supposed to. Now I don't know much, but I'm
pretty sure you and our sister shouldn't be doing anything under a blanket on
the floor. What do you reckon George?"
Ginny finally got the last button done up and scrambled to her feet. "Okay,
listen you two. I don't know what you're doing here, but you can just get out."
"Sorry, can't do that," said Fred.
"Get out now, or I'll make you sorry."
George, instead of trembling with fear in the face of Ginny's anger, was
looking at her strangely. He tilted his head to one side for a moment, before
remarking, "You know, you'd be a lot more forceful if your buttons were done up
properly."
"Is this a new style or something?" asked Fred. "Leave two buttons on top and
then skip a few?"
Ginny felt her face flame scarlet. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw
Harry had turned almost purple.
"Hey, Harry," said George, grinning evilly, "if you need any buttons done up,
I wouldn't ask Ginny to help you. She doesn't seem to have got the hang of it
yet."
"GET OUT!" Ginny screamed at her brothers.
"We'll be leaving, won't we, George?"
"Yeah, I think our work here is done."
"You might want to make it look a bit more innocent, though. We came over to
tell you to open the Floo. Mum came over from St Mungo's to see us, but she's
ready to come home, and she's in no condition to Apparate."
"Yeah. Too much Firewhisky in her tea. She's a bit… unsteady."
"But I think she'd sober up pretty quickly if she saw the two of you in this
condition."
Ginny's heart began racing again. As embarrassing as it was to be caught by
the twins, it was far preferable to having her mother walk in on her and Harry.
Even though her mother had been behaving a bit less like Mad-Eye Moody these
days, the thought of her reaction to what had just been transpiring was
frightening. She could deal with the twins later. For now, she was going to have
to make it look as if Harry had just come home, and that meant cleaning up all
traces of their supper together. Without another word, she raced into the
kitchen.
The twins hadn't finished with Harry, however. Their voices drifted in from
the living room. "So, Harry, how'd the two of you wind up on the floor?"
"I would think the sofa would be much more comfortable."
"Not to mention you had the whole house to yourself. Surely you could have
found a bed…"
"I think Dad's going to have to add some new spaces to the clock if this
keeps up."
"Soused…"
"In flagrante delicto…"
Ginny stuck her head back into the living room. "I thought you were leaving.
If you're going to stay, make yourselves useful for once. On second thought, do
me a favour. Open the Floo and get out." She held her wand up for good measure
when the twins didn't jump to do her bidding right away.
"Harry, get upstairs. I'll tell Mum you just got home."
She heard the twins snigger when she said this. "Yeah, Mum's really going to
buy that one, Gin."
"MOVE!"
Her brothers evidently knew they'd pushed her too far now. Fred turned
towards the fireplace and opened it, before they both waved cheerily. "Don't do
anything we wouldn't do," said George before the two Disapparated.
"That leaves us with a lot of choices, doesn't it?" commented Harry when
they'd gone.
"Unfortunately there's no time now, is there?"
"Do you want any help?"
"No, I can do the washing up."
"I meant with your buttons…" he said, smirking.
Ginny had completely forgotten, but she scowled at Harry and threw the
dishtowel at him, hitting him in the face with it. "You have to get upstairs
before Mum gets back. I'll finish in here. And fix my buttons. When you hear her
come in, we'll make it look good."
Ginny made swift work of the washing up and had the kitchen looking in its
usual spotless order when she heard a noise coming from the fireplace. "Steady
there, Mum," came Bill's voice from behind her.
"I'm fine, Bill," Ginny's mother tried to snap, but her words were slurred
just enough to make it sound unconvincing. She jerked her arm from he son's hand
and lurched toward the kitchen table.
Ginny put the kettle on, while her mother began rambling on about her
father's condition. When the water boiled, there was a bit of a scene when her
mother wanted another shot of Ogden's in her cup, and Bill had to hide the
bottle.
In the middle of all this, Harry put in an appearance. Ginny's mother looked
up immediately. "Harry, dear, when did you get home?"
"Just before you did, Mum," Ginny replied quickly.
Ginny's mother got out of her seat. "You can't have eaten; you must be
peckish. They're working you far to hard, dear. You sit and let me get you
something to eat."
"It's all right, Mrs Weasley, I'm really not hungry," replied Harry.
"It won't be a bother, dear." She began to walk none too steadily towards the
cooker.
Harry watched her, alarmed. "Really, Mrs Weasley…"
"Come on, Mum." Bill was standing up and putting a hand on his mother's arm.
"Let's get you to bed."
"But Harry…"
"I'll get him something, Mum," said Ginny to get rid of her mother as much as
anything. "You go to bed. We'll be along soon."
Ginny's mother looked doubtful. "Well all right then. Don't stay up too late.
You have to be off early tomorrow."
"Good night, Mum."
Ginny let out a long sigh of relief when her mother and brother disappeared
upstairs. "We won't be able to stay down here too long," she said to Harry.
"I'll go up to bed now. I won't be making any trouble for you that way." He
leaned close to her and kissed her cheek. "I'll see you later."
It was only after he'd disappeared up the steps that she realised that he'd
said later and not tomorrow.
*
Harry lay awake in Ron's room waiting until the house had gone completely
quiet. He wasn't worried about Ginny's mother waking up. From the looks of
things, she ought to be quite sound asleep and likely to remain that way until
morning. He had no idea if Bill was a light sleeper, or even what Ginny's
brother might say if he were to catch Harry, but after the run-in with the
twins, he decided not to take any chances. It was after midnight when he threw
back his blankets, slipped the invisibility cloak on over his pyjama bottoms and
slipped silently down the steps to Ginny's room.
He opened the door soundlessly and found her asleep, her hair fanned out on
her pillow. He padded over next to her bed and watched her sleep for a few
moments, wondering as he did so how he could have gone for so many years and not
seen her.
He hated to wake her up but he had to. He couldn't risk startling her out of
her sleep and having her cry out, waking everybody. He slid out of the
invisibility cloak and gently grasped her shoulder, giving it a gentle shake.
"Ginny," he whispered.
She stirred and her eyes fluttered open. "Harry," she said after a moment of
disorientation. "What are you doing here?"
"It's the last night before you leave. I want to spend it with you. Sleeping,
I mean. I know we can't…"
"But if Mum comes in and catches you…"
"We'll just make certain we wake up early, and I've got my cloak. Please,
Gin, just let me hold you."
She slid over on the mattress to make room for him, but once he'd climbed in
with her, he had to struggle to hold onto his good intentions. His mind insisted
on reminding him that just a few hours previous they'd been lying on the living
room floor together, exploring…
That had ended in disaster, he reminded himself. Concentrating on the twins'
interruption was a much safer prospect than dwelling on what had preceded. The
intensity of his need for her had come as a shock. When they finally did make
love, he wondered if he was going to survive the experience. A tingle of desire
passed through him. Twins. He had to think of the twins' leering faces.
Ginny's head was resting against his bare shoulder, strands of her long hair
tickling as she stirred. She put an arm around his waist and snuggled closer. "G'night,
Harry." She was already drifting back off.
He kissed the top of her head. "Night, Gin."
Harry awoke in the grey dawn to find Ginny still asleep in his arms. Someday
they would be able to share a bed without having to worry about Ginny's mother
coming in and screeching at them. Someday. But that day was not today. They had
the entire school year ahead to get through before they could even begin to
consider the possibility of sharing the rest of their lives.
He wondered about kissing her awake and decided it wasn't such a good idea.
It would be too easy to lose himself. "Gin… Gin, wake up," he whispered into her
ear.
He heard a groan and felt her stretch against him. "Go 'way. I'm tired," she
murmured.
"I know, but we have to do this now, while we still have some privacy."
Her eyes opened and she stared back at him gravely. "It's time, isn't it?"
Harry swallowed hard and nodded. He was afraid that if he spoke now his voice
would break.
"Oh, Harry…" She snuggled closer to him. "I don't want to go. You know that,
don't you?"
He somehow found his voice. "Yes… yes, I know. And I know you have to even if
I don't want you to."
"I wish you didn't have to work so you could come to King's Cross with me."
"I suppose it would draw things out a bit more, but do you really want to say
goodbye in front of everyone? If any reporters thought I'd turn up…"
"You're right… I'll write to you."
"I want to know everything, even the stupid, little things. Especially them.
I want to feel as if I'm there with you."
"I'm going to miss you, Harry. Terribly." Tears were starting to slip out of
the corners of her eyes.
"Gin, don't cry."
"I can't help it. I don't want to leave you."
"Gin, I love you, and I'm going to be here when you come back. I'm always
going to be here for you."
She was crying harder now, and Harry was finding it more and more difficult
not to follow suit. Already his voice was hoarse with the effort he was making
to hold his emotions in check. He finally had to give into them, and they both
clung to each other for a while, crying quietly.
A noise out on the landing caused them to break apart suddenly. Heart
pounding, Harry stared into Ginny's red-rimmed eyes for a moment. He was going
to have to act quickly or they'd be discovered. He kissed her quickly and hard
on the lips before snatching up the invisibility cloak and slipping underneath
it. Just in time. Mrs Weasley was knocking at the door. "Ginny, time to get up."
"I'll be along in a minute, Mum," she called back.
Mrs Weasley must have heard the catch in her voice. "Is everything all right,
dear?"
Ginny looked at the spot where she'd seen Harry disappear, a look of panic
taking over her features. "Of course it is. I'll be downstairs soon."
Too late. Mrs Weasley opened the door. "Ginny, you've been crying."
Harry saw Ginny swipe at her eyes impatiently. "I'll be all right," she said
in a small voice, and Harry could tell she was trying to put a brave face on
things for her mother.
"It's Harry, isn't it?"
"What else would it be?"
Mr Weasley crossed the room and took Ginny into a motherly hug. "You haven't
chosen an easy road for yourself, have you?" Harry heard Mrs Weasley say softly
to her daughter.
"It's not a choice, Mum. It's not as if I can choose to stop feeling this
way."
Ginny's mother stepped back, placing her hands on her daughter's shoulders
and looking her in the eye. She sighed. "Yes, I think I know that, but Ginny,
this is only ten months out of your life. The both of you have your whole lives
ahead of you. If you take this separation one day at a time, you'll get through
it. You will. And then you'll be ready to start your life together."
Harry was shocked to hear her say that. He'd only begun thinking in those
terms himself recently. And from the way she'd been watching them so closely… It
hadn't been because she didn't approve of the relationship, he now realised. It
had been for other reasons. Mrs Weasley wanted her daughter to be happy; she
wanted him to be happy--she'd said in the past that he was like one of
her own… In spite of his sadness at having to say goodbye to Ginny, there was
something warm and comforting about that thought.
"I know, Mum. I keep telling myself I'll manage somehow. But the telling is
one thing. The doing is another."
"One day at a time." She paused and then changed the subject slightly. "We
need to make sure Harry gets up in time to say goodbye to you properly," Mrs
Weasley was going on. "I'll see about waking him, shall I?"
Harry watched Ginny's eyes go round for a split second before she mastered
herself. Harry's own heart began to beat out of control. "Yes, Mum," Ginny
replied in a slightly strained voice. "Why don't you do that?"
Harry couldn't believe it, but there was nothing he could do to attract
Ginny's attention without her mother discovering he'd been there all along. As
soon as Mrs Weasley left the room, and her footfalls were heard climbing the
stairs to Ron's room, Ginny looked straight at the spot where Harry was still
standing, and hissed, "Bathroom. Now."
"But I haven't said goodbye."
"There's no time for that now. If Mum finds you…"
He cut her off as he slipped off his invisibility cloak for a swift kiss.
"I've said everything else, but this. Have a good term. I love you. I'll write
to you."
"Harry, I'm going to see you at breakfast…"
"I know, but I'm not going to say all that in front of your mother."
"Just go before she gets back down here!"
*
Several hours later, Ginny found herself in the prefects' compartment on the
Hogwarts Express. The other students were all chattering away happily about the
events of the summer, while she sat in a corner feeling very much separate from
it all. She and Harry hadn't had a chance at any more time alone together that
morning, and so they really hadn't had what she considered a proper goodbye.
Sitting here now as the train rattled along the tracks, Ginny could think of a
hundred things she'd have told him if she'd got the chance. She opened her trunk
and took out a roll of parchment. She may not have had an opportunity to say
anything, but she could write it down.
She only set down her quill when the train arrived in Hogsmeade.
A/N: Many thanks to Caitlyn and Marian for their suggestions for this
chapter. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed.
Chapter 10