Ginny sat down at the Gryffindor table next to her brother Ron, who repeatedly kept shooting her death glances. He was obviously still annoyed by her forcing him to apologize to Draco. ‘Yeah, well you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Wait until he finds out you’ve been flirting with Draco Malfoy!’
"Hey Gin, what’s wrong with Ron? He looks like someone cut out his tongue and fed it to him."
"Oh, lovely dinner image, Dean." Ginny watched as Hermione was trying to calm him down to no avail. Ginny watched as Hermione grabbed Ron’s face with her hands and whispered something in his ear; he responded with a smile and then Hermione, taking her hands off his face, kissed him. Ginny suspected it was supposed to be quick but as Hermione went to pull away, Ron obviously had another idea; he grabbed her face with his hands and this time it wasn’t quick. ‘They’d be cute if it wasn’t my brother who was so obviously, ugh, does he have to do that here?’ Ginny finally had to look away but unfortunately her eyes connected with Draco’s, who from all appearances had apparently been watching her. ‘He’s watching me!’
‘She’s blushing.’ He could see her face reddening from across the room. She pushed her hair back behind her ear and he could see that even her ear had pinked. Her brother was still kissing Granger, but Draco’s attention was on Ginny who was now staring a hole into the table. ‘Does she even realize how pretty she is?’ He was aware that Pansy had sat down next to him and was now monotonously droning on about an assignment for Muggle Studies. Ginny suddenly looked up. He smiled at her and she smiled for a split second. Then a scowl replaced it. He realized she was staring at his arm where Pansy had just placed her hand, in what he guessed was an attempt to get his attention. ‘She’s jealous.’ The thought made him smile even wider despite the fact that Pansy was still twittering on and Potter had just sat down at the table, blocking Ginny from his view.
"Hey Gin," Harry said to Ginny. "You two coming up for air soon?" he said to Hermione and Ron.
"Sorry, Har," Ron said, but he didn’t look sorry. He had a huge dopey grin on his face.
"What’s wrong, Harry?" Hermione asked quickly turning the subject. Ginny noticed that although Hermione was trying to look unaffected, she was quite flushed.
"I talked with my aunt and Snuffles."
"I thought it was Snuggles," Ginny asked. They had told her their code for Sirius last summer.
"Wasn’t it Sniffles?"
"Ron, that’s what you have when you are getting a cold. It was Snickers wasn’t it?" Hermione laughed.
"I love that candy bar. Mum picks it up for Ron and I when she has to go into Muggle London. Fred and George are trying to copy it for 3Ws. They gave me a sample in December for my 15th birthday, but it just isn’t right yet."
"Guys, come on!"
‘Oh, lord, he’s moping. She must have told him and he isn’t taking it well. Why? Harry, you are such a prat! Play dumb. Men like dumb. Not threatening.’ "Harry, you’re acting like there is some great tragedy. Which, around here wouldn’t be out of the question, but for goodness sake, what is wrong?"
"She’s pregnant, Ginny. That’s what is wrong."
"You make it sound like she is dying," Ginny whispered. ‘What is wrong with you Harry? Babies are good things. Something else is going on here. Don’t bother playing dumb; you are no good at it. Besides, he’s the dumb one if he isn’t happy for his aunt and Sirius. You tell him, Gin!’ "You should be happy for her and for Snuffles."
"Are they getting married?"
"No, Ron. Si... Snuffles told me he asked. He says he was planning on asking even before she told him last night. But she told him she isn’t going to marry him just because she is pregnant. She won’t believe otherwise."
"She’s stubborn. Must be where you get it, Harry," Hermione smiled at him. "I’m sure he’ll be able to convince her. You wouldn’t mind them getting married, would you?"
"No. I just...how could they do this when he is still under a death sentence?"
"Harry," Ginny reached across the table and took his hand, "I doubt that it was their first concern. Do they seem happy about the baby?" ‘Of course she’s happy. She’s thrilled. I am sure he is too. Harry’s the stupid one.’
"Sirius is thrilled. He said he never thought he’d get the chance, when he was in, you know, for all that time."
"What about Rose? How does she feel?"
"She seems happy, Ron, but I know it wasn’t planned."
"Neither was Ginny. Didn’t mean my parents didn’t want her."
"They call me their surprise. Dad says it was the best surprise he ever got." ‘And boy will he be surprised if I bring Draco home. ‘Hi dad, this is Draco. You may remember his father, gave me the book that almost got me killed. Oh, and his father almost killed him, too. We’ve got so much in common!’ Oh, yeah, that’s going to be one hell of a surprise.’
"Give it time, Harry. You can’t be mad at them for this, it won’t do any of you any good."
"I know Hermione, but...She’ll have to go into hiding with him if they get married."
‘Ah ha. I knew it. There is something else. He’s afraid he’s losing his family all over again. Gods, I am brilliant.’ "So that’s it. You don’t want her to leave, like Snuffles had to do when he hid."
"I just got a family, Ginny. Why do I have to lose it?" Harry banged his fist on the table, causing several other Gryffindors to look down the table.
Hermione smiled at their housemates before turning to Harry. "You aren’t losing her Harry! She said she was going to ask for custody of you."
"We’ll see."
"Don’t be so selfish, Harry!" Ginny’s outburst earned her a glare from Harry. ‘Oops, shouldn’t have said that out loud. OK, so he isn’t mad yet. Reassure him!’ "I doubt that your aunt will let anything keep her from getting custody of you. She’ll find a way. I’m sure of it. She has Dumbledore on her side. Everyone listens to him!"
"I just want a normal family for once. Why did Wormtail have to escape?"
"If Pettigrew hadn’t escaped, you’d have moved in with Snuffles and then you might never have met your aunt. The Death Eaters are getting too confident. Pettigrew will be captured and then you’ll get your family," Hermione reasoned.
"Since when have I been that lucky?"
"Harry," Ron spoke up, "are you forgetting that you lived with both of them over Christmas break?"
"That was different."
"How?"
"Ron, do you think that the board of ministers will allow her to teach here, pregnant and single? Do you think they’ll let her become my guardian? And even if he is shown to be innocent, do you think they’ll let him have me?"
"Harry," Hermione offered, "the two of them, they’ll move the heavens and earth to get you. I’m sure of it."
"Harry," Ginny stood up, "your aunt loves you. She loves him too. Whatever you do, don’t make her choose between her family and the man she loves." ‘Prophetic, Gin. You’re full of wisdom today, aren’t you? And what do you think is going to happen when the Malfoys and Weasleys get together at Christmas? Oh, that should be pretty.’ With that thought, Ginny glanced across the hall. Pansy was still there, but Draco had gone. ‘Well, at least she’s not off trying to get in his pants. Ginny! You did not just think that?’ "I’ve got homework to get to. See you back upstairs. Everything is going to be fine, Harry," she said hugging him and then she left the hall.
*~*~*~*~"Ron," Ginny sat down next to her brother who was staring fixedly at the chessboard, "can you help me with this homework?"
Without looking up, Ron answered, "Ask Mione, she’s much better at that stuff."
"Do you need my help, Ginny?"
"Hermione, you dropped divination. Ron, please, pretty, pretty please for your dear, loving, only, baby sister?" ‘Works every time! Come on, come on. You know you want to. There we go! He’s smiling, trying not to but not working. Score!’
"Let me see it," Ron looked up, obviously trying to suppress his smile and look very big brother-like. "So, what is she making you do?"
"Let me guess. Star charts. Astral plains. Predicting death for Harry, again?" Hermione laughed as she peered over Ron’s shoulder at the parchment.
"It’s a translation of some ancient prophecy. I got the first part, ‘When two houses unite.’ The second part is something about fire and the third line talks about blood becoming one."
"Oh, houses uniting, Ginny? Like Hogwarts’ houses?" Hermione asked as she looked up.
"I was thinking more like in Romeo and Juliet. Especially with the blood."
"Blood? Morbid isn’t it? That play is so sad, if only he knew she had faked her death," Hermione frowned. "Anything, Ron?"
"Yeah. Ginny, I think you’ve got this word wrong. It isn’t ‘cold’, it’s ‘ice’. ‘When two houses unite, of fire and ice.’"
"Ron, I think that is ‘the’ not ‘of’. Oh, don’t give me that look, I may have dropped divination but I can still translate ancient texts."
"OK, so it is ‘When two houses unite, the fire and ice.’ What is that supposed to mean?" Ron continued to stare at the parchment.
"We don’t have to interpret it yet, just translate it." Ginny cupped her chin in her hands and stared down at the parchment. ‘I hate translating stuff. Hate it hate it hate it. Wonder if Draco is any good at this. Oh, can’t you just get him off your mind for even a couple of hours? You are pathetic. Pathetic with a capital P.’
"Hey guys, what are you doing?" Lavender came over to the table seeing the small group gathered.
"Lavender, can you make any sense of this?"
"Oh, divination. Let’s see, ‘when two houses unite’..."
"We’ve got the first two lines, the third is something about blood," Ron pointed out.
"That line is ‘and their blood becomes one.’ Hmm, this next line is strange." She picked up the parchment and studied it. "I think it means ‘When darkness has risen.’ Hey, Ron!"
Ron had pulled the parchment from Lavender’s hand. " I think the this part is ‘and covers the land.’ Ginny, what has she got you translating?"
"Something one of the first headmasters of Hogwarts predicted. Wait, I think that next line reads ‘the evil and the foul.’ Oh, this is just lovely," Ginny said wrinkling her nose.
Seamus came over and peering over Ginny’s shoulder asked, "What’s so interesting over here?"
"Translating an ancient prophecy," Hermione mumbled.
"Sounds like fun, count me out!"
"Wait, Seamus, do you by any chance recognize this word?" Ginny pointed to a word in the last line.
"It’s ‘game.’ Glad I could be of service, my lady," Seamus bowed to Ginny and then rejoined Dean on the other side of the room.
‘Oh, he is such a player. But he is cute. Not as cute as Draco. Oh! You are doing it again. Stop! Don’t be so pathetic. You mooned over Harry, look where that got you. Another brother. Enough Ginny, you should be paying attention. Where are we?’
"OK, so evil and foul, then covering the land. Let’s see, the next part. ‘Shall guardians of sun’, no that isn’t right. ‘Light’ not ‘sun.’ Lavender, do you recognize this word?"
"It’s ‘loving,’ Hermione. That line reads, ‘Loving, pure, good, and strong.’ Well, all hope isn’t lost."
"The next to last line is, ‘Come together in joy,’ I’m sure of it," Ron said tapping the parchment with his index finger.
"So, if that is ‘game’, what does the last line read?" Ginny turned the parchment to face her. "Hmm, am I right in reading this as ‘And the game shall be won’?"
"What game? Quiddich?"
"Ron, everything is about Quiddich according to you," Hermione joked. "Gin, you should ask Rose when the time comes to translate it. I would think the darkness has to do with You-Know-Who. Maybe fire and ice refers to the Weasleys, with their red hair being the fire, and the Malfoys, who are white-blonde, they’ll be the ice. They are two different houses traditionally," she laughed, "Oh, no, this doesn’t mean... Ron, how could you? You’re going to marry Draco Malfoy!"
Ron choked, then stated firmly, "There is no way Weasley blood is becoming one with Malfoy blood!"
Ginny stared down at the parchment avoiding Hermione’s knowing eyes. ‘Fire and ice. I’m fire, he’s ice. Isn’t that what we were talking about earlier?
*~*~*~*~*~The rest of the weekend was rather boring, well, as boring as it could get around Hogwarts and the Weasley boys. She spent most of Saturday afternoon and evening in the Gryffindor common room playing chess with Ron. He beat her as usual. Sunday, Ginny spent with her other brothers. Fred and George, whose Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes had really taken off, sought her advice as to what colours they should make their latest products. As they told her, being a girl she understood colours much better than they did. She, however, believed that Ron had said something to them about her and Draco and they just wanted to keep an eye on her. Later, she had helped Harry with some charms homework. Even though he was a year ahead of her, she just a better grasp on the whole thing. He in turn helped her with Defense Against the Dark Arts. He was still upset about his aunt and Sirius, but no longer because he feared losing them. She, Ron and Hermione managed to convince it wasn’t going to happen, but rather he was upset for what kind of life the baby may have if Sirius was still on the run.
"Ginny, I grew up without parents. The baby shouldn’t have to grow up with a father."
"Harry, the baby will have a father, Sirius. And you had parents, you just lost them."
"You know what I mean. And what if Sirius is caught? Will it be any better to have a father who’s alive but is without a soul?"
"So, what are you planning?"
"How do you know I’m planning anything?"
Ginny sighed, ‘Oh, I know where he got that look from. Why do all my brothers think they can fool me?’ "Because you’ve got the same look about you that Fred and George do when they are up to something," Ginny said knowingly.
"I’ve got to come up with a way to prove Sirius is innocent."
"Harry, I’m not going to try and stop you, that’s Hermione’s job. But, be careful. If someone, the wrong someone, was to find out about Rose and Sirius, or you and Sirius for that matter, you don’t know what might happen."
"I’ll be careful."
"Be careful about what?" Ginny turned to see Hermione wandering up behind them. She had her look now, the ‘I-know-you-all-are-up-to-something-and-I-am-going-to-find-out-exactly-what’ look.
"Why, Hermione, Quiddich of course. We start practicing again tomorrow. Next weekend the matches start again."
"Sure, Harry. That is exactly what you were talking about. Ginny, have you seen Ron?"
"He’s upstairs. I actually have to run up and get something before dinner, want me to get him for you?" Ginny stood and Hermione nodded. As she passed the Fifth Year boys’ room she yelled out for Ron that Hermione was looking for him. She continued up to her room and started looking through her trunk. ‘Where could I have put it? It’s got to be in here somewhere. Yes, there it is!’ Ginny pocketed a small glass vial and then headed back down to the common room and then to dinner.
*~*~*~*~*~
Ginny hoped to run into Draco that night, but they were late getting to dinner and she must have missed him. Which is why she was waiting for him down near where she knew the Slytherin common room was the next morning. ‘I can’t believe I am actually waiting for him, openly like this! What has happened to you Ginny Weasley?’
"Ginny?"
"Hi Draco," she hadn’t heard him come up to her. ‘Breathe, Ginny. Why do you always forget how to do that around him. Look at him. That’s why!’
"What are you doing hanging around down here?" ‘Why else would she be down here Draco? She wants to see you. Well, she can say it, can’t she? Say it Ginny.’
"Waiting for you," she admitted. ‘That wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. He looks pleased by it too. No smirk.’
‘Thank you very much. Now try not to smirk. Smile.’ "Really? What for?" Draco looked up and down the hallway, "Should I beware crazy, redheaded brothers?"
She laughed again. "Ron’s down with Harry talking to Hagrid, Fred and George are in Transfiguration. Bill and Charlie are in Egypt and Romania respectively. Percy, he isn’t a threat to anyone but himself. I think you are relatively safe."
"Well, that’s a relief. Your brothers I fear. Voldemort, he’s just a pain in the arse," he drawled out causing her to laugh again. ‘Boy, she’s got a nice laugh. Hurry, think of something else funny. Wait, she’s saying something, too late.’
"You’re nuts. Anyway, I have something for you," she said as she pulled out a small, glass vial from her pocket.
"What is that?"
"Essence of lavender," she said placing it in his hand. She couldn’t help the tingle she felt whenever her hand touched his. "It helps you to sleep."
"Oh," he was studying it. "What do I do with it?"
"You’ve never used essences before?"
"Only in making other things."
"Well, then, you simply smell it. Girls tend to wear it or even sprinkle it on sheets. As it is rather flowery, I doubt you’ll want to do that."
"You don’t think Crabbe and Goyle would approve?"
‘He’s teasing me. Tease back. Smile so you don’t sound like a smart ass.’ "They would certainly see you in new light, that’s for sure. If you simply inhale it, it is supposed to help relax you. It isn’t taken internally, so there is no chance of getting addicted to it."
"Thank you, Ginny." He didn’t know what to say really. She had not only listened to him when he told her why he didn’t want to take something, she had remembered it too. And she had come up with an alternative to help him.
"You’re welcome, Draco. It’s nothing really," she said blushing and looking at the floor.
He tipped her face up which just caused her to blush more. ‘How can her skin be so soft? I like her blush, it’s sweet. She’s sweet. I can believe she remembered!’ "It is something. Thank you again." He heard footsteps coming down the hall, probably other Slytherins. "You better get going."
She looked at him strangely. ‘Does he want to get rid of me? So his fellow Slytherins don’t know about us, not that there is an us, but about this?’ "I have class," she stated unemotionally as she turned.
‘She’s mad at me. Must think I don’t want the Slytherins to see her.’ "If Crabbe and Goyle find you down here, you’ll never hear the end of it," she had turned back to face him, "and if they cause problems for you, your brothers, well one in particular..." he rubbed his throat absentmindedly.
"I understand," and she did really. Crabbe and Goyle would say something to Ron, who would, of course, start screaming and probably attack Draco again. She loved Ron, but sometimes he really blew things out of proportion. "I’ll see you later?" She had meant it as a statement of fact, but it came as a question.
"You can count on it," he said quietly as he disappeared into his common room. ‘You can definitely count on it.’
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Draco and Ginny belong to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury, Scholastic, Warner Bros and various other corporations. They are being used here without permission and/or affiliation with the above. None of the authors listed here make any profit from these stories.