“What do you mean?” Ginny shouted at her parents across the kitchen table in the Burrow. She was the only one who was visiting for the holiday; Bill had stayed home with Fleur, Charlie in Romania, Fred and George in Diagon Alley, and Ron gallivanting Merlin only knew where with Harry and Hermione.
Molly Weasley cast a side-long glance at her husband before replying. “It’s gotten out of hand, dear. That school is no longer safe.”
“Mum! We’re talking about Death Eaters!” Ginny exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. “If they want to attack me, they can do it just as easily here as there!”
Arthur nodded. “Yes, that’s true, but at least here we can protect you. We have no control over what happens at Hogwarts.”
Ginny groaned. “You don’t understand! My friends and I have been working against Snape and the Carrows all year! I can’t just leave!”
How could they expect her to just abandon her friends? She was just as much a part of this war as Harry and Ron and Hermione. No one had forced them to sit at home and do nothing! Why her?
Molly squeezed her hands together until her fingers started to turn purple. “You are out last child, Ginny,” she said quietly. “The only one left at home. We need to keep you close. I don’t know what I would do…” She bit her lip and shook her head.
Arthur slipped his arm around Molly’s shoulders and sighed. “I know how much you want to be involved, Ginny. You’re a Weasley. Passionate, confident.
“But you’re also our daughter. Our only daughter.” He paused, blinking quickly. “We have to do what we can to keep you safe.”
Of course they would play that card. The we-can’t-bear-to-lose-you card. Being the only girl in the family had a lot of drawbacks. This over-protectiveness was high on the list. Everyone treated her as if she belonged in a bubble, hidden from the world.
Ever since her first year and the thing with Tom Riddle’s diary, her parents or one of her brothers was always nearby to ‘keep her safe’. They were afraid to let her out of their sight. Afraid something would happen.
Even now, with her seventeenth birthday coming up, they were still trying to protect her. Smother her, more like. Whenever she dated a new guy, Ron would pull him aside for a customary big brother warning.
Ginny hadn’t had a normal relationship except for the one with Harry. Dean had come close, but every time they tried to snog, Ron would suddenly appear, as if drawn by some magical force (which, knowing him, he may have been). He would get so angry Ginny would’ve sworn some came out of his ears.
Then of course, there would be an owl from Mum telling her to be careful, not to do anything she wouldn’t do if Molly was watching her. Ginny just wished she could be trusted to take care of herself.
She’d proven herself time and time again. Her grades were nearly perfect. She hadn’t been in any danger since the diary. She helped Harry whenever she was allowed. Her Bat-Bogey Hex was a thing to be feared. She’d used it in defense a time or two, so clearly she didn’t need protection.
But still, everything stayed the same. No freedom. No peace. And now, no school.
Ginny sighed and slumped down into her chair. “I’m perfectly safe at school, Dad. Sure, Snape’s in charge and they’ve got Death Eaters for teachers, but I’m not in danger. Besides, I’m part of the student resistance movement.”
“Exactly!” Molly exclaimed. “Just look at what happened to poor little Luna Lovegood! They won’t hesitate to do the same thing to you.”
Ginny rolled her eyes. “I’m not Luna. Besides, the only reason they arrested her was because of her father. Mr. Lovegood has been printing his support for Harry in the Quibbler. It had nothing to do with her or Dumbledore’s Army.”
“That doesn’t matter, Ginny,” Molly said firmly. “We refuse to leave you in that place while there is any danger at all, however minute. It’s too much of a risk and I won’t have it.”
Arthur leaned forward, looking very serious. “I know you don’t agree with us Ginny, but we only want what’s best for you. Now, you’re staying here. End of discussion.”
Ginny threw herself out of her chair and stormed upstairs to her room. “Wonderful!” she shouted before flopping across her bed.
She probably wouldn’t have been so upset had it not been for her recent argument with Draco. She’d been in an uncharacteristically bad mood since that day. This… development was just enough to push her over the edge. The straw that broke the camel’s back, as the Muggles had it.
“Why?” she moaned into her pillow. “For once, can’t things just go right?”
Ginny was confident that she could do just as much in the war as anyone else. Having been a part of the D.A. for two and half years now, she’d become pretty good with defensive magic. She was even better with offensive magic.
She had always been top of her class in Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts (when it was still a class). Through independent study she’d learned spells that most Aurors didn’t know. Hermione would have been proud of her knowledge. She would be able to fight, no problem.
But simply because she was the youngest member of her family she was forced to sit at home and be ‘protected’. It wasn’t fair!
After an hour of absolute silence and brooding, Molly called Ginny down to supper. Things were pretty uncomfortable in the tiny kitchen. The tension was so thick you could taste it.
Ginny refused to speak, knowing that she’d probably only end up exploding again. Molly and Arthur were quiet as well, seeming to understand that she needed some time to cool down in peace.
The good thing about Ginny’s short temper was that it usually burned itself out quickly. That first initial burst of anger and then it would peter out. Short, but intense.
Sure enough, a week into the holiday Ginny began to reconsider the episode with Draco. She realized that she’d been too quick to get angry. Already primed from a month of stress, it didn’t take too much too set the fuse.
Ginny didn’t know why Draco had been in a bad mood that night, why he’d snapped at her, but she decided that she’d handled it poorly. Really, she should have expected him to insult her family. He always had.
Storming out the door angrily and avoiding him had been wrong as well. Her mother had always taught her to suck it up and take care of problems, not run away. Now she couldn’t see him and talk it out. They would have this hanging between them for an indecipherable period of time.
That was the worst part about being kept at home. No Draco. And she didn’t know if… no, when, not if… she would see him again. It wasn’t like they could just arrange to meet for coffee. The only people who knew they were together were the other members of the D.A. Well, Pansy knew, but no one had believed her when she went tattling.
And Martha, of course. Ginny had written to Charlie’s fiancée as soon as she’d arrived home, telling her that she’d been right, but that it was no use anyway. Martha had replied immediately with congratulations (more of an I-told-you-so, really), sympathy, and encouragement.
They kept up a pretty regular correspondence and Ginny spent a lot of time with Mr. Lovegood, so she had no lack of conversation and company. But nothing could ever make up for the long-term separation from Draco.
In an effort to keep herself from thinking too much and upsetting herself Ginny regularly pulled out her broom and flew around the protected area of the Burrow. She could spend hours in the air. The exhilaration of flying though the air easily took her mind off of things. Until she landed.
She only had an old Cleansweep, one of Fred’s old ones, so she didn’t go very fast. But it was enough to just feel the air stinging her cheeks and whipping her hair out behind her.
Molly complained that her hair would be tangled forever and that she always smelled like grass and brooms. But then she would smile, glad that Ginny had found something she enjoyed instead of spending her time being angry about having to stay at home.
Arthur would laugh and joke that she was better at sports that some of her brothers. Fred and George had always been known as a ‘pair of human Bludgers’, so in turn Ginny was compared to a Quaffle. Though it didn’t hold quite the same level of gratification.
And yet, no matter how much she did, her mind always found its way back to Draco. The instant she locked her broom away in the shed, or put down her book, or stopped practicing spells, she thought of him.
She wondered if he ever thought of her. Would he be upset when she didn’t come back after Easter? Would he care? Would she ever see him again?
Molly Weasley cast a side-long glance at her husband before replying. “It’s gotten out of hand, dear. That school is no longer safe.”
“Mum! We’re talking about Death Eaters!” Ginny exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. “If they want to attack me, they can do it just as easily here as there!”
Arthur nodded. “Yes, that’s true, but at least here we can protect you. We have no control over what happens at Hogwarts.”
Ginny groaned. “You don’t understand! My friends and I have been working against Snape and the Carrows all year! I can’t just leave!”
How could they expect her to just abandon her friends? She was just as much a part of this war as Harry and Ron and Hermione. No one had forced them to sit at home and do nothing! Why her?
Molly squeezed her hands together until her fingers started to turn purple. “You are out last child, Ginny,” she said quietly. “The only one left at home. We need to keep you close. I don’t know what I would do…” She bit her lip and shook her head.
Arthur slipped his arm around Molly’s shoulders and sighed. “I know how much you want to be involved, Ginny. You’re a Weasley. Passionate, confident.
“But you’re also our daughter. Our only daughter.” He paused, blinking quickly. “We have to do what we can to keep you safe.”
Of course they would play that card. The we-can’t-bear-to-lose-you card. Being the only girl in the family had a lot of drawbacks. This over-protectiveness was high on the list. Everyone treated her as if she belonged in a bubble, hidden from the world.
Ever since her first year and the thing with Tom Riddle’s diary, her parents or one of her brothers was always nearby to ‘keep her safe’. They were afraid to let her out of their sight. Afraid something would happen.
Even now, with her seventeenth birthday coming up, they were still trying to protect her. Smother her, more like. Whenever she dated a new guy, Ron would pull him aside for a customary big brother warning.
Ginny hadn’t had a normal relationship except for the one with Harry. Dean had come close, but every time they tried to snog, Ron would suddenly appear, as if drawn by some magical force (which, knowing him, he may have been). He would get so angry Ginny would’ve sworn some came out of his ears.
Then of course, there would be an owl from Mum telling her to be careful, not to do anything she wouldn’t do if Molly was watching her. Ginny just wished she could be trusted to take care of herself.
She’d proven herself time and time again. Her grades were nearly perfect. She hadn’t been in any danger since the diary. She helped Harry whenever she was allowed. Her Bat-Bogey Hex was a thing to be feared. She’d used it in defense a time or two, so clearly she didn’t need protection.
But still, everything stayed the same. No freedom. No peace. And now, no school.
Ginny sighed and slumped down into her chair. “I’m perfectly safe at school, Dad. Sure, Snape’s in charge and they’ve got Death Eaters for teachers, but I’m not in danger. Besides, I’m part of the student resistance movement.”
“Exactly!” Molly exclaimed. “Just look at what happened to poor little Luna Lovegood! They won’t hesitate to do the same thing to you.”
Ginny rolled her eyes. “I’m not Luna. Besides, the only reason they arrested her was because of her father. Mr. Lovegood has been printing his support for Harry in the Quibbler. It had nothing to do with her or Dumbledore’s Army.”
“That doesn’t matter, Ginny,” Molly said firmly. “We refuse to leave you in that place while there is any danger at all, however minute. It’s too much of a risk and I won’t have it.”
Arthur leaned forward, looking very serious. “I know you don’t agree with us Ginny, but we only want what’s best for you. Now, you’re staying here. End of discussion.”
Ginny threw herself out of her chair and stormed upstairs to her room. “Wonderful!” she shouted before flopping across her bed.
She probably wouldn’t have been so upset had it not been for her recent argument with Draco. She’d been in an uncharacteristically bad mood since that day. This… development was just enough to push her over the edge. The straw that broke the camel’s back, as the Muggles had it.
“Why?” she moaned into her pillow. “For once, can’t things just go right?”
Ginny was confident that she could do just as much in the war as anyone else. Having been a part of the D.A. for two and half years now, she’d become pretty good with defensive magic. She was even better with offensive magic.
She had always been top of her class in Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts (when it was still a class). Through independent study she’d learned spells that most Aurors didn’t know. Hermione would have been proud of her knowledge. She would be able to fight, no problem.
But simply because she was the youngest member of her family she was forced to sit at home and be ‘protected’. It wasn’t fair!
After an hour of absolute silence and brooding, Molly called Ginny down to supper. Things were pretty uncomfortable in the tiny kitchen. The tension was so thick you could taste it.
Ginny refused to speak, knowing that she’d probably only end up exploding again. Molly and Arthur were quiet as well, seeming to understand that she needed some time to cool down in peace.
The good thing about Ginny’s short temper was that it usually burned itself out quickly. That first initial burst of anger and then it would peter out. Short, but intense.
Sure enough, a week into the holiday Ginny began to reconsider the episode with Draco. She realized that she’d been too quick to get angry. Already primed from a month of stress, it didn’t take too much too set the fuse.
Ginny didn’t know why Draco had been in a bad mood that night, why he’d snapped at her, but she decided that she’d handled it poorly. Really, she should have expected him to insult her family. He always had.
Storming out the door angrily and avoiding him had been wrong as well. Her mother had always taught her to suck it up and take care of problems, not run away. Now she couldn’t see him and talk it out. They would have this hanging between them for an indecipherable period of time.
That was the worst part about being kept at home. No Draco. And she didn’t know if… no, when, not if… she would see him again. It wasn’t like they could just arrange to meet for coffee. The only people who knew they were together were the other members of the D.A. Well, Pansy knew, but no one had believed her when she went tattling.
And Martha, of course. Ginny had written to Charlie’s fiancée as soon as she’d arrived home, telling her that she’d been right, but that it was no use anyway. Martha had replied immediately with congratulations (more of an I-told-you-so, really), sympathy, and encouragement.
They kept up a pretty regular correspondence and Ginny spent a lot of time with Mr. Lovegood, so she had no lack of conversation and company. But nothing could ever make up for the long-term separation from Draco.
In an effort to keep herself from thinking too much and upsetting herself Ginny regularly pulled out her broom and flew around the protected area of the Burrow. She could spend hours in the air. The exhilaration of flying though the air easily took her mind off of things. Until she landed.
She only had an old Cleansweep, one of Fred’s old ones, so she didn’t go very fast. But it was enough to just feel the air stinging her cheeks and whipping her hair out behind her.
Molly complained that her hair would be tangled forever and that she always smelled like grass and brooms. But then she would smile, glad that Ginny had found something she enjoyed instead of spending her time being angry about having to stay at home.
Arthur would laugh and joke that she was better at sports that some of her brothers. Fred and George had always been known as a ‘pair of human Bludgers’, so in turn Ginny was compared to a Quaffle. Though it didn’t hold quite the same level of gratification.
And yet, no matter how much she did, her mind always found its way back to Draco. The instant she locked her broom away in the shed, or put down her book, or stopped practicing spells, she thought of him.
She wondered if he ever thought of her. Would he be upset when she didn’t come back after Easter? Would he care? Would she ever see him again?
Author notes: Sorry it's short, but when I was typing it up I was working on less than four hours of sleep. I like it anyway and I hope you did too! Please type your comments in that little empty box down there (It just looks like it needs to be filled up with words, yeah?) and send it to me. Thank you to Nakita, and 4everdandg for your great reviews! Loves!
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