What Happened to Ginny

Chapter 10
Fiery Tempered Women

A/N: My muse is simple girl. All she likes are plot bunnies and reviews. So be kind to Maggie and feed her review cookies please. Big thanks to my beta Lbandoly for her hard work.

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Taking a shower had been just what her body needed to relax after wrangling verbally with her stubborn brother. The water had been warm and soothing, complete with herbs for rejuvenation.

She left the bathroom wrapped in a large fluffy bath towel and set about finding the perfect outfit for the evening. So the night before had some more difficult moments that had caught up to her today. That didn’t mean that there would be a repeat performance if she went back to AK again tonight. After all, you can only break a blood feud once right?

She gathered the remaining bags from the living room and dumped them all on her bed along with the items that she had already brought in before her impromptu nap that morning. She needing something easily transfigured while on her person. She was going to the Burrow first to talk to her parents. Going to them would bode better for her than them coming to her. So if she wore something easy to transfigure then she wouldn’t have to waste time coming home to change.

She picked a black baby doll t-shirt with a pink scull and cross bones logo printed on the chest and short cotton tutu style pink with black polka dots skirt to go with it. Not bad, but it needs something. A pair of black leggings that laced up the sides would be perfect. She could wear them underneath the skirt and still look the part. The only thing she really needed to change was the logo on the shirt, some catching slogan for muggle cereal or a picture of muggle candy perhaps. Hermione had a shirt similar to it with a clover on it. Yep, a clover would work perfectly. She quickly cast the charm to change the shirt’s design.

There was another upside to picking this particular outfit. If Draco wanted in her pants again, he would have to take her somewhere other than the dance floor to get in them. It wasn’t that she hadn’t thoroughly enjoyed the encounter, but frankly she wanted to know what he would be like between her sheets. Either he would come home with her, take her to his place, or he wouldn’t be getting any of her. It really was rather simple.

She returned to the living room and transfigured her shoes into black slippers like the pink pair Hermione had given her before putting them on. Yep she could go home in this. It might get her a few looks from her mother, but oh well, in for a penny in for a pound as the muggles say eh.

So she grabbed her cloak, and wrapped it around her shoulders as she made her way to the down to the foyer at the foot of the stairs. Grabbing a pinch of floo powder from the canister before stepping in the hearth, she said, "The Burrow.” A quick twist and whirl later she was standing in the kitchen of the Burrow.

“Mum? Dad? Are you here?”

Her mother came bustling in at the sound of her youngest child calling for her. “Ginny I didn’t expect you would show your face around here today. What do you have to say for yourself young lady?”

Neither woman heard Arthur enter the room. “Molly let the poor child get the soot off her robes before you start yelling at her.” Wrapping Ginny in a warm hug, Arthur helped temper the feeling of animosity that he could feel growing in the room. “Gin bug I didn’t think we would see you for a few days at least.”

Ginny gave her dad a weary smile as she sat down at the worn kitchen table. “No point in hiding forever. Ron’s already been to my flat yelling at me. I figured I might as well come take what mum had to dish out too. Get it all over at once, like pulling off plaster. Go ahead, mum ask what you want to know.”

Molly looked affronted at her daughter. “I just don’t understand Ginny. I know Harry hurt you, but the son of Lucius Malfoy. Certainly you know you can do better than that when a more appropriate time comes.”

“Mum just what do you think I was doing? He was walking me home. Hell he didn’t even realize he was doing it. We were talking and didn’t even notice that I was home till I was standing there about to open the door. It’s not like I’m planning to run off with him and become the next Mrs. Malfoy.” She couldn’t help but think she wasn’t sure she would ever dare marry again. Rising from her seat, she started pacing the kitchen floor. It wasn’t something she did often, just when her mother got on her last nerve.

“I wasn’t implying that you were. But Circe Ginny, it’s only been a month. Certainly you know that’s too soon to be seen with anyone.”

She stopped and looked at her mother. “If Harry had tried at some point during our marriage to make me think he loved me then maybe I would have. If he hadn’t been off shagging some other bint, then maybe I would worry about how people look at me. But you know what personally I don’t care what anyone thinks. I know everyone is going to be looking at me like I’m sort of shunned woman for what Harry did. What does it honestly matter if I’m seen walking down a street with Draco? The damage has already been done. It’s too late to change that.”

Molly had that look that said she’s been defeated at her own game. “Ginny I just don’t want to see you hurt again.”

“Believe me mum, I don’t want to be hurt again. But avoiding life didn’t do me any good either.”

Arthur sat quietly and listened to his two favorite women as they went on. Truthfully he didn’t care about the picture in the Prophet or that the blood feud was over. It was a stupid waste of energy to continue hating one misguided boy that was all that was left of the rival family. All Arthur wanted to know was how she did it. Now that the girls had hushed their ranting he figured he could get a word in about it. “Ginny, how did you manage to end the blood feud and in public no less?”

She laughed. “See that’s the funny part of this whole mess. I went out with Luna after Charlie suggested that I needed to get out of the flat and do something fun. So we met up with some of her other friends. Draco came up behind me and started running off at the mouth. Nothing I’m not used to out of him. Blaise told him to hush and that since we were stuck in each other’s company for the evening, it might be best if we called a truce so the others didn’t have to deal with us. Well he didn’t put it like that, but that was the implied point.” She stopped to take a breath. “So we did. Thing is when we both agreed to the truce, it just happened. Quick as you please, a swirl of reds and yellows flicked around us and was gone. Neither of us had a clue what had happened until Nott told us.”

“So it was just a simple truce? All these generations and it only took a simple truce to break it.”

“Yeah da’. I got the impression from Theo that it wouldn’t have happened if we didn’t both actually want it, but I don’t know for sure. I was going to go by the library Monday during my lunch break to do some research on it. You’re welcome to join me if you would like.” He smiled and nodded.

Her mother just couldn’t believe her ears. Who cared about the stupid feud, her precious daughter was associating with not one but two deatheater’s sons. “Nott? Another Deatheater’s son? Ginny just whose company are you keeping now?”

Arthur gave his daughter a sympathetic look. “Oh dear Merlin mum. It was one night out with Luna. There were a few people I went to Hogwarts with that happen to be from other houses. Does it really matter who was or wasn’t there. The war is over. Anyone that was a Deatheater is in Azkaban. Tossing disdain on their children doesn’t help anyone. Move on already.”

She grabbed her cloak from the back of the kitchen chair. “Look I’m sorry if I have somehow disappointed you. But you know what, for the first time in a month, no the first time in years I went out and did something just for me and enjoyed it. I didn’t hurt anyone. No one hurt me. If you don’t like the way I’m acting then keep it to yourself because I have no intention of changing what and how I act for someone else ever again.” She leaned in and gave her dad a hug whispering in his ear, “Sorry if I upset you da’, but it’s time I did something for me.”

“I know. She’ll calm down in a few days.” He released her. Ginny walked from the house into the garden before apparating away.