Finding True Happiness

“Bad Times”

“D-did… you say… something?” Ginny asked, panting.  The pain was beginning to return, and she grimaced.  It got worse when Malfoy pulled out.

“Poor little Ginevra Weasley,” he said.  He magicked away all evidence of their activities, tucked himself into his pants and zipped them.  He didn’t bother to push her skirt down, and just cleaned her as well.  No point incriminating himself.  “You Gryffindors are all the same, you know.  So willing to believe what anyone tells you.  Why d’you think Potter’s blood traitor godfather died?  And that was the Dark Lord lying to him!”  He looked smug as he rearranged his robes.  “Thanks for the fun time.  You know, once Potter’s done with Lovegood, maybe you can get together with him?  Though if Loony’s anything like her last name…”  He tutted, revelling in the wetness on her cheeks.  “Still, I know lots of people who won’t mind helping you ‘practise’…”

“Go away,” she whispered, her voice thick with tears.

“Maybe I’ll even come back for seconds…”

“GO AWAY!” she shrieked.

Malfoy swaggered off, now no longer bothered by the smell around himself.  If only harmless magic was required, maybe it would all be okay.  It was just a pity that the spells had to be used on him, and not on the garbage hanging around.

Ginny, meanwhile, slid down the wall, covering her face to muffle the heart-wrenching sobs that were tearing her throat apart.

Why did I feel like I had to spite Harry? she thought.  Why?  Oh, gods, why?

“You look festive,” Ernie remarked.  “What’s with the flower?”

“Oh, I just got it from a… friend,” she said.  “It was part of a bouquet.”  She adjusted her hair around the white carnation tucked behind her right ear.

“A ‘friend’?  C’mon, Hermione.  Everyone knows that you have a secret admirer,” he said, smiling slyly from where he was working on his Charms essay.

“What?  How?” she asked.

“Aha!  So it’s true, then?”

She slumped.  “Yes.  How did you know?”

“You’d be surprised how much Gryffindors gossip,” he said.  “‘Fair-play’, you know.  It’s bred into you to tell others whatever you know to give them equal advantage.”

“How does this give anyone an advantage?” she asked.  “Do… do the Slytherins know?  And what about the teachers?”

“Okay, when I said everyone, I meant everyone that matters – your friends, in other words, and friendly acquaintances.”

“Oh.”  She half-smiled.  “I really like him, Ernie.  I… I think that I may love him.”

“You know what they say,” he said.  “If you don’t know whether you love someone, then you don’t love them.”

“Uh… thank you.”

They both jumped when they heard frantic knocking at the door.

“Hermione!”

“That’s Ginny,” she said, leaping out of her seat.  As soon as she pushed open the portrait Ginny climbed into the room and threw herself into her friend’s arms.  Hermione glanced back around at Ernie.

“I can finish in my room,” he said, clearing the coffee table of his books.  As he left them alone Hermione seated Ginny on the couch.  She sat beside the younger girl and held her close.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, letting Ginny cry on her shoulder.

“I… I did something so stupid, `Mione,” she whimpered.  Hermione didn’t have the heart to correct her.

“What?”

“Oh gods!  It’s all because of Harry, my feelings for him.”  She sniffled, and Hermione conjured a hanky for her.  “Thanks.”

“You didn’t kiss him or anything, did you?” she said.

“No.”  Ginny twisted the piece of cloth in her hands.  “Nothing like that.  Not… with Harry.”

“Gin?  What happened?”  Hermione shook her gently.  “Tell me.”

“I…”  She dropped her voice, looking around the room wide-eyed.  “I h-had sex with Draco Malfoy.”  Then her eyes dropped to the floor, fresh tears clogging up her eyelashes.  Hermione stared at her.

“…You what?”

“I didn’t mean to!” Ginny exclaimed, standing.  She began to pace around, hugging herself.  “I wasn’t in my right mind.  I just felt so unwanted because of Harry being with Luna, and… and… he was coming on to me.  It made me feel so… female.  You know?”

“I do,” Hermione said, thinking of her secret admirer.  “It’s nice to be reminded, especially when my two best friends are boys, and they didn’t even notice that I was a girl until our fifth year.  You’d think the long hair would be a bit of a giveaway, but I guess not.”

“Boys.”  She sat down again and turned to her friend.  For the next half hour she told Hermione everything that happened, including Malfoy’s cruel words afterwards.  Then they sat in silence for awhile.

“Wow,” Hermione said.  “I’m so sorry, Ginny.  I should have seen that you weren’t with us.  If I had…”

“It’s not your fault.  It’s all mine.”  She wiped away the remaining tears.  “`Mione, what do I do?”

“First of all, did you use contraception?” she asked, blushing a bit.

“Of course.  I cast the Charm on him, and then he used it on himself to ‘make sure’.”

“He did?”

“Yes.  He said so.”

“Um… and you believed him?”

“Well, he cast a non-verbal charm on himself and then said…”  Her eyes widened.  “I don’t know.  What if he lied?”

“It could be revenge,” she said, getting up.  “Ginny, we have to make a potion.”

“Which potion?”

“A Morning After Potion.  It has to simmer for at least seven hours, and takes a couple of hours to make.  You have to take it within twelve.”

“Do you have all the ingredients?”

“No,” she said.  “Most, but not all.  I’m only missing a couple of things.  We could go to the hospital wing…”

“Hermione, we can’t let anyone know,” she said, gripping the Head Girl’s hands.

“I could steal some from the infirmary,” Hermione mumbled.  Ginny’s eyes lit up.  “But I’m sure you need a Pain Relief Potion.  I think I can make one of those.  Go and lie down.  You can stay here tonight.”

He was floating along to Hermione’s rooms when he saw her step out into the corridor.  Immediately turning invisible, Peeves flew forward, grabbed her arms and kissed her.

“Mph!”  She gasped when he let her go, trying to regain her breath.  “Is that you?”

“Yes,” he said, stroking her hair.  She sighed in relief.

“Thank goodness.”

“You were expecting someone else?”

“No.”  She looked to the side, before turning back to where she assumed he was.  “Can I tell you a secret?  Will you promise not to tell anyone else?”

“Of course.”

“It’s Ginny.”  She clutched her elbows.  “She… needs a…”  She dropped her voice even lower, causing Peeves to lean in.  “She needs a Morning After Potion.  I don’t have all the ingredients to make it, so I need to steal a vial from the infirmary.”

Although no one could see it, Peeves’ eyes nearly popped out of his head.  “Steal?”

“I daren’t try to take ingredients from Professor Snape’s stores again,” she whispered.  “Once was bad enough.  Maybe that’s why I don’t deserve to have any praise from him.”

Peeves put an arm around her shoulder and nuzzled her neck.

“Go back to your rooms,” he said.  “Madame Pomfrey has powerful wards over all the potions.  She – and the headmaster – would know who took it.  Do you want that?”  Hermione shook her head frantically.  “Good.”  He stroked her lips.  “It was definitely Miss Weasley?”

She blushed.  “Yes.  She gave herself to Malfoy, but he treated her pretty badly.  The things he said to her afterwards…  And I think he may have reversed the Charm that she placed on him, which is why we need to get the Potion.”

“Hermione,” he murmured.  “I will take care of it.  If I can’t get the Potion then I’ll make one myself.  All right?”

“You’d do that?  You’d do that for her?”

“Only a little,” he said.  “I am really doing this for you.”

She melted under his words and touch.  He placed a brief kiss on her lips and then disappeared.  Floating on air, she drifted back into the Heads’ rooms, never noticing that the subject of the portrait looked very confused.

But why?  Meh.  It hardly mattered.  I just needed something cliffhanger-ish.

You know me!

What will happen next chapter?  You’ll see…