The Shadows Cast

Chapter 11

Varian sat with his back against the tree, bringing his knees up closer as he flipped the pages to his book.  He could hear footsteps walking in the grass, but he didn't bother to look up, assuming that whoever it was would pass him by.  He quickly learned that he was wrong.

"Whatcha reading?"

He looked up.  A small smirk played on his lips in spite of himself.  "Weasley."

"Ginny," she corrected with her hands on her hips.

"Weasely girl-"

"No. Please don't." She rubbed her forehead in annoyance.  "Just call me by my name."

"But that is your name is Weasley."

She crossed her arms.  "My other name."

"Molly-"

"How in the bloody-where did you hear that was my middle name?" She shrieked with displeasure and shock.  To her surprise, Varian threw his head back and let out a genuine laugh.

"It was a guess.  It's not uncommon that a mother's name will become her daughter's middle name.  Plus, it feels like something that the Weasleys would do."

She sat down next to him, brushing her hair off her shoulder.  "I guess it doesn't matter how you knew that.  Well, assumed.  Please, for the love of everything magic, don't call me that."

Varian raised a brow as he closed his book.  Tilting his head slightly, he rested his elbow on his knee so he could twist to look at her face.  "Do you not like your mother's name?"

"No, I do, but it's her name.  It's hard enough to set myself apart from my siblings, to be seen as an individual and not just 'another' Weasely.  It's just easier to be seen as my own person when I'm called by my actual name."

"Ginevra?"

"Oh!" She slapped his shoulder, but not with much force, making it playful.  "Would you stop it?"

"Ok, ok, ok." Varian raised his hands up in defeat.  "Ginny it is."

"Thank you."

"No problem, carrots."

Ginny didn't even say anything.  She just snatched the book out of his hand and began to hit him with it.  Not with enough force to hurt him, which made the boy laugh and squirm to get away.  He lifted his arms to shield himself from the friendly blows.

"Wait, wait, wait, stop-" he tipped over on his side, falling on the roots of the tree and the grass.  He didn't know why he found teasing her so funny, but he couldn't help laughing.

The redhead didn't listen, standing on her knees to aim another blow.  She looked down at him holding the book up as if prepared to strike him again at any given moment.  "You don't learn do you?" She couldn't help but let out a small chuckle herself.

"You're the one who gave a reaction." He passed her a sly smirk.  "So I guess we could say that, technically, it is your fault."

"Why you litttle-" she felt the book slip from her hand as Varian swiped it back.  Ginny reached out to grab it again, but he was faster and rolled out of her way.  "Hey!  Get back here!"

"With your temper?  I wasn't born yesterday." He smirked as he stood up.

Ginny launched herself up at him but he held the book up in the air, making it too high for her to reach.  So she resorted to trying to jump and get it with Varian expertly dodging and moving himself away all while keeping a smirk on his face.

"You're being a bully!" She accused.

"Me?  You're the one who was beating me with a book."

"It wasn't that hard!"