Ginny's Sixth Year

Chapter 38

"Ginny! How have you been?" Tonks said pulling me into a bone-crushing hug.

"Great!" I lied.

"You're just in time for lunch!" Mum cried, pulling Tonks by the wrist to the table.

"I'll be there in a minute, Molly," Remus said offhandedly. "Ginny, a word."

When Remus asked for a word, you knew there was something wrong. Especially for a word with me, whom he usually ignored. "Yes?" I asked innocently, as if I didn't know what he was going to ask.

"Ginny, I think you know why I wanted to talk to you. Firstly, and I want you to be completely honest, are you alright?"

"What do you mean?"

"I think you know very well what I mean."

"I'll be alright."

"Ginny!" Remus' eyes were blazing and he grasped my shoulders. I winced and swatted his hand off of my right shoulder.

"No! Okay? I'm not! Do you really expect me to be?" I snapped. I knew everyone else could hear me, but I didn't care.

"Ginny..." he said more gently. At this point, tears were openly rolling down my cheeks. "If there's anything..."

"No! There's not! Unless you can make Ron stay, bring Harry and Hermione back, and end the war, then no! There's not!"

Remus bit his lip and looked down at me apologetically. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything." With that, he walked back into the main room and sat down across from Tonks.

"Do you have a name yet?" Charlie asked Tonks and Remus as I walked in the room. I knew immediately what he was talking about. Tonks was expecting.

"Not yet. We've still got time, though," Tonks said, smiling at Remus, a gesture he did not return.

I ate the small amount that I had put on my plate and waited for someone to tell me to eat more. George looked down and put his hand on Fred's knee. Mum and Dad exchanged glances. 

"Would you like some more, Ginny?" Tonks asked, unknowing of the events that occurred the night before.

Fred and George both looked at me with the same nervous glance. "No, I'm alright. Thank you, though," I said, trying to be polite.

"Alright!" Dad said, clapping his hands together. "The Order is meeting here today, so you'll be upstairs, Ginny. Sorry."

"That's alright, I was actually going to go and lie down anyway. I'm not feeling very well." I excused myself and slowly made my way upstairs. I heard a pair of footsteps following me up, and I knew of only two people who had enough nerve to follow me when I'm not feeling well. "Leave me alone, you two. I'm not in the mood."

"Actually, we were thinking..."

"Maybe we could take you over to Bill's. He invited us, and we can get out of the Order meeting today. In fact, I think that today is more of an 'older member' day."

"Sometimes we're not allowed in to the Order meetings. Mum doesn't like us hearing some of the things..."

"Anyway, what do you say?" two identical voices juggled.

"I would love that!"

"Alright, let's go." Fred said, grasping my wrist.

"What'll we tell Mum?" I asked, genuinely concerned about what Mum would think if she found us gone.

"We've made up an excuse. Don't worry," George assured.