Grey Clouds

"Ginny!" Molly Weasley banged on Ginny's door six times before she finally opened it.

Molly surveyed her twenty one year old daughter and raised and eyebrow. Ginny had always been the mature one, but seeing as she was raised in a house with five boys, that wasn't saying much. Today she looked like a five year old child refusing to leave the store until her mother bought her everything she wanted.

"What is it, Mum?" Ginny asked impatiently.

"Why on earth isn't your room cleaned out?" Mrs. Weasley asked angrily.

"Mum! For the LAST TIME, I'm not letting Draco Malfoy stay in my room!"

Molly sighed and walked into Ginny's room. She looked around at the pale green walls and darker curtains. On every corner of the room there was a beautiful flower pot hanging and swaying gently with the breeze. There was a sweet smell of citrus in the air along with a hint of cinnamon. She sat down on Ginny's bed and motioned for Ginny to join her, but she stood where she was, looking like she was about to explode.

"Listen to me, honey. Draco is not going to be staying in here with you. You'll be moving into Ron's room while he and Hermione stay in the room in the basement."

"I understand that, Mum, but why is it that anytime someone comes to stay, it has to be my room that they stay in? What's wrong with Ron's room?"

"Honey, your room is the only one not on the verge of collapsing. You've taken such good care of your room! The ceiling is in tact, the floor boards aren't loose and the paint isn't peeling off the walls; which is more than I can say for your brothers' rooms."

"Exactly, Mum! Why do I have to give up my room for someone else to enjoy while I've been taking such good care of it? I don't want some Death Eater doing who knows what in my room!"

Mrs. Weasley buried her face in her hands and sighed. "Ginny! For the last time, Draco is not a Death Eater. You and I both know it. We were both there for his trial...remember how the poor dear was sobbing about You Know Who threatening his family? It was terrible."

Ginny scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, it was terrible if you believe him."

"Ginevra Weasley! Draco is a good boy and even if you don't think so, you'll have to pretend. He's reached up so far in the Ministry at such a short age, and it's an honour to have him staying here for Christmas. Do you have any idea how much he's helped your father?"

"I do, Mum. That's great and all, but that doesn't mean that I have to vacate my personal and private space."

"Well, it's not like you're leaving anything in here for him except your bed!"

"Well, yes." Ginny looked at her mother, trying to get her to understand.

"What damage could he do...oh!" Mrs. Weasley's eyes suddenly lit up with comprehension. Draco Malfoy was not only one of the most successful wizards, but also one of the most eligible ones. He was famous for his night time encounters with many witches, and unless they all lied, Draco was very good in bed. Ginny's friends at Witch Weekly had also heard about wild encounters in the most awkward places and about how they would all pay to have one night with Malfoy. Ginny would then tell Hermione about these conversations and the two of them would laugh their heads off.

Mrs. Weasley was blushing furiously as she spoke. "Well, Ginny, I'm sure all these rumours going around aren't all that true."

"Fine! Even if the aren't, I still don't want to move into that cold, damp room at the top of the staircase and let Malfoy move into my warm, cozy room."

"First of all, young lady, you will refer to him as Draco. It is very impolite to call someone by their last name; it's so cold and unfriendly-"

"I don't want to be Malfoy's friend!"

"That's it, Ginny! This conversation is over. Draco will be here in a few hours, and I want this room spotless. Ron will be here soon along with the twins, so you'd better hurry."

Mrs. Weasley got up off the bed and immediately walked out without waiting for Ginny to reply. Ginny, meanwhile, cursed under her breath and kicked the wall beside her rather hardly. All of a sudden, her toe started to swell and she fell back onto her bed.

She closed her eyes and tried to think of why she was here. Ginny didn't actually live with her parents anymore. In fact; none of her brothers did either. Usually, during the year, the Burrow would seem abandoned; no rowdy kids yelling about losing their things or complaining about each other. Then every Christmas, the family would reconvene from all over the world. Bill would turn up with Fleur, Charlie would arrive with his fiancée Athena, while the twins would each year bring their new girlfriends. Even Percy managed to take a break from his busy schedule and visit. Ron would always pretend he hated these reunions, but secretly, everyone knew he loved them and was always the first one to show up with Hermione. The first couple of years, it was pretty hard to fit everyone in the tiny abode, but soon, after Mr. Weasley's promotion, the Burrow's rooms were expanded and two more were added downstairs. One was Harry's room which was always kept tidy by Mrs. Weasley. Harry would always visit for special occasions and Christmas was no exception. The second room belonged to Ginny, which she decorated very carefully for herself and which she enjoyed staying in every year she visited.

Ginny worked as a journalist for Witch Weekly, and lived pretty close by in a small, but snug apartment. She had had a few relationships with Neville, Dean and some other students at Hogwarts, though none were very serious. The biggest commitment she'd ever made was when she had been dating Oliver Wood and she'd moved in with him for two months while her apartment had been infested with doxies. The relationship eventually went downhill and no one was as relieved to see them break up more than Mr. Weasley who'd been worrying about his daughter dating someone five years older. After that relationship, Ginny decided to take a break from finding Mr. Right, much to Mrs. Weasley's disappointment, and focus more on her career. She had no regrets about that decision, despite her family's objections. The one thing that made her feel better was Harry's support. All of the Weasley's had protested over Ginny becoming too career orientated, but Harry had sat them all down and convinced them to let Ginny lead her life the way she wanted it.

Harry had always supported Ginny through and after Hogwarts. Even though their brief relationship in Harry's sixth year had probably been more serious than any other she'd had, after Harry defeated Voldemort, they'd agreed to spend some time apart. Harry needed to adjust his life into that of a normal wizard (or as normal as it would ever be for the 'Boy Who Defeated the Dark Lord'), while Ginny needed some time to settle into her life away from home. Eventually, their feelings of romance grew fainter and they were just friends.

Ginny huffed and stared angrily at nothing in particular. She knew there was no way of venting her anger at someone in the family because they were all older than her. She took out the only thing that helped her control her anger without the use of a wand and a Bat-Bogey hex: her diary. Ginny held the red book in front of her face and looked at its soft cover where the golden lettering glimmered in the sunlight spelling the words: Ginny Weasley. Hermione had given this diary to her for her graduation present after her seventh year. It had been enchanted so that only Ginny could read what was written. The spell that Hermione had used was a pretty simple one, but no one in the house knew that Ginny kept a diary. Anyone who'd see this would assume it was one of Ginny's useless, empty books instead of a vault for her most precious memories and thoughts.

She flipped through the pages until she reached her last entry and started on a new one.

December 2^nd

I hate Draco Malfoy. I hope he gets lost in the Floo Network and ends up in fireplace far away on an island where no one speaks English. I hope his wand snaps in half and a stick gets poked right up his tight arse. There's no way he's coming anywhere near my room or I'll tie his hands to his toes and roll him down the stairs until he reaches exactly where he belongs: at the doorstep, outside the house. It's totally unfair that I spend all my spare time here trying to decorate my room and keep it spotless and all of a sudden, some little blonde, arrogant prick comes along and steals it. I HATE YOU, MALFOY.

Ginny finished her entry by jabbing into the paper where her full stop should have been. Just as she closed her diary, there was another knock on the door.

"Gin...it's me." Ron's voice came through the door as he knocked a second time. "Just open the door."

Ginny quickly opened the door and hugged her brother gloomily. "Hey, Ron," She muttered as she turned back.

Ron looked slightly hurt and said, "Well, it's nice to see you too. I'm doing fine, thank you."

"Oh, sorry about that. I'm just ticked off..."

"Yeah, Mum told me. It doesn't sound like you have a choice though; both Mum and Dad have made up their minds."

"So they sent you up here to talk to me, right?"

"Nah, I'm here to pack your stuff and send it upstairs."

"Ugh!" Ginny kicked her pillows, causing the delicate lace on them to rip slightly.

"You'd better gather your breakable stuff, because there's no way I'm packing your things the Muggle way." Ron looked frightened at the thought of lifting each item and placing it individually in a suitcase.

Ginny rolled her eyes, picked up her diary and put it in a little painted box. Ginny's few valuable things were usually kept safely in that box. Some of those items included: a thin golden bracelet given to her by Harry, a long silver ribbon with thin embroidery given to her by Ron, some books and a scarf given to her by her parents, and a couple of other presents from her brothers over the years.

As Ginny walked over and stood behind Ron, he waved his wand in one flick and muttered the word, Pack!

Everything in Ginny's room (with the exception of furniture) started flying and made its way over to the trunk lying by the doorway. Her closet burst open, and layers of clothes poured out and fell into the trunk. Even things Ginny had never seen before randomly started popping out, like a green mini skirt and an entire box of Every Flavoured Beans. By the end of it, the trunk was untidily cluttered with everything from all over the room and the room itself was bare with the exception of a beautiful chandelier hanging from the ceiling, a large single bed, a desk with a lamp and a cushy chair.

Ron smiled at his sister and pointed his wand at the trunk. He quickly went through the incantation in his head making sure he wouldn't make a fool of himself in front of his baby sister.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

The trunk lifted itself effortlessly and moved out the door as Ron guided it with his wand. He stepped into the hallway and up the stairs as he called to Ginny, "Better head down to breakfast, Gin. They're like animals down there, might not be anything left for you."

Ginny glanced at her bare room one last time and walked out, shutting the door behind her.

***

Ginny dragged herself downstairs into the kitchen where everyone was seated at the dining table. Mr. Weasley sat at one end of the table, drinking out of his cup and casually reading the Daily Prophet. Beside him, Bill was eating a stack of pancakes flooded with maple syrup, while Fleur was at his side, nibbling on some toast and conversing with Hermione across the table. Fleur looked as radiant as ever with her silky silver hair and perfect eyes. Next to Fleur were Charlie and Athena. Athena wasn't a witch of traditional beauty, but she always had a warm expression and kind, soft, dark eyes. She had dark hair that was usually tied up in a messy pony tail, but a few strands would get loose and drop softly across her face. Charlie always talked about how he loved it when that happened. Both Charlie and Athena were busy talking to Fred and George who were sitting across from them, this time without girlfriends. Between Percy and Hermione was an empty chair (probably for Ron) and beside Hermione sat Harry. He got up off his chair and went over to help Mrs. Weasley serve breakfast to everyone. Ginny smiled to herself as she saw Mrs. Weasley complaining to Harry about how thin he was and how he should eat more. Regardless of her bad mood, Ginny couldn't help smiling as she watched her family and closest friends sit together at the table, just enjoying their time together.

Harry turned and saw Ginny walking down the stairs. He smiled at her as he took three plates of eggs and served them on the table. She smiled back and looked into those affable eyes. Even after their break up, Harry and Ginny had remained very close friends, always there for each other.

Mrs. Weasley turned to see what Harry was looking at and smiled as Ginny took a conjured chair between her father and Harry. She listened in as Charlie and Athena were busy talking to Fred and George. Apparently, everyone around the table had stopped doing other things and were joining in the conversation too.

"It wasn't my fault, this time," George was telling Athena, indignantly.

"Absolutely! It wasn't mine either!" Fred chimed in.

Charlie was laughing while Athena was trying not to. Everyone was sniggering quietly as well while Fred and George were frantically explaining their situation.

Bill spoke, trying to control his amusement. "I agree," he said. "Anyone could have mistaken Bulgarian men for two women." Everyone burst out laughing.

"What's this about Bulgarian men?" Ginny asked.

"Funny story," Charlie said. "Apparently, these two decided to go to Bulgaria for some joke stuff and met these two 'attractive' women. Only it turns out that they weren't women but two very...angry men."

"Yeah," Bill said. "That would explain Fred's black eye."

"Hey!" Fred said. "Those two wouldn't listen to us. We tried to apologize, but they just wouldn't bloody get it. Then one of them punched me in the eye and we ran for it, bloody idiots."

Everyone continued laughing as Mrs. Weasley bustled in and started serving tea.

"Alright, that's enough, all of you," Mrs. Weasley said. "Ginny dear, is your room cleaned out?"

Ginny sighed and nodded. "Yes, Mum, it is. So now Malfoy can enjoy my comfortable room while I sleep in the bloody attic, freezing my arse off."

"Ginny! Watch your language!" Mr. Weasley scolded and turned to Ron who had just joined them. "Ron, you said you wanted to tell us something."

"Well...um...yes." Ron stuttered a little bit, blushing slightly. "Um...Hermione?"

Hermione leaned into Ron's ear and whispered, "Oh, Ron! Just go ahead. Don't be afraid of anything."

"What's there to be afraid of?" Mr. Weasley asked. "We're all family here anyway."

"It's just that...maybe Hermione should tell you." Ron blushed even more, now resulting in his face turning a flaming red to match his hair. Hermione rolled her eyes and pinched Ron's arm.

"Ow! Alright, fine. It's just that...um...ok...so..."

"Oh for heavens sake, Ron!" Hermione made him stand up and urged him on.

"Hermione..." Ron began, sweating a little. "Well, it's just that..."

All of a sudden, the fireplace erupted in emerald flames and smoke started spewing out. Everyone turned as the tall flames spat out a tall figure. The figure landed smoothly, but was covered from head to toe in soot. His beautiful blonde hair had dashes of grey smoke while he gently dusted himself of. His grey eyes weren't their usual cold, but warmer and friendlier. Draco Malfoy turned and saw the entire Weasley family staring back at him.