That's My Girl

"Wake up." A whisper. I groan and turn over.

"Just wake up. I want to show you something."

"What the hell do you want?!" I ask in exasperation. This is Saturday. Who would want to wake me up at 7 AM to show me something? A giggle.

"Oh. Hey Ginny. What is it?" She proudly holds up a book.

"Wow..." I say, voice dripping with sarcasm. "A book..." I clap. "Very good."

"Not just any book," she says indignantly. "My book."

I clap sarcastically and brush hair out of my eyes. "You went to the bookstore all by yourself and got a book?"

She giggles again. "No, silly. It's a book that I wrote."

I sit full up in bed. "You wrote a book?"

She nods, her red hair bouncing with satisfaction. "I've been writing it since I got pregnant with Markus. It's about you."

"Me?" Who would want to write a book about me? I wonder.

She nods again, happy and sunny. I snatch the book and look at the cover. She drew it. It's me. I'm asleep on the couch in the common room, clutching my broom tightly. My robes have specks of dirt and my hair is hanging limp on my forehead. My scar is completely covered. I'm not exactly the prettiest thing ever. But the way Ginny drew it, there was magic.

"When did you draw this?" I ask. It had to have been a while ago. Most of the time, when I collapsed in a heap and fell asleep now after Quidditch, Markus and Allie will come crawl onto my stomach and fall asleep too.

"When I was pregnant with Markus," Ginny explains. So I was wrong. She drew this in our house. The couch is in the living room. "Read the dedication," she urges.

I open the book to the first page. "To the only four people I can trust in my life: Markus James Potter, Allison Lily Potter, Harry James Potter and Percival Alexander Weasley."

"Why did you dedicate it to Percy?" I question.

She smiles mysteriously. Her trademark. "You'll see," she answers calmly, with a kiss.

"DADDYDADDYDADDYDADDYDADDYDADDYYYYY!!!" one of our kids, ages seven and one, has decided to break the silence. I turn to look at him or her. It's Markus.

"What is it, Mark?" I ask.

"DADDYYYYYYY!!!! Allie swallowed my Lego-man!"

Ginny looks alarmed. "Is she alright?" "YEAHHHH!!!!" wails Markus. "My Lego-maaaaaaaaaaaaan!!! He's gone!"

Ginny smiles. "How about I bring you to the store and you can get a new Lego-man. One that looks like Uncle Ron?"

"Yeah!" Happy, Markus dashes out of the room. Ginny and I glance at each other and I re-open the book.

"So, tell me, Gin-gin. Why'd you dedicate the book to Percy, in part?" I question, curious.

Ginny takes a deep breath and bites her lip. "We-el..." I take one of her hands as a sign of support. "I'm sick." This comes out as a whisper. A little tiny whisper.

"Sick?" I ask. "But you'll get better, right?"

She shifts her weight. "Ye-es," she says decisively.

I smile and ruffle her hair. "That's my girl."