How Do You Choose Between What is Right and What is Easy?

Chapter 16

She was at the Burrow, seated at the kitchen table. It was dinner time. To her left, at the head of the table, sat her father, Arthur Weasley. To her right at the opposite end, sat her mother, Molly. At her left side sat Draco, and to her right sat Ron. Beside Ron was Fred, and directly across from him sat his twin brother, George. To George's right sat Percy, then Charlie, then Bill, who sat directly to the left of their father.

She had no idea of the date or the time, but that didn't matter in the slightest. All she cared about was having all of her family around, happy and thriving, with them completely accepting of her and Draco's love for each other.

There was talking and laughing and eating. And it was bliss.

All of a sudden, Ron turned to face her. He put his hands on both of her shoulders, and gave her a rough shake. "Ginny," he half-whispered urgently. "Ginny, wake up. Wake up! You need to wake up!"

Ginny opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry, as though she was slowly waking from a deep slumber. Ron was sitting by her bed, which had a curtain drawn around it. She realized she must be in the hospital wing. She tried to sit up, but her head was spinning horribly. She tried to sit up despite that, but Ron pressed gently on her shoulder, forcing her to lie back down. It didn't take any more persuasion on his part. Her body was in pain and agony, and throbbed as though she had been badly beaten.

Ginny looked up at Ron's face, into his sorrowful eyes... and everything came flooding swiftly back. She gave a swift gasp, and collapsed into Ron's outstretched arms. He held her tightly, and didn't let go until she pulled back. Ginny settled in her bed. Her and Ron stared at each other, their expressions the same.

"They... they um... they told me... what happened," Ron said, fumbling over his words. He stared down at the floor.

"They?" Ginny asked, confused. "Who's 'they'?"

"Dumbledore. McGonagall. Snape. Flitwick."

"How... how did they know?" Ginny asked, her voice wrought with confusion and horror that someone had found out what she had endured, least of all teachers.

"First I want to know what was going on before... you know... the attack."

Ginny sighed. "Okay. I'll tell you." As she looked down towards the foot of her bed, to avoid meeting Ron's eyes, she said, "I was with Draco, and we were both thinking about how we would love to spend more time together, and how it's become so stressful for me to be in the Gryffindor common room. I was at the point where I didn't even sleep in there anymore."

"So that's why I haven't seen you much since the big blow-out," Ron said, a look of understanding crossing his face. "Where've you been sleeping, then?"

"In the Room of Requirement," Ginny replied.

"Did... did Draco stay with you?"

Ginny looked up for a second at Ron's face, which was looking curious, before focusing her gaze back on the foot of her bed again.

"Yes," she said, glancing once again up at Ron's face, though only for a moment. However, instead of the look of anger she'd been expecting at this answer (since he must know what they had been doing), she saw only a gently look of understanding, outlined with the same look of sadness that had not left his face since she'd awoken.

She continued with her story. "We were in the Room of Requirement, and we were both thinking the same thing. We both thought it would be a good idea... for me to move into Slytherin House with him."

Ron's eyes widened a little at these words, but he stayed silent, inviting her to continue.

"We stayed the night in the Room of Requirement the night before the attack happened. We didn't want to go to Gryffindor common room by ourselves, just in case we ran into Harry. We wanted to make sure we had some backup, just in case we needed it. So we got Crabbe and Goyle, Marcus Flint, Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson, Millicent Bulstrode, and a few other Slytherin girls. I don't know their names.

"Anyway, we got to Gryffindor Tower. Crabbe and Goyle guarded the outside of the portrait hole, while Marcus and Blaise guarded the inside of it. Pansy and her group of girls went upstairs to get my stuff for me. Then... all hell broke loose...."

"But what really happened to you guys in there?" Ron asked, his voice laced with curiosity."

"They already told you what happened. I'm not going to explain it to anyone right now."

"They didn't tell me everything. They... they just told me... that Harry... Harry hurt you really bad." He paused, and there was silence. "What did Harry do to you?"

Ginny exploded. "I'm not going to discuss this right now, so just leave me alone!"

Ron's face immediately took on a shocked and hurt look. The curtain around the bed quivered, and Madam Pomfrey came in from behind it. She was carrying a large dark red bottle and a goblet.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Weasley, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Ms. Weasley greatly needs her rest."

"I'll leave her alone, I promise!" Ron exclaimed. "Just please let me sit with her."

Madam Pomfrey surveyed him intently for a moment, pursing her lips, before saying, "Very well. But I cannot express enough how much your sister cannot be distressed. She has... she has been through a terrible ordeal." There was sadness on her face and in her voice. "Anyway," she said, composing herself quickly, "I'll just give you your medication and I'll leave you two alone."

"What's my medicine for?" Ginny asked.

"It is a mixture of a Strengthening Solution and a Healing Potion. I have not been able to give it to you yet because you have been passed out for the last few days."

"How long?" Ginny asked.

"Three days. Your parents and your other brothers have most likely received the letter Professor Dumbledore sent to them. From what I heard, they were visiting one of your brothers in Romania, so they most likely have received the letter by now, or will receive it very soon. They I am sure they will be on their way."

"I don't want them to come," Ginny said. "There's... there's nothing to worry about. There's nothing wrong with me. Can't I just be left alone?"

Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips again, and surveyed Ginny silently. She set the goblet onto Ginny's bedside table, and poured some of the potion into it before setting the bottle down on the table as well. She then took a small, light blue bottle from a pocket of her apron, removed the stopper, and poured about ten drops into the goblet. Ginny, who was looking away, a sullen expression on her face, didn't notice.

Madam Pomfrey pressed the goblet into Ginny's hand. "Drink it quickly," she said.

Without thought, or without any expression on her faced, she brought the goblet to her lips and gulped the potion down in two swallows. Almost immediately, her eyes began to droop. Her head was spinning again. She leaned back on her left hand to hold herself up and to keep herself steady. "What the hell did you put in this?" she demanded, anger in her voice.

"I put some Sleeping Solution in it. You need to get some more rest so your body can completely heal properly."

"I-don't-want-to-sleep, damn-it!" Ginny exclaimed, gasping through her almost instantaneous drowsiness. Her hand released the goblet she'd been grasping. Madam Pomfrey reached across the bed, picked it up, and set it on the bedside table. Ron grabbed her hand as it fell to the bed and held on tightly. As her vision slowly faded, and her mind began to swim, she could only get two more words out before slipping, once more, into darkness."

"You... bitch."

And once again, she knew no more."