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

Chapter 25

Everything was quiet in the hospital wing, the only sound coming from Ginny's bed. There was low talking coming from behind the curtain. The members of the Weasley family present knew that Ginny was behind that curtain, with Draco once again. What they didn't know was that, while they were lying on the bed together, they had been coming up with names for the babies.

Molly was the first one to reach the curtain. She paused for a moment, seemingly to compose herself again, before slowly sliding the curtain open. She only opened it a little, just enough for her to step through. She stood in the gab so none of the others could get in around the curtain to join her.

Ginny was still leaning against Draco, who was still laying on the bed and propped up on pillows. He had his arms wrapped almost protectively around her. They were both smiling at each other and, once again, neither one of them had realized that anyone had joined them. Until she spoke.

Molly cleared her throat. "Excuse me... Draco..." Molly said. Her voice was quiet and calm. Even her face had taken on an almost monotone look to it. It looked like she was trying very hard to keep her face composed.

Ginny looked up, startled. Draco looked up, too. His face still held the smile of a happily expectant father. "Yes, Mrs. Weasley?"

"I need to have a word with my daughter." She paused for a moment. "A private moment."

Draco stared at her for a moment. "Mrs. Weasley, with all due respect, your daughter and I are getting married, and anything you have to say to her, you can say in front of me."

"With all due respect, yourself, Draco, I would like to have a private word with my daughter. And private does not include you." She said this all in a very curt and short tone of voice.

Draco looked suddenly taken aback. Ginny gave her mother an angry look and leaned up off of Draco a little. "Mum, what's your problem?" she asked.

"This will be the third time I have said this," Molly said slowly. "I sincerely hope I do not have to repeat myself for a fourth time. I. Require. A. Private. Word. With. My. Daughter," Molly said, enunciating every word. "How many times am I going to have to say this before it happens?" It was quite obvious to everyone, even those outside the curtain, that she was getting very angry, but her voice had such a low and even tone to it, it was obvious as well that she didn't want to alert Madam Pomfrey to the fact that they were back in the hospital wing.

Draco leaned up, and made sure Ginny was okay sitting up before getting off the bed. He got up slowly, however, staring at Molly with a strange look on his face. "Fine," he said, his voice tense and even. "Whatever you say, Mrs. Weasley." He turned to Ginny and said, "I'll be right outside, in case you need me."

"Okay, Sweetheart," Ginny said, grabbing his hand for a quick squeeze and smiling at him.

With another quick strange look around at Molly, Draco went around the curtain surrounding the bed and into the aisle of the hospital wing. Arthur, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, and George had all taken seats. Arthur, Charlie, and Fred were sitting on three of the empty beds, while Bill, Percy, and George had chosen armchair. Draco took a seat on one of the empty chairs as well, and settled down to wait.

Inside the curtain, with Ginny and her mother, things were not going well. Molly had her arms crossed, staring at Ginny with an intense stare. Ginny had sat up on the bed, her legs crossed in front of her, and her arms crossed over her chest. She had an intense stare on her face as well, one that was almost identical to her mother's.

Molly sat down, keeping her arms crossed, and crossed her left leg over her right.

"So..." Ginny said slowly. "What did you want to talk to me about, Mum?"

Molly was silent for a moment. She uncrossed her legs, then crossed them again, this time with her right leg over her left. She seemed to be stalling. Finally, she spoke. "How much do you love me, Ginny?" she asked, looking Ginny right in the face. "How much do you love me, and how much do you love this family?"

Ginny's forehead creased in confusion. "That's a silly question to ask." She paused for a moment. "Why would you ask me something like that?"

"Just answer the question, Ginevra. How much do you love us?"

Ginny didn't say anything for a moment. "I love you guys very much, Mum. You know that. Why?"

"Would you do anything for us? Would you do anything for me, your mother?"

"What do you want me to do?" Ginny asked, a little worriedly.

Molly paused for a minute before answering. Her voice was so low, however, that it would not carry past the two of them. "I want you... to get rid of the babies - both of them. And I want you to sever all ties with Draco Malfoy. I want you to sever ties immediately."

Ginny stared at her mother, horrified. She knew her mother had to be joking, but the look on Molly's face was very serious. "Mum..." she whispered. "Are you crazy? How can you possibly ask me to do something like that?"

"You cannot have those children, Ginny," Molly hissed angrily at her. "One of them symbolizes the hatred of the Malfoys that has plagued the Weasley family for centuries, and the other one symbolizes the horrific rape by a deranged boy! And that Malfoy boy has given your brothers problems for years! How can you possibly want to go through with this?"

"I love him, Mum. I love him very much. And he loves me. We want to have these children. They may not have been planned, but we don't consider them a mistake. We've already picked out names and everything. There's nothing that could happen that is going to make us want to give them up."

Mrs. Weasley went rigid, her whole body appearing to seize up on the spot. When she next spoke, her voice was almost inaudible because she was shaking so much with rage.

"If you do not have an abortion, and get rid of those ... mistakes ... and never speak to Draco again, I will no longer consider you as my daughter."

There was silence. The two stared at each other. Molly's face showed only rage, Ginny's blatant disbelief. Ginny's lips parted a little, and it looked like she was trying to hold back sobs. "You don't mean that, Mum..." she said quietly. "You don't mean that...."

"I do mean it," Molly said hatefully. "I mean it more than I've meant anything in my entire life." There was silence again, but only for a moment. "Make your choice, Ginevra. Make your choice. Right now."

"I've already made my choice," Ginny said, placing her hands protectively over her stomach. "I've made my choice, and I'm not changing my mind. Not for anything."

They stared at each other for a moment, their faces not both with determined looks on them. "Then this is the last time we see each other," Mrs. Weasley said. "Good luck in your life. Even though I know this is going to turn out horribly, this union between the two of you and the children... I suppose there's always hope. Goodbye, Ginevra."

And with that, before Ginny could even respond, Molly was gone. She exited through the curtain and, as she left, Ginny heard her say, "We're leaving, Arthur." After that, the only thing Ginny heard was the sound of footsteps and the opening and closing of the hospital wing door.