By the Fireplace

By the Fireplace

Ginny stared at the empty fire place in contemplative silence. Her mug of hot chocolate had long since gone cold. Even though it was the middle of July, she would always find comfort in front of the fireplace with a steaming cup of chocolate goodness.

But tonight even her beloved ritual of chocolate and fire watching could not settle her nerves. She teemed with suppressed energy that was all but causing the room to vibrate.

Her jittery fingers tapped absentmindedly against the side table as her thoughts tried to arrange themselves in an orderly fashion.

He doesn't believe I can take care of myself.

A small, pale hand clenched into a tight fist.

Doesn't want me to get hurt but doesn't mind if Hermione and Ron come along to do exactly that.

A poor pillow was bestowed with the honor of receiving Harry bloody Potter's beating.

Bloody green pillow reminds me of his damn emerald eyes, Ginny thought, glaring hatefully at it, hoping Harry would somehow feel her anger and decided that yes, maybe she could take care of herself.

Why are all men stupid? Didn't he realize that I'm not going to give him up without a fight?

Discarding the abused pillow, Ginny decided that she needed a plan.

She knew three things to be sure:

1. Harry was a prick. A given.

2. No matter what her parents, Ron, Hermione, or Harry said, she was going Horcrux Hunting. (Ron and his loud mouth had revealed what the trio planned to do during the next school year.)

And,

3. Above said people were never going to let her go.

No matter. Once she set The Plan in motion, everyone would see she could handle herself.

The hitch in that was she actually needed to figure out what The Plan was.

Ginny sighed.

Please, would someone just give me a sign? Anything would help.

The room remained unremarkably silent.

Guess I'm on my own, like always, Ginny thought sarcastically. Why doesn't anything in my life ever go--?

The empty fireplace suddenly hissed, startling Ginny, and erupted into blazing flames.

That is what I'm talking about! But what does fire have anything to do with it?

Ginny ceased her anxious movement and studied the now lively flames. A piece of paper drifted slowly into the inferno, shriveling up into ashes in mere seconds. Huh. Ginny thought about it. And thought some more. Then she tilted her head sideways to see if the new angle would give her any ideas.

No such luck.

Thanks to whoever sent me that sign, but next time could you be a little clearer? What does sudden burst of fire have to--oh, Merlin.

Jumping to her feet, nearly causing her mug to crash to the floor in the process, Ginny suddenly knew what she had to do.

But that'll only convince Mum and Dad to let me go, she realized, plopping back down into her chair in despair.

But she had one part of the plan ready. She knew her parents two main concerns would be about (a) her safety and (b) her schooling.

But what did the fire and paper have to do with that?

Well, if Hogwarts wasn't going to be opened next year, then her Mum would home school her. But wasn't home schooling just someone teaching you and then testing you on the material? Since Hermione was going, the smartest witch of her year, no, century even, then she could likely convince her mother the older girl could teach her. Then, after taking the tests, she could floo her test papers back for her mother to grade, so her mum wouldn't think she was bribing Hermione to give her good scores. Not that Hermione would ever give her leeway on schoolwork anyways.

That would work.

The second point her parents would argue was about her safety. Which would also cover the what-if Hogwarts reopened scenario.

Easy point to refute. How truly safe was she at Hogwarts? Dumbledore had been killed there; Umbridge had been allowed to use torturing devices, and she wasn't forgetting about her first year, either. No place was impermeable.

The Burrow? First place The Big Bad V (as Ginny privately thought of him) would come.

Headquarters? If they thought she would be locked up like Sirius had been, then they had another thing coming. A thing that wasn't at all pleasant.

Her argument: wouldn't she be safer on the move? Never staying too long in one place? Surely, a moving target was harder to hit.

That would convince her parents.

The next three people she had to convince would be harder.

Ginny rested her head on the pillow she had previously injured and tried to come up with convincing arguments on why she should go.

And Slytherin Ginny comes out to play, an inner voice chimed.

Hermione would be the easiest to convince.

The older girl would NOT want to spend an entire year with only two boys for her companions. Above older girl also knew that Ginny would be good in a fight (see how smart Hermione was?) and had no qualms about her fighting. Ginny could use that weakness to her advantage. Aren't four pairs of eyes better than three? If she came, everyone would have someone to protect their backs...and another girl would even out the group...Hermione was nothing if not logical.

Ron, on the other hand, wouldn't be so simple, if only because he was her brother and his life's job was to make her life as difficult as possible.

She could probably use the same argument she used with Hermione. Didn't he want to be the one to protect Harry's back? But that left Hermione open to attack...four was an even number...

And since she knew her brother so well, she could predict his retorting protests.

You're too young.

No, I'm not, because if I remember correctly, I was fighting those Death Eaters right alongside you!

I have to protect you because you're my sister.

How are you going to do that if you're hundreds of miles away? Is your absence going to save me from being hexed? I think not.

And those were the only two arguments he was brave enough to use against her.

The hardest person would be Harry of course.

Ginny wearily expelled a sigh, tired just of thinking about her ex (that's just what HE thinks)-boyfriend.

After listening to his explanation for breaking it off with her, she had one thing to say about it.

Screw it.

So what if an evil, sadistic, madman was after him?

She had just as much of a chance of being captured without him near her, than with him near her.

Honesty! Didn't he think at all? They'd been together for months, and she was certain that Junior Dumb Eaters had already reported back to their master about her.

Did he think that they would just forget about her since they had, for all appearances, broken up?

Yeah, right.

But Ginny knew that she could argue 'til she died of suffocation and it wouldn't make a difference. That boy was the most pigheaded, stubborn male she had ever met. The only thing that would be effective against Harry was a shock. It didn't need to be a big one, just something to get him to open his eyes.

Like, if she disappeared...

Not for a long time, just long enough to make everyone worry. (Yes, it was a very manipulative thing to do.) Maybe if she was late to dinner one night when he was there...

Then she would show up perfectly fine an hour later (which would be right before her parents sent out a search party) and it would hopefully be enough to make him realize she'd be better off in his sights than out of them.

Perfect.

The hand had just touched the 4'o clock as Ginny made her way up the stairs and into her room.

Tomorrow she would start working on her parents, she planned out sleepily. Harry was arriving in two weeks, which gave her time to convince Ron and Hermione. Then would come the tougher person...but she knew she could do it.

As she drifted off into the Dream world, Ginny promised herself one thing.

Whether or not I go with them, I'm going to tell Harry that I love him.

She knew those words usually scared boys off but the reason for telling him was simple.

She had to give him something to live for.