Broken

Time passed quickly for Ginny. She had applied to intern at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies. Ginny was told that she would have to wait another year before they would accept her, so she decided bide her time by living at the Burrow and helping out around there. It was during this time that Hermione approached Ginny about helping her with S.P.E.W. It had started one morning at the Burrow, when Hermione Apparated in the garden almost knocking over the scarecrow Ginny had spent most of the morning building. Ginny had been bent over, pulling weeds from the vegetable garden.

"Morning, Ginny," Hermione's voice came from behind Ginny.

Ginny started and turned around with her wand drawn. "Hermione! You should know better than to scare me like that!" Ginny admonished her.

Hermione smiled. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. Anyway, what are you doing here? I thought that you had applied to St. Mungo's and had been accepted."

Ginny angrily seized a garden gnome and swung high over her head. "I was, but I have to wait another year before they'll have room for me. My Muggle studies to become a doctor have placed me a year ahead of where I should be. So I have to wait until their current group of interns catches up." She groaned as she tossed the gnome as far as she could. "I'm bored stiff here."

Hermione pounced on the opportunity. "You're bored? That's terrible. I mean, if you were practising medicine, you could be doing so much to help others. It's a waste of your talents."

Ginny looked up at her. "I know! I feel so useless!"

"Would you like to feel like you're not just wasting your time while you wait for your placement?" Hermione kneeled besides Ginny in the moist dirt.

Ginny looked at Hermione, "I'm not sure I like where this discussion is going, Hermione. Does this have something to do with S.P.E.W.?"

Hermione nodded enthusiastically. "It does." She was about to say more when Ginny stood up and began brushing off her dirty jeans. "Ginny, don't ignore me! You know as well as I do that house-elves deserve their freedom!"

Ginny shook her head and wiped her brow. "Hermione, I'd love to help with S.P.E.W., really. But, you're getting nowhere! You have virtually no support. No one believes in your cause."

"That's because I'm alone. I have to hold my regular job at the Ministry and do the S.P.E.W. stuff in my spare time! I can't campaign in Diagon Alley during the peak shopping hours because I'm at work. You can, Ginny!" Hermione eyes lit up when she began speaking about her favorite subject, house-elf welfare.

Ginny stopped dusting off her clothes and inspecting the garden. "You really need my help, Hermione?"

Hermione sighed happily. "Yes, desperately! You're perfect for the job. You know what a free house-elf can do." Ginny looked quizzically at Hermione. "Remember Dobby?" Ginny nodded and Hermione continued. "A free house-elf will love his family of his own free will. He'll do anything to protect them. Just look what Dobby did to protect Harry."

At the mention of Harry's name, Ginny's heart plummeted. She thought about how little she had seen of him since she had returned to the magical world. It was like their discussion in St. Mungo's had never happened. He came to the Burrow every Sunday for dinner, but ignored her. She was beginning to wonder why she had returned. She might have been happier living as a Muggle. Ginny sighed and returned to Hermione's words. "You forget that Dobby belonged to the Malfoys, not Harry."

"But Harry freed him. Dobby loved Harry because Harry treated him as an equal. I think most house-elves would be the same." Hermione bit her lip and looked at Ginny. "Please say yes."

Ginny smiled. It was a genuine smile, the first one in months. "All right, Hermione. I'll be your S.P.E.W. volunteer. What do you want me to do?"

Hermione squealed and threw her arms around Ginny. "Thank you! You won't be sorry. We'll go down in history!"

Ginny smiled as Hermione hugged her. "That's what I'm afraid of."

That night Hermione spent her time at the Burrow helping Ginny put together badges to wear and a sash to put on over her robe. They had spent a great deal of time arguing over what color material should be used for the official S.P.E.W. colors. Eventually Ginny won out after she had pointed out that chartreuse (it matched the color of house-elves' skin) and midnight blue (that matched the Ministry of Magic robes) would make a stunning combination. It would also allow Hermione to wear it over her own Ministry robes. Hermione had to agree and both she and Ginny had spent the rest of the night sewing the sashes.

"All right, that just leaves us with the flyers to have printed tomorrow." Hermione had stuck a pencil in the bun she had twisted at the nape of her neck. "Are you okay with taking this to the printer's tomorrow and bringing them to me at the Ministry?"

Ginny merely nodded. She was exhausted and hungry. Hermione had taken her hostage in her own bedroom and refused to let Ginny out of the room until they were finished with the flyers. "I'll be fine, Hermione. I've been to Diagon Alley before."

Hermione nodded and began fishing in her robes. She pulled out a small leather sack, which held Hermione's pocket money. "Great. Here's the money I've saved to fund S.P.E.W. in its infancy. I'm sure we'll need more money later, but we'll have to get funding from other wizards for that." She held the small sack out to Ginny. "Go on, take it."

Ginny had never seen so much money in all her life. She'd always been quite poor when she lived at home before her banishment. When she had lived as a Muggle, she was still poor. Now that she lived at home again and had no job, she remained poor. "Are you sure you trust me with all that?"

Hermione laughed and nodded her head. "I do. Believe me, after being married to Ron, you learn to do the unthinkable."

Ginny groaned. "I daren't ask what you mean by that." She took the sack and laid it on her desk. "So I need to take the flyer to the printer's and then take it to you in the Ministry?" Hermione nodded. "And then what? Am I finished for the day?"

"Well, it shouldn't take them a long time to print the flyers up, so if they're okay, I'll want you to go to Diagon Alley and hand them out."

Ginny gasped. "Hand them out? By myself?" Ginny didn't really mind going anywhere by herself; it was just that she wasn't sure people would be very kind about S.P.E.W.'s ideals. She worried what people would say to her.

Hermione looked at Ginny with a surprised expression on her face. "Ginny, you are a big girl. Why are you afraid of doing this by yourself?"

Ginny sat on her bed. "What if people are rude to me? I'm not like you, Hermione. I'm not as into this thing as you are."

Hermione nodded. "I thought as much. Don't you believe that house-elves should be freed? House-elves are governed by the same laws as you and I are, laws that are sometimes more stringent for them than us. Yet, they have no representation in the government. No one looks out for them. What right do we have to order them about?"

Ginny knew Hermione was right. It was not fair that they were subject to laws that they had no part in making. "Did you ever study about suffragists in school, Gin?" Ginny nodded her head. "We are only the second generation of witches to have the right to vote in England. Can you imagine what it must have been like for your great grandmother or grandmother? House-elves are in the same positions that we were in just a few decades ago. Think of our ancestors, Ginny. Do it for the house-elves who have no voice."

Ginny smiled. "When you put it like that Hermione, I know I can do this. You're right. House-elves deserve to be free." She looked down at the finished sashes and badges. "Shall I dress up tomorrow?"

"Definitely. We want you to make S.P.E.W. look good. Wear your best robes. I think the new green ones you got when you came home will look smashing on you. Put on the sash and make yourself look pretty. People always are more open to new ideas if it comes in a pretty package." Hermione went searching through Ginny's closet to find the new set of sea green linen robes her parents had bought her. The outer robe was a beautiful sea green, while the inner robe had a small floral pattern with the same sea green in it. "I want you to use an ironing charm on it before you go anywhere. This looks a little wrinkled."

Ginny laughed. "Have you seen how small my closet is, Hermione? I had to move all my Muggle clothes in here. I can barely fit my hands in here to look for something to wear!"

Hermione shook her head and began gathering up her things. "Don't forget to do something with your hair as well." Ginny opened her mouth to say something about the state of Hermione's wild hair, but Hermione Apparated home before she could.

With Hermione gone, Ginny pulled the robes she was supposed to wear from her closet and waved her wand over them, performing the ironing charm. Suddenly her stomach growled and she remembered Hermione forcing her to miss dinner so that she could finish the badges. Ginny looked at the Muggle clock that sat near her bed. It read midnight. Ginny sighed and started down the steps that led to the kitchen. Hermione was a regular taskmaster. She wondered vaguely if she was this bossy with Ron in bed. Laughing at her own joke, Ginny hopped the last stair that led into the kitchen because it creaked and was surprised to find it already occupied. Sitting at the scrubbed wooden table were Ron and Harry. A single candle was lit, causing the flickering light to catch the red-gold highlights of Ron's hair and the ebony sheen of Harry's messy tresses. She muttered "Oh!" Embarrassed, Ginny turned to go back up to her room and forget about eating until breakfast time rolled around.

Ron looked up and smiled at her. "Ginny," he said in a stage whisper. "What are you doing up? I thought you weren't feeling well. You didn't come down for dinner."

Harry looked up as well, his eyes closely scrutinising her. Ginny ignored this and spoke to Ron. "Your bossy wife kept me in my bedroom all day doing stuff for S.P.E.W." She laughed as she spoke, making sure Ron knew she was joking. "I haven't eaten since breakfast this morning." That was the last time Ginny had seen anyone but Hermione. Hermione and Ron usually Flooed to the Burrow every morning for breakfast and each evening for dinner, since cooking was the one thing Hermione couldn't master. Molly didn't mind, most of her children still stopped by the house for either breakfast or dinner. It made her happy.

Ron groaned. "S.P.E.W. again? Will that woman never learn?" He pounded the table with his fist. "I can't tell you how many times she's tried to rope me into that. Sucks to be you, Gin."

Ginny ignored his last comment and headed to the cupboard where she pulled out some bread and things she would need to make a sandwich. She flicked her wand at the ingredients and sat at the table with a box of biscuits while the food was fixed for her. "Ron, house-elves deserve their rights. A few decades ago witches were in the same position as the elves. Would you deny mum or me or Hermione our rights?"

Ron snorted and turned his attention to the chessboard that he and Harry had been so engrossed in before she came downstairs. "You're not the same as house-elves."

Ginny noticed her sandwich was done and flicked her wand so that it was carried on a plate over to her. "I'm not going to convince you, Ron. I understand that. You should just be kind about it since it's something your wife feels strongly about." She grabbed one of the unopened bottles of butterbeer that sat on the table and screwed off the cap. "Tomorrow, I'm going to campaign for S.P.E.W. in Diagon Alley. I hope that I can count on your support, Ron." She took a long sip from the bottle and spoke again. "I hope I can count on both of you." She looked meaningfully at Harry.

Harry looked up from the chessboard where he had been focusing his attention and laughed. "Don't drag me into this!"

Ginny took a bit of his sandwich and looked at him angrily, her eyes flashing. "Why not? S.P.E.W. could definitely use the support of a celebrity. Think about all that Dobby has done for you."

"I'm not a celebrity," Harry said quietly.

Ginny swallowed another sip of butterbeer and spoke, "To the rest of our world you are. It would mean a lot to Hermione and I if you helped us out." She smiled at him. "Pretty please? With sugar on top?"

Harry laughed. "You remind me of the twins when you do that." Ginny and Ron laughed with him at his comment. "I'll think about it, all right?"

Ginny stood up and grabbed her sandwich and butterbeer. She intended to finish this meal in her room. "That's all I ask, Harry." With a swish of her wand to make the box of biscuits follow her, she began to make her way up to her room. As she started up the stairs, she hear him call after her:

"I never do anything without getting something in return!"

Ginny stopped and grinned at him. "That's what I'm counting on." She turned back around and went up to her room.