Ginny Weasley, Heart's Advocate

Chapter Two: Shopping and Secrets (with less-grilled cheese)

Friday, January 16, 2004

Dear Hermione,

Thank you for your invitation. I would love to go shopping with you tomorrow, but I was wondering, before we hit the muggle malls, could we stop by Ron's place? I left a book there and I need it back before his memory kicks in.

It turns out I won't be working on Crabbe next - they need me to cover someone's defense. We'll talk later I'm sure, I've got to get goin'. Thanks again for everything!

Sincerely,

Ginny

"Pig! Come here Pig!" A small brown owl came flying in through the owl-door atop the window. With a closer glance, an observer would notice black marks around the head that looked a lot like black pilot's goggles. A gift from Hermione when Ginny was accepted to the academy, Pigwidgeon II was named for Ron's late post owl. Pigwidgeon I, as everyone except Ron referred to him, was killed in an unfortunate screen-in-Harry's-window accident. After circling the ceiling fan (he had a fascination with things that spin), Pig flew down and landed on Ginny's shoulder. "I need you to take this letter to Hermione right away. I don't know if she's at work or home, so you'll need to find out." Although Pigwidgeon II was smarter than his namesake, he wasn't as bright as Hedwig and often needed to be told where to find the recipient. Ginny gave the barn owl a treat and Pig was out the window.

Ginny looked around, searching her desk for something to do. A moment later, she came to the realization that there was no work to do - something that astonished her. Looking around her room, her eye fell upon the old Quidditch trophies from school - she had become the best chaser the school had seen in a generation when Harry returned his sixth year to take back the Seeker position. Also a plaque on the wall, given by Dumbledore to every member of the DA when they graduated. Ginny would have traded anything to be back in school, where deadlines didn't mean death.

After a moment or two of pondering, Ginny gave up on finding something to do in her room and left, heading towards the kitchen. Upon entering, she saw on the range her frying pan, perfectly fixed and sparkling clean. Smiling, she put the frying pan on a burner, turned it on, and threw some butter in the pan. For the first time in weeks, she was hungry for food, not simply sustenance to get her through her work.

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"Somebody made grilled cheese!" chimed Luna as the door closed behind her. She turned and came tumbling into the kitchen, barely keeping control over several large grocery bag.

Ginny looked up from her food and asked, "What can I do to help?" The two had an instinct to help with any activities relating to their communal living.

"No, no I'll be fine." Luna looked at the table and pouted. "Heyyy! Where's mine?"

"Sorry!" said Ginny, putting her hands up in the air defensively. "If some people were to tell me when they leave and when they'd be back, I'd happily make them food for when they return."

"I didn't want to disturb your slumber," responded Luna, in her psychiatrist tone.

Ginny stroked her invisible beard. "A good choice. Probably saved your life." The two friends shared a hearty laugh.

"I haven't heard you laugh in days. What's eating you?"

"Life and Work. Too much work not enough life." Ginny stopped a moment to think. "You know, there was a time in my life when I had fun. When I used to go out with friends. When I had a good time with significant others, no matter how insignificant they turned out to be in the end." She turned the burner back on and through some more butter in the pan. "I'm bored, I'm tired, and I'm lonely. I want a life again."

"I'm glad you finally saw it," said Luna, getting the cheese out of their muggle fridge. "I've been wanting to tell you, but I wasn't sure if the Weasley temper would strike up again."

"Thanks for having patience with me."

"Perhaps I should just smack you around a little." Luna smacked Ginny lightly on the back of the head. "I enjoy hearing a hollow sound." The two friends shared a second hearty laugh.

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Saturday, January 17, 2004

When Ginny first went to Number 12 Grimmauld Place in her fourth year, the front yard had consisted of an interesting collection of weeds and a walk that lead from the street to a battered, black-painted door with a silver knocker in the shape of a twisted serpent. Since Harry had become owner of the house shortly after Sirius was killed in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, many had worked to clean the place up. The yard was well kept and the walk had been torn up, replaced with a cobblestone path. The black door had been removed and a red oak double-door with a golden knocker in the shape of a lion put in its place. All-in-all, it was a much more cheerful residence.

Now, nearly two years later, Ginny found herself walking up the cobblestone walkway to that door. Before she even reached the threshold, it swung open. "Hey Ginny!" Hermione pulled the younger woman into a tight hug. "How's everything going?"

"Better." Ginny took on a pompous stance and continued, "I have accepted the social inadequacy of my life and resolved to alleviate the tension which hath rooted itself in my soul." Hermione laughed as Ginny took a bow.

"So basically, you've just realized that your life sucks?"

"Pretty much."

"Then we've already planned just the thing. When's the last time you went shopping?"

Ginny paused to think a moment. Biting her lip, "For my graduation dress?"

"Virginia Weasley! I am appalled at your lack of womanliness. Let's not waste any time fixing it."

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"Do women actually wear these?" asked Ginny, holding up a full-body fish-net (those things you wore underneath the Color Guard Uniforms).

"Yes, but I for one, do not. They really are terribly uncomfortable, and hard to get out of, which kind of defeats the purpose," stated Hermione, as if it were some fact out of a book. Ginny, on the other hand, looked disgusted.

"I'm glad to see you like to make Harry happy."

"And why is it that you still haven't found a man to make happy?"

"Because I'm needy, pathetic, workaholic, and lonely?" Ginny said very quickly.

Hermione's face looked as though she was computing. "The first three are some of the reasons. The final is a result." Hermione paused to gather her words. "Step one - spend more than half your life outside of work. You'll have to work on that one, honey, cause I can't. Step two, which I can help with, I'm going to dress for the other sex. You have a great body under there Ginny, it's just a matter of giving men a taste instead of wrapping yourself up like a Christmas present." The two friends laughed.

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The day passed on and on and Ginny bought many things. Hermione couldn't convince her to buy any lingerie, but Ginny did buy shorter dress and lower cut blouses. When they were back at school, it was Ginny who taught Hermione about men. But when Ginny became an advocate, all that changed. Ginny became the book-smart workaholic while Hermione enjoyed impressing her husband.

"I look like a freakin' cheerleader!" remarked Ginny, looking in the mirror at herself in a sexy low-cut formal dress. She could see skin that she normally only saw while showering and dressing.

"You look younger babe, not that you look like a preteen, but you used to look older." Hermione turned Ginny around to look her straight in the eye. "This is on me. It's for you to wear to the Ministry Valentine's Day Ball, on February 15 (the ministry is smart enough to leave the actual V-Day for couples to enjoy alone). Your mission, should you choose to accept it, and you will choose to accept it, is to find yourself a boyfriend by then. Is that clear sergeant?"

"You're giving me less than a month to find a boyfriend? And you expect me to do so by wearing less clothes?"

"And being more forward with the opposite sex. Face it, you may need to ask him out. Don't worry, it's been done. If you have any questions, do feel free to let me know. For now, I remember your mentioning something about visiting Ron?"

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"Hi Colin! Is Ron home?"

"Sure is Ginny. He's up on the roof, reading." Colin motioned to the two women to enter the flat. They did so and he closed the door behind them. "How's Harry?"

Hermione, who appeared slightly confused, chimed in at the sound of her husband's name. "Harry's fine. Got himself into a spot of trouble last week going after Knot, but he managed to come out of it alive."

"Oh, Ronnie told me all about that. Seems silly to me, going after trouble when it's all solved anyway." Hermione looked shocked at her best friend's pet name as the three began to make their way up the staircase on the right side of the living room. On the wall, there were pictures of graduations and parties, all from Colin's camera. One in particular, of the Golden Trio, caught Ginny's eye. They all looked so young, so carefree. It must have been from early second year, before the Chamber of Secrets mess came into light. Ginny shuddered at the memory.

Colin led the ladies onto the roof. There, sitting in a chair clothed in shorts and a Hawaiian shirt, was Ron, reading a book. "There's my book! How long does it take you to read a simple romance novel!? And what are you doing on a roof in January clothed like your on vacation in the Caribbean?!"

"Careful Ginny, don't go all Mother-knows-best on me. You're not a mother and you might sprain something." Ron said over the book, never letting his eye leave the page.

"Com'on Ronnie, you could at least look at your sister when she talks to you!" admonished Colin, slapping Ron's arm playfully.

Hermione had had enough. "Ginny, I need to talk to you for a moment," she said, pulling the younger Weasley back into the flat. "We'll be right back, boys."

Once inside, she closed the door. On the stairway, she began in intense whispered tones: "What the hell is going on here!? My best friend and your brother is gay!? And living with Colin Creevey?!" She sat down, exhausted from frustration.

"Yes. He's been seeing Colin since the summer; he moved in here last week. Harry never told you?"

"Harry can be a bit blind. Are you sure he even knows? Ron never told me, why would Ron have told him?"

"Because Harry and Ron are partners. They have no secrets."

"Ron and I are best friends! You mean he never told me!?"

"You're muggle-born. Magic-folk are more... open about sexuality than muggles are; he was probably worried of how you'd react."

"I'm reacting." She stated flatly. Hermione stopped ranting for a moment to think. "I dated him. He was gay then!?" Hermione held her breath, frightened that Ron had had just been using her.

"He's bi." Hermione sighed heavily. "He really did like you. He never could accept that he liked men until after Auror-training. Intense, draining work made him understand that he needed someone to go to home to. You were taken and no one else seemed appealing. He gave in to his... other side and went for it. I don't know if Colin will work out, but he's helping Ron learn."

Hermione sat down on a stair. She just sat there for a moment, deep in thought and reflection, with Ginny looking on. After a few moments, she spoke. "I could have seen this. I should have seen this. The real question is why didn't I see this."

"You didn't want to."

"I didn't want to." The older woman thought some more. Getting up, "Let's go back up there to the boys."

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When the lovely ladies returned to the roof, Colin had gone over to a propane grill to cook something that smelled from the door like steak. Ron closed the book, pulled on a cloak, and walked over to the ladies. Handing the book to his sister, he said, "I'm done. Lost a bet with Colin. I had to sit up here in that Hawiia-"

Hermione interrupted "Hawaiian"

"Whatever. Shirt and read until you guys got here. Thanks for taking so long," he said with friendly sarcasm.

With that pause, Hermione spoke up. "You never told me about any of this."

"Well, I guess it just never came up..."

"Never came up?! It's been a while!"

"A few months! If you weren't so busy shagging Harry maybe, just maybe, you'd notice things!"

"Don't pull him into this. This is between you and me." Hermione sighed. "Do you not trust me anymore?" the woman was on the verge of tears.

Ron put an arm around her and guided her back inside. Colin and Ginny followed. "I trust you. Really, I do." The man took a deep breath and began. "Back in Hogwarts, I really liked you. I thought we had something that would last forever. But something was missing. We both persevered, but it was no luck. Then, when you got with Harry, I figured it was coming from you. I thought I never had you at all. Then, once I got over you, I started to notice guys. A Ravenclaw a year younger, a guy on a magazine cover. I never accepted it until Auror training taught me how little time we have. I decided I needed a relationship."

"Sometime in my sixth year, I got over Harry." Colin had walked over and taken off where Ron had left off. "Ron was my next victim. I never really expected anything, but then one day out of the blue there's an owl from him asking me to meet him for a muggle movie. Pirates of the Caribbean. Ice Cream afterwards and it all began."

"We've been together since August. I came here last week to save money, and because we were practically living together in two homes." Ron looked finished

But Hermione was far from it, "But still, why didn't you EVER tell me? You're best friend?"

"Please Hermione, let's just put it aside."

Ginny spoke up to put a period on that sentence. "And since this is behind us, let's have an evening of fun." Ginny picked up a bag from the shopping excursion and took a box out of it. "It's a muggle game called Taboo. Who wants to play?"

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Several hours later...

At approximately 12:15, Virginia Weasley returned to her flat. Once again, Neville and Luna were curled up on the couch. Once again, she was exhausted, but this time not from her day job. After a wonderful trip to the muggle malls and Diagon Alley, a fun evening visiting her brother and Colin with Hermione had turned quite tense. It had loosened up after Ron had to make Hermione say "condom" in taboo, but it still was an emotionally taxing day.

After cataloguing the day with all the others in her diary, Ginny Weasley dressed for and climbed into bed.