On Her Own, chapter 3
Rated: PG
Summary: A prequel of sorts to From Across the Great Divide. It is recommended that you read at least through chapter 8 of that fic first. In Ginny's seventh year, she makes a surprising discovery that affects several relationships.
Ginny stifled a yawn, as she read over her parchment one last time. She was a mere five minutes away from completing the most hellish week of her entire life, and she could not wait for it all to be over. That her final N.E.W.T. happened to be in History of Magic was not helping matters, nor was the stifling late-June heat. She was having difficulty staying awake to take the test. It would be a relief for it all to be over, so she could relax a while with the younger students. For first through to sixth year students, end of term exams had been over for almost a week now. For Ginny and her fellow seventh years, the past week had been an endurance test of exams, some written, and some practical, broken up only by bouts of last-minute studying. That the results of these particular exams could determine the outcome of much of the rest of her life only added to the pressure.
Professor Binns finally proclaimed time to be up, and a collective sigh of relief sounded throughout the Great Hall. Ginny turned in her parchment, collected her quills and ink, and went out into the grounds. Ian quickly caught her up, and she shot a questioning look at the bundle he had under his arm. The bundle turned out to be a blanket, which he spread out under a tree. Ginny sank gratefully down on it.
"So, it’s all over with," Ian said, sounding very pleased with himself.
"Yes," Ginny agreed. "It feels wonderful to have nothing to think about for the next while." The sun beat down hotly on her, and her head swam.
"Nothing left but our Apparition test." Ian’s voice sounded far away to her.
Ginny felt her eyes drifting closed. "Yes," she breathed before giving in to the temptation to sleep.
She awoke with a start when she felt a tug on her arm. She looked up to see Ian laughing down at her. From the angle of the sun, she could see she’d been asleep for at least two hours. "I’m sorry, Ian," she said, "I just couldn’t manage to stay awake."
"I’ve just woken up, myself, actually," he answered with a smile.
"And I still feel as if I could sleep for a week."
"I think we’re discovering why the N.E.W.T.s are nastily exhausting. Come on, we can at least make supper before we go back to sleep."
Supper actually sounded like a good idea to Ginny. She suddenly felt as if she hadn’t had a proper meal in a long time. And that much was true. She’d been studying so hard over the past few months that some days she’d skipped meals. As her N.E.W.T.s had approached, she’d lost her appetite altogether.
After dinner, Ginny could do no more than wish Ian a good night and trudge up to bed. She was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.
She woke up the next morning too late for breakfast. It was the day of the leaving feast. The other students would get their exam results today, but she would have to wait another week to find out how well she’d done on her N.E.W.T.s. She remembered the old system, when seventh year students got their results at the same time as the rest of the school, but those days were past.
She’d got twelve O.W.L.s in her fifth year, but she didn’t think she’d done as well this time. She could count on good results in Herbology; she was certain of that. She was also fairly confident of her Potions results. She had improved her standing in that class a great deal over the past year. Defense Against the Dark Arts was another matter. She was sure she’d done well enough, but in her heart, she knew she could have done better. She could have got extra points for producing a Patronus, but she had refused to do it. She’d had to put on a good show of trying in front of Professor McCallum, since she’d been able to do the charm in class, but she didn’t allow herself to concentrate enough to be able to perform the spell. Her professor had given her a searching look, but said no more. Ginny assumed Professor McCallum had attributed her failure to exam nerves. Still, she hoped to have done well enough to get a decent position at the Ministry. With her family connections, it wouldn’t be too hard to get something.
And she wanted to get something, anything really, as soon as possible. Ever since the weekend in Hogsmeade, she’d been dreading returning home. Her mother’s attitude towards her had been rankling, and she’d been receiving weekly owls that never once failed to mention what a lovely boy Ian was and that she should be sure to invite him to stay for part of the summer, so the family could get to know him better. But worst of all was the unsolicited advice. Her mother seemed to think that Ginny didn’t know how to hang onto her boyfriend, now that she had him.
The problem with that was, Ginny was no longer sure she wanted to hang onto him. Not that anything was wrong with him, not that she even disliked him. She just knew now that she’d never be in love with him. So far, though, she’d said nothing to anyone about these feelings. She’d only just recently admitted them to herself.
She got out of bed with a sigh. She took a quick shower, dressed and began packing her trunk for the last time. The other seventh year girls had obviously recovered from taking their N.E.W.T.s more rapidly than Ginny had, for the dormitory was deserted except for her. None of them seemed to have begun packing their things, and Ginny imagined the scene of last minute panic that was likely to take place later this afternoon. She was better off getting this over with now, so she’d be out of their way.
As she placed her books in the trunk one by one, she felt a wave of nostalgia wash over her. After tomorrow, she wouldn’t be coming back here. When she’d first set foot in this room, almost seven years ago, everything had been so new and frightening to her. Now the room had a comfortable familiarity to it. This place seemed to belong to her now, more so than her own bedroom at home. She impatiently pushed this train of thought from her mind and finished packing.
After lunch, she pointedly avoided going back up to her dorm. Instead, she managed to slip out of the castle unnoticed, and soon found herself walking almost unconsciously towards Hogsmeade. This would likely be her last chance to have a look at "her" cottage. Ever since she’d learned it was unoccupied, she’d wondered about who owned it, but she’d felt foolish about making any sort of inquiries about it. It wasn’t as if she would ever live there.
Ginny walked slowly through the village, enjoying the warm afternoon. The cottage, she saw on her arrival, looked much the same as it always had. From the front, the neglect was more difficult to notice. There wasn’t much in the way of flower borders to be seen from the road. She sighed wistfully to herself as she thought of the condition the back garden must be in. She could well imagine overcrowded flower beds choked with weeds.
"Hello"
A man’s voice startled Ginny. Turning around, she saw a tiny man in a violet top hat. He wasn’t quite as small as Professor Flitwick, but he came close. He looked pleasant enough, so she returned his greeting with a slight smile.
"My name is Dedalus Diggle," said the small man. "And who might you be?"
"Ginny Weasley."
"You don’t look old enough to be out of school, yet, my dear. But I’m terrible at judging ages. When you’re as old as I am, everyone looks young."
Normally Ginny would have resented this man’s remarks about her age, but there was something rather endearing about him that made her abandon any negative feelings towards him. Instead, she laughed.
"Actually, I’ve just finished my seventh year at Hogwarts. I’m leaving school for the last time tomorrow. I just wanted to come have a last look around…" She trailed off. She didn’t want to have to explain about this house. She wasn’t sure she understood her attachment to it herself.
Dedalus Diggle smiled. "It’s a nice little place, isn’t it?"
Ginny was shocked. How could he have known? "Yes, I suppose it is. I’ve always liked it. Pity no one lives here."
"This house used to belong to my sister. She kept it up very nicely until she passed on a few years ago. Then it fell to me to look after it. But I live away in Kent. Too far to come to look after it properly at my age. I’ve been looking for a tenant, but no one I’ve met so far seemed to do. I don’t want to rent out the place to just anyone. I want someone who will appreciate it."
Ginny couldn’t believe her ears. This man was telling her the cottage, her cottage, was for rent… if he approved of her. There was also the minor matter of her not having a job yet, but suddenly she felt she had something to look forward to. She only had to convince him she was the tenant he was looking for.
Diggle was looking at her with piercing blue eyes that seemed to see into her soul, but the idea was, oddly enough, not a disconcerting one. She felt she had nothing to hide. Returning his gaze steadily, she gathered her courage and replied, "if this were my house, I know just what I’d do with it." And she told him of all the plans she had daydreamed about during Herbology class. Her enthusiasm must have been apparent to Diggle, because he was soon smiling and nodding at her descriptions of the back garden as she envisioned it.
"Yes," he said, when she finally paused, "you’re a girl after my sister’s own heart. She loved this place and she loved to garden. She wasn’t able to keep it up in the end, and it’s not as nice as it used to be, but you’re just the sort of tenant I was looking for. Someone who would restore it to its former glory."
Ginny swallowed. She had to be perfectly honest with him. "There’s a bit of a problem. You see, I’ve just now finished school. I haven’t even got my N.E.W.T. results yet. I don’t know what sort of job I’ll be able to get. And my family doesn’t have much money…"
Diggle only smiled. "When you’ve found yourself a job, send me an owl. I doubt I’ll find anyone better suited to live here in the mean time." He held out his hand and Ginny shook it, feeling strangely grown up all of a sudden. Then, Diggle gave her a final wave and Disapparated before her eyes. Ginny stood there a while longer, almost in a daze. Upon reflection, she realised that this had been an odd chance indeed, but she also felt elated. She’d never imagined she’d be able to actually call this cottage home, but if she could get a job as soon as possible, it looked as though she could do just that.
**
Ginny and her friends had managed to find a compartment to themselves for their last journey on the Hogwarts Express, but at the moment, her friends had decided to make the rounds of the other compartments one last time. She would have gladly gone with them, but Ian had held her back. He thought they could make better use of some time alone together. Ginny would rather have avoided the situation if she could, but she couldn’t think of a good excuse, and her friends had taken Ian’s hints readily enough.
Once they were alone, Ian leaned in to kiss her, but she pushed him away. "What’s got into you?" he asked in a frustrated tone. "Who knows when we’re going to get another chance to see each other this summer?"
Ginny had been dreading this. Since yesterday, she’d felt as if something was building up in her, something that she wouldn’t be able to hold inside. This was hardly an ideal time, but then again, when would be an ideal time? No, it was best to get this over with. She took a deep breath and said, "That’s just it, Ian. I don’t think we should plan on seeing each other any more."
Ian looked as if he’d been blind-sided. "What?"
"I think we should break up."
"Why?" She seemed to have reduced him to monosyllabic responses.
"Well," she began. This was going to be difficult to explain. "I just don’t see this relationship going anywhere. It was fine for the time we were in school together, but now we’re about to go our separate ways. Start new lives as adults."
"But why does that mean we have to break up?"
"Because we’ve got enough other things to think about. I do, anyway. I want to get a job and leave home. If everything works out, I’ve got myself a place to stay. I’m ready to move on with my life."
Ian looked interested at this prospect. "You’re moving out of your parents’ and into your own place? But then…
Ginny cut him off. She could immediately see where his thoughts were heading. "I’m moving out so I can have my own life. I’m not ready to share that with anyone just now."
"Who says I have to move in with you?" he asked in a tone that was too suggestive to Ginny’s mind. "I could just come and visit…"
"No! Don’t you get it? I’m trying to break up with you, not ask you if you want to come over and shag me!" Ian definitely looked disappointed now. "Look, Ian, I’m sorry, but I’m not in love with you. I don’t think I ever will be. It wouldn’t be fair of me to let you think otherwise, would it?" He shook his head, but his facial expression was set and stubborn. "If I’m not completely mistaken, you’re not in love with me, either, are you?"
"I dunno," he said sullenly.
"So why drag this out? Neither of us will ever get anywhere with this. Listen, I don’t hold anything against you. There’s no reason we can’t remain friends. I just can’t keep pretending I have a romantic attachment to you, when there is none and never will be."
Ian looked away from her at this. After a moment, he looked back at her. His eyes were smouldering, but he didn’t raise his voice when he finally spoke. "I suppose that’s all there is to say then." And with that he got up and left the compartment, slamming the door behind him.
Ginny felt rather stunned, but at the same time, she felt oddly relieved. She knew it was for the best. In any case, she was not left alone to brood over the future for long, because her friend, Pauline, soon burst into the compartment, brimming with gossip.
"You’ll never guess what I just heard!" she announced without preamble. "Jude got a failing mark on her Potions N.E.W.T. for cheating!" Jude was one of Simone’s insufferable friends. Their gang of Slytherin girls had done their utmost to make life miserable for the Gryffindor girls in for the past seven years.
"How do you know that, when we don’t even get our results for a week?"
"Well, she was caught cheating, wasn’t she? The obvious thing would be to fail her." Inwardly, Ginny felt a smug sense of satisfaction, but it must not have shown, for Pauline said, "what’s the matter, Gin? I thought you’d be happy to hear about Jude."
"Oh, I am, Pauline. But I just broke up with Ian."
Pauline looked around, seeming to notice for the first time that Ian was no longer in the compartment. "Oh, Gin, I’m sorry."
"No, don’t be. It’s for the best, really."
"Your mum won’t be too happy about it…"
Ginny’s stomach turned over. Pauline had a point. Her mother adored Ian, now that she’d met him. "God, I’ll be hearing about this for the rest of the summer," she moaned to Pauline. "I’m going to have to move out as soon as I can."
When the Hogwarts Express finally pulled into King’s Cross Station, Ginny was dreading going back home more than ever. She gathered her things together as slowly as she could, trying to put off the inevitable. It hadn’t occurred to her that Ian had left his trunk in her compartment until he came in to fetch it. They stared at each other uncomfortably for a moment, and then each took care of their own luggage and disembarked from the train together.
Ginny’s parents were waiting on the platform. Her mother hailed both her and Ian over. "Hello," she said brightly to both of them, giving Ginny a hug. "Did you have a good final term? Ian, dear," she continued, not pausing for an answer, "you’ll have to come visit us soon. We’ll be expecting an owl from you."
Ginny felt her face heat up. Ian, to his credit, smiled politely, and shook her mother’s hand, while mumbling some appropriate reply. Then he moved off to meet up with his own family.
"Ginny," her mother admonished, "aren’t you going to go over and say hello to his parents?"
"No, Mum," Ginny replied, "I’m not. I broke up with him on the train."
Her mother gaped at her for a moment. "What happened?"
"I don’t think this is a good place to discuss it, Mum." They were, after all, in the middle of a crowded train station.
Ginny noticed Simone’s Slytherin gang sending speculative glances in her direction. Gossip, it seemed, had circulated in both directions. It didn’t matter, Ginny told herself, she’d never have to see any of them again. She said a few final goodbyes to her school friends with promises to send regular owls, and then it was time for the journey to Ottery St. Catchpole. Passing through the barrier into the Muggle part of King’s Cross, she thought that the trip home was going to be a long one, indeed.
On to chapter 4
Summary: A prequel of sorts to From Across the Great Divide. It is recommended that you read at least through chapter 8 of that fic first. In Ginny's seventh year, she makes a surprising discovery that affects several relationships.
Ginny stifled a yawn, as she read over her parchment one last time. She was a mere five minutes away from completing the most hellish week of her entire life, and she could not wait for it all to be over. That her final N.E.W.T. happened to be in History of Magic was not helping matters, nor was the stifling late-June heat. She was having difficulty staying awake to take the test. It would be a relief for it all to be over, so she could relax a while with the younger students. For first through to sixth year students, end of term exams had been over for almost a week now. For Ginny and her fellow seventh years, the past week had been an endurance test of exams, some written, and some practical, broken up only by bouts of last-minute studying. That the results of these particular exams could determine the outcome of much of the rest of her life only added to the pressure.
Professor Binns finally proclaimed time to be up, and a collective sigh of relief sounded throughout the Great Hall. Ginny turned in her parchment, collected her quills and ink, and went out into the grounds. Ian quickly caught her up, and she shot a questioning look at the bundle he had under his arm. The bundle turned out to be a blanket, which he spread out under a tree. Ginny sank gratefully down on it.
"So, it’s all over with," Ian said, sounding very pleased with himself.
"Yes," Ginny agreed. "It feels wonderful to have nothing to think about for the next while." The sun beat down hotly on her, and her head swam.
"Nothing left but our Apparition test." Ian’s voice sounded far away to her.
Ginny felt her eyes drifting closed. "Yes," she breathed before giving in to the temptation to sleep.
She awoke with a start when she felt a tug on her arm. She looked up to see Ian laughing down at her. From the angle of the sun, she could see she’d been asleep for at least two hours. "I’m sorry, Ian," she said, "I just couldn’t manage to stay awake."
"I’ve just woken up, myself, actually," he answered with a smile.
"And I still feel as if I could sleep for a week."
"I think we’re discovering why the N.E.W.T.s are nastily exhausting. Come on, we can at least make supper before we go back to sleep."
Supper actually sounded like a good idea to Ginny. She suddenly felt as if she hadn’t had a proper meal in a long time. And that much was true. She’d been studying so hard over the past few months that some days she’d skipped meals. As her N.E.W.T.s had approached, she’d lost her appetite altogether.
After dinner, Ginny could do no more than wish Ian a good night and trudge up to bed. She was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.
She woke up the next morning too late for breakfast. It was the day of the leaving feast. The other students would get their exam results today, but she would have to wait another week to find out how well she’d done on her N.E.W.T.s. She remembered the old system, when seventh year students got their results at the same time as the rest of the school, but those days were past.
She’d got twelve O.W.L.s in her fifth year, but she didn’t think she’d done as well this time. She could count on good results in Herbology; she was certain of that. She was also fairly confident of her Potions results. She had improved her standing in that class a great deal over the past year. Defense Against the Dark Arts was another matter. She was sure she’d done well enough, but in her heart, she knew she could have done better. She could have got extra points for producing a Patronus, but she had refused to do it. She’d had to put on a good show of trying in front of Professor McCallum, since she’d been able to do the charm in class, but she didn’t allow herself to concentrate enough to be able to perform the spell. Her professor had given her a searching look, but said no more. Ginny assumed Professor McCallum had attributed her failure to exam nerves. Still, she hoped to have done well enough to get a decent position at the Ministry. With her family connections, it wouldn’t be too hard to get something.
And she wanted to get something, anything really, as soon as possible. Ever since the weekend in Hogsmeade, she’d been dreading returning home. Her mother’s attitude towards her had been rankling, and she’d been receiving weekly owls that never once failed to mention what a lovely boy Ian was and that she should be sure to invite him to stay for part of the summer, so the family could get to know him better. But worst of all was the unsolicited advice. Her mother seemed to think that Ginny didn’t know how to hang onto her boyfriend, now that she had him.
The problem with that was, Ginny was no longer sure she wanted to hang onto him. Not that anything was wrong with him, not that she even disliked him. She just knew now that she’d never be in love with him. So far, though, she’d said nothing to anyone about these feelings. She’d only just recently admitted them to herself.
She got out of bed with a sigh. She took a quick shower, dressed and began packing her trunk for the last time. The other seventh year girls had obviously recovered from taking their N.E.W.T.s more rapidly than Ginny had, for the dormitory was deserted except for her. None of them seemed to have begun packing their things, and Ginny imagined the scene of last minute panic that was likely to take place later this afternoon. She was better off getting this over with now, so she’d be out of their way.
As she placed her books in the trunk one by one, she felt a wave of nostalgia wash over her. After tomorrow, she wouldn’t be coming back here. When she’d first set foot in this room, almost seven years ago, everything had been so new and frightening to her. Now the room had a comfortable familiarity to it. This place seemed to belong to her now, more so than her own bedroom at home. She impatiently pushed this train of thought from her mind and finished packing.
After lunch, she pointedly avoided going back up to her dorm. Instead, she managed to slip out of the castle unnoticed, and soon found herself walking almost unconsciously towards Hogsmeade. This would likely be her last chance to have a look at "her" cottage. Ever since she’d learned it was unoccupied, she’d wondered about who owned it, but she’d felt foolish about making any sort of inquiries about it. It wasn’t as if she would ever live there.
Ginny walked slowly through the village, enjoying the warm afternoon. The cottage, she saw on her arrival, looked much the same as it always had. From the front, the neglect was more difficult to notice. There wasn’t much in the way of flower borders to be seen from the road. She sighed wistfully to herself as she thought of the condition the back garden must be in. She could well imagine overcrowded flower beds choked with weeds.
"Hello"
A man’s voice startled Ginny. Turning around, she saw a tiny man in a violet top hat. He wasn’t quite as small as Professor Flitwick, but he came close. He looked pleasant enough, so she returned his greeting with a slight smile.
"My name is Dedalus Diggle," said the small man. "And who might you be?"
"Ginny Weasley."
"You don’t look old enough to be out of school, yet, my dear. But I’m terrible at judging ages. When you’re as old as I am, everyone looks young."
Normally Ginny would have resented this man’s remarks about her age, but there was something rather endearing about him that made her abandon any negative feelings towards him. Instead, she laughed.
"Actually, I’ve just finished my seventh year at Hogwarts. I’m leaving school for the last time tomorrow. I just wanted to come have a last look around…" She trailed off. She didn’t want to have to explain about this house. She wasn’t sure she understood her attachment to it herself.
Dedalus Diggle smiled. "It’s a nice little place, isn’t it?"
Ginny was shocked. How could he have known? "Yes, I suppose it is. I’ve always liked it. Pity no one lives here."
"This house used to belong to my sister. She kept it up very nicely until she passed on a few years ago. Then it fell to me to look after it. But I live away in Kent. Too far to come to look after it properly at my age. I’ve been looking for a tenant, but no one I’ve met so far seemed to do. I don’t want to rent out the place to just anyone. I want someone who will appreciate it."
Ginny couldn’t believe her ears. This man was telling her the cottage, her cottage, was for rent… if he approved of her. There was also the minor matter of her not having a job yet, but suddenly she felt she had something to look forward to. She only had to convince him she was the tenant he was looking for.
Diggle was looking at her with piercing blue eyes that seemed to see into her soul, but the idea was, oddly enough, not a disconcerting one. She felt she had nothing to hide. Returning his gaze steadily, she gathered her courage and replied, "if this were my house, I know just what I’d do with it." And she told him of all the plans she had daydreamed about during Herbology class. Her enthusiasm must have been apparent to Diggle, because he was soon smiling and nodding at her descriptions of the back garden as she envisioned it.
"Yes," he said, when she finally paused, "you’re a girl after my sister’s own heart. She loved this place and she loved to garden. She wasn’t able to keep it up in the end, and it’s not as nice as it used to be, but you’re just the sort of tenant I was looking for. Someone who would restore it to its former glory."
Ginny swallowed. She had to be perfectly honest with him. "There’s a bit of a problem. You see, I’ve just now finished school. I haven’t even got my N.E.W.T. results yet. I don’t know what sort of job I’ll be able to get. And my family doesn’t have much money…"
Diggle only smiled. "When you’ve found yourself a job, send me an owl. I doubt I’ll find anyone better suited to live here in the mean time." He held out his hand and Ginny shook it, feeling strangely grown up all of a sudden. Then, Diggle gave her a final wave and Disapparated before her eyes. Ginny stood there a while longer, almost in a daze. Upon reflection, she realised that this had been an odd chance indeed, but she also felt elated. She’d never imagined she’d be able to actually call this cottage home, but if she could get a job as soon as possible, it looked as though she could do just that.
**
Ginny and her friends had managed to find a compartment to themselves for their last journey on the Hogwarts Express, but at the moment, her friends had decided to make the rounds of the other compartments one last time. She would have gladly gone with them, but Ian had held her back. He thought they could make better use of some time alone together. Ginny would rather have avoided the situation if she could, but she couldn’t think of a good excuse, and her friends had taken Ian’s hints readily enough.
Once they were alone, Ian leaned in to kiss her, but she pushed him away. "What’s got into you?" he asked in a frustrated tone. "Who knows when we’re going to get another chance to see each other this summer?"
Ginny had been dreading this. Since yesterday, she’d felt as if something was building up in her, something that she wouldn’t be able to hold inside. This was hardly an ideal time, but then again, when would be an ideal time? No, it was best to get this over with. She took a deep breath and said, "That’s just it, Ian. I don’t think we should plan on seeing each other any more."
Ian looked as if he’d been blind-sided. "What?"
"I think we should break up."
"Why?" She seemed to have reduced him to monosyllabic responses.
"Well," she began. This was going to be difficult to explain. "I just don’t see this relationship going anywhere. It was fine for the time we were in school together, but now we’re about to go our separate ways. Start new lives as adults."
"But why does that mean we have to break up?"
"Because we’ve got enough other things to think about. I do, anyway. I want to get a job and leave home. If everything works out, I’ve got myself a place to stay. I’m ready to move on with my life."
Ian looked interested at this prospect. "You’re moving out of your parents’ and into your own place? But then…
Ginny cut him off. She could immediately see where his thoughts were heading. "I’m moving out so I can have my own life. I’m not ready to share that with anyone just now."
"Who says I have to move in with you?" he asked in a tone that was too suggestive to Ginny’s mind. "I could just come and visit…"
"No! Don’t you get it? I’m trying to break up with you, not ask you if you want to come over and shag me!" Ian definitely looked disappointed now. "Look, Ian, I’m sorry, but I’m not in love with you. I don’t think I ever will be. It wouldn’t be fair of me to let you think otherwise, would it?" He shook his head, but his facial expression was set and stubborn. "If I’m not completely mistaken, you’re not in love with me, either, are you?"
"I dunno," he said sullenly.
"So why drag this out? Neither of us will ever get anywhere with this. Listen, I don’t hold anything against you. There’s no reason we can’t remain friends. I just can’t keep pretending I have a romantic attachment to you, when there is none and never will be."
Ian looked away from her at this. After a moment, he looked back at her. His eyes were smouldering, but he didn’t raise his voice when he finally spoke. "I suppose that’s all there is to say then." And with that he got up and left the compartment, slamming the door behind him.
Ginny felt rather stunned, but at the same time, she felt oddly relieved. She knew it was for the best. In any case, she was not left alone to brood over the future for long, because her friend, Pauline, soon burst into the compartment, brimming with gossip.
"You’ll never guess what I just heard!" she announced without preamble. "Jude got a failing mark on her Potions N.E.W.T. for cheating!" Jude was one of Simone’s insufferable friends. Their gang of Slytherin girls had done their utmost to make life miserable for the Gryffindor girls in for the past seven years.
"How do you know that, when we don’t even get our results for a week?"
"Well, she was caught cheating, wasn’t she? The obvious thing would be to fail her." Inwardly, Ginny felt a smug sense of satisfaction, but it must not have shown, for Pauline said, "what’s the matter, Gin? I thought you’d be happy to hear about Jude."
"Oh, I am, Pauline. But I just broke up with Ian."
Pauline looked around, seeming to notice for the first time that Ian was no longer in the compartment. "Oh, Gin, I’m sorry."
"No, don’t be. It’s for the best, really."
"Your mum won’t be too happy about it…"
Ginny’s stomach turned over. Pauline had a point. Her mother adored Ian, now that she’d met him. "God, I’ll be hearing about this for the rest of the summer," she moaned to Pauline. "I’m going to have to move out as soon as I can."
When the Hogwarts Express finally pulled into King’s Cross Station, Ginny was dreading going back home more than ever. She gathered her things together as slowly as she could, trying to put off the inevitable. It hadn’t occurred to her that Ian had left his trunk in her compartment until he came in to fetch it. They stared at each other uncomfortably for a moment, and then each took care of their own luggage and disembarked from the train together.
Ginny’s parents were waiting on the platform. Her mother hailed both her and Ian over. "Hello," she said brightly to both of them, giving Ginny a hug. "Did you have a good final term? Ian, dear," she continued, not pausing for an answer, "you’ll have to come visit us soon. We’ll be expecting an owl from you."
Ginny felt her face heat up. Ian, to his credit, smiled politely, and shook her mother’s hand, while mumbling some appropriate reply. Then he moved off to meet up with his own family.
"Ginny," her mother admonished, "aren’t you going to go over and say hello to his parents?"
"No, Mum," Ginny replied, "I’m not. I broke up with him on the train."
Her mother gaped at her for a moment. "What happened?"
"I don’t think this is a good place to discuss it, Mum." They were, after all, in the middle of a crowded train station.
Ginny noticed Simone’s Slytherin gang sending speculative glances in her direction. Gossip, it seemed, had circulated in both directions. It didn’t matter, Ginny told herself, she’d never have to see any of them again. She said a few final goodbyes to her school friends with promises to send regular owls, and then it was time for the journey to Ottery St. Catchpole. Passing through the barrier into the Muggle part of King’s Cross, she thought that the trip home was going to be a long one, indeed.
On to chapter 4