Harry Potter. Tom Riddle/Ginny Weasley. 028. Children.
Title: Children
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Tom Riddle/Ginny Weasley
Prompt: 028. Children.
Word Count: 540
Rating: G
Summary: My answer to all the Voldemort-looks-into-obtaining-an-heir stories.
Author's Notes: Not my usual style, but I hope you enjoy it nevertheless.
My Little Damn Table can be found here.
"If it was a boy, I would name him Harry. Don't laugh! If it was a girl... Um..."
"Haven't thought that far, have you?"
"...I would name her Harriette."
"I'm not sure whether this counts, but if it was a girl, I would not name her Parvati."
"I can hear you, you know!"
"I have a whole list of names back home. I've even penned down suggestions for my grandchildren's names."
"Oh, you're too much..."
"What about you, Ginny?"
Romilda Vane huddled closer to her, Lisa Turpin shook her shoulder, the Patil twins gripped her arms in laughter and Mandy Brocklehurst plaited her hair, but Ginny might as well have been sitting on her own, in that remote bench currently occupied by Luna. Who said people had to be alone in order to be lonely...?
"Ginny? Anybody home? Ginny!"
"What is it?" the redhead finally snapped, jerking her hair out of Mandy's grasp.
"Haven't you been following the conversation? I asked you what you would name your children," Romilda said.
It was out, then; impossible to ignore, yet impossible to explain to girls like them, waifs like them. What they wanted to hear was as digestible as the first half of a fortune-telling -- you will marry, you will have two children, Arthur and Lily, James and Molly, your life will be long and prosperous...
"I don't know," Ginny replied at length, which was mostly true. "I don't really care," she added, which was less true.
"What is that supposed to mean --"
"Sure you don't --"
"If this is about Michael --"
"You're a horrible liar, Ginny --"
"We won't begrudge you your crush on Harry --"
"Scared of ruining your figure --"
"Whisper it in my ear, I won’t tell --"
"I don't want to have children!"
A moment of silence was required for this confession to sink in, a time-span full of Ginny's heartbeat, the girls' blank looks, Luna's raised head and the tension ballooning like an obscene mushroom.
(I do...)
Which popped.
(I do want to have children...)
And exploded into numerous protests and accusations -- about her being such an actress ("hypocrite", the Greeks called it), about her being traumatised by a child-packed household, about her being traumatised by Tom Riddle, about her being -- which she overlooked, because all of her attention was focused on a point over their heads.
On Luna Lovegood, sitting in that far-off bench, looking at her solemnly, sadly, but not at all spitefully, as they were.
(I do want to have children... but he...)
And she wanted to get away, and she knew they did, too, if only to tell their friends about Ginny Weasley's density, duality, promiscuity, sterility, or what have you.
Maybe she could even spice it up by telling them about the second half of that fortune-telling -- one day you will meet a tall, dark stranger...
(...but he will not want children, not even as heirs, not even as a sequel to his story -- because he never plans on ending it...)
Later, just as the girls were leaving, Luna walked up to Ginny, ignoring their jabs and giggles at her radish-earrings. Her eyes were large and her tone wistful when she said:
"Persephone never had children with Hades, either."
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Tom Riddle/Ginny Weasley
Prompt: 028. Children.
Word Count: 540
Rating: G
Summary: My answer to all the Voldemort-looks-into-obtaining-an-heir stories.
Author's Notes: Not my usual style, but I hope you enjoy it nevertheless.
My Little Damn Table can be found here.
"If it was a boy, I would name him Harry. Don't laugh! If it was a girl... Um..."
"Haven't thought that far, have you?"
"...I would name her Harriette."
"I'm not sure whether this counts, but if it was a girl, I would not name her Parvati."
"I can hear you, you know!"
"I have a whole list of names back home. I've even penned down suggestions for my grandchildren's names."
"Oh, you're too much..."
"What about you, Ginny?"
Romilda Vane huddled closer to her, Lisa Turpin shook her shoulder, the Patil twins gripped her arms in laughter and Mandy Brocklehurst plaited her hair, but Ginny might as well have been sitting on her own, in that remote bench currently occupied by Luna. Who said people had to be alone in order to be lonely...?
"Ginny? Anybody home? Ginny!"
"What is it?" the redhead finally snapped, jerking her hair out of Mandy's grasp.
"Haven't you been following the conversation? I asked you what you would name your children," Romilda said.
It was out, then; impossible to ignore, yet impossible to explain to girls like them, waifs like them. What they wanted to hear was as digestible as the first half of a fortune-telling -- you will marry, you will have two children, Arthur and Lily, James and Molly, your life will be long and prosperous...
"I don't know," Ginny replied at length, which was mostly true. "I don't really care," she added, which was less true.
"What is that supposed to mean --"
"Sure you don't --"
"If this is about Michael --"
"You're a horrible liar, Ginny --"
"We won't begrudge you your crush on Harry --"
"Scared of ruining your figure --"
"Whisper it in my ear, I won’t tell --"
"I don't want to have children!"
A moment of silence was required for this confession to sink in, a time-span full of Ginny's heartbeat, the girls' blank looks, Luna's raised head and the tension ballooning like an obscene mushroom.
(I do...)
Which popped.
(I do want to have children...)
And exploded into numerous protests and accusations -- about her being such an actress ("hypocrite", the Greeks called it), about her being traumatised by a child-packed household, about her being traumatised by Tom Riddle, about her being -- which she overlooked, because all of her attention was focused on a point over their heads.
On Luna Lovegood, sitting in that far-off bench, looking at her solemnly, sadly, but not at all spitefully, as they were.
(I do want to have children... but he...)
And she wanted to get away, and she knew they did, too, if only to tell their friends about Ginny Weasley's density, duality, promiscuity, sterility, or what have you.
Maybe she could even spice it up by telling them about the second half of that fortune-telling -- one day you will meet a tall, dark stranger...
(...but he will not want children, not even as heirs, not even as a sequel to his story -- because he never plans on ending it...)
Later, just as the girls were leaving, Luna walked up to Ginny, ignoring their jabs and giggles at her radish-earrings. Her eyes were large and her tone wistful when she said:
"Persephone never had children with Hades, either."