Left Behind (A Fred & George fanfic)

20. The Tale Of The Three Brothers

Of course she knew she didn't have much of a choice. Now that Ginny had caught her standing in the rain in front of their house – which, she admitted, sounded either really creepy or terribly desperate – she would never let Angelina go without getting a proper explanation. Ginny was a nice person who knew just exactly when someone needed to be left alone with their thoughts, but she was extremely determinate as well, meaning that when she wanted to know or have something, she wouldn't rest – literally – until she knew or had it.

Harry was the living proof of that determination. For years Ginny had loved that boy without getting anything in return, and look where that'd brought her.

Angelina was seated in the kitchen while Ginny prepared her a cup of tea.

“Nuts, I tell you.” Ginny said as she put the cup down in front of Angelina. “Must be my brother's influences. Why else would you stand outside in the rain without any reason?”

She reminded Angelina a bit of Molly, again, though the glance in Ginny's eyes betrayed her, she definitely knew all this wasn't 'without any reason'.

Angelina took a sip from the steaming cup and shivered as she felt the mint-tasting tea down her throat. Maybe she had caught a cold after all. She watched as Ginny sighed deeply and got down to get something black off the floor.

“Harry really needs to clean up his bloody dirty socks.” Ginny said, throwing the socks in the direction of the bathroom. “Cookie?” she added.

Angelina nodded and smiled slightly as she took a biscuit from the colourful jar that stood in the middle of the table. The jar was the kind of orange that hurt your eyes and two shiny “C”'s were pictured on it.

“Chudley Cannons,” Ginny said, “present from Ron, naturally.”

Angelina still hadn't said a word yet, dilemmas really are a pain in the ass. Ginny seemed to have noticed this and sat down opposite Angelina.

“So tell me,” she said. “What is going on?”

Angelina opened and closed her mouth a few times, having no words to begin with.

“Don't tell me it's nothing, 'cause it's as obvious as when Percy tried to keep his relationship with Penelope Clearwater a secret. And, damn, was that obvious back then.”

“George has a secret.” Angelina stated suddenly.

This sudden sort of confession seemed to surprise Ginny and, to be honest, it kind of surprised Angelina as well.

“Secret, as in, secret from you? As his wife?”

Angelina shook her head quickly. The last thing she wanted Ginny to think was that her husband had some secret love affair. “No no! A secret I'm aware of, but...”

“But?” Ginny urged.

“But I'm not supposed to tell anyone.”

“But?”

“But I have to tell someone.” Angelina managed to keep her calm, if only just. She reached for her teacup again, but she accidentally pushed it over, causing the cup to fall to the ground in a million tiny pieces. The tea dripped slowly from the table and made a nasty spot on the floor. It seemed as if not a single thing could go right for Angelina. She began to cry out of pure desperation, all the thoughts and issues troubling her mind.

“Easy, easy!” Ginny soothed her quickly. “Look!” She pointed her wand at the broken cup and mumbled 'Reparo' under her breath. The pieces lifted from the ground and fitted together again like a puzzle. The fixed cup landed on the table again with a light 'thump'.