"Ginny? Are you sure about this?" asked Harry anxiously, holding her arms.
"I'm completely sure, Harry. If we do this, we can show them that we don't care what they think, that we can be together if we want..."
"Or it could give them an opportunity to slur us..." said Harry, threading his fingers through her auburn hair.
"I would like nothing more than for them to do that. It'll give me an excuse to fight back..."
"Ginny..." he urged, putting a hand on her cheek. "We don't have to go through with this. We can go down to that Muggle Cafe we like, and have something to eat there instead..."
"No, Harry..." she said, firmly. "This is important. If they're ever going to accept us, we have to do this..."
Harry sighed.
"Will Hermione be there? It would be good to have at least someone not against us tonight..."
"Yeah, she'll be there. I asked her to sit next to you."
"Thanks, Gin..." he said, kissing her.
They sat down on her bed together, waiting for eight o'clock to come, when they would descend to the dining room to face the family that had turned hostile towards them. Harry did not understand why this had happened, because Ginny's family had always been so kind to him. In fact, he often considered them as his real family. But now, they hated him, all because he was going out with Ginny, their only daughter.
His own best friend, Ron, had turned on him when he had declared that he was going out with Ginny again. Ron seemed relatively fine with it back in sixth year, but now he reviled the fact that his 'baby' sister was going out with his best friend.
The only Weasley that wasn't hostile was Bill, who loved Ginny perhaps more than any of her other brothers. Bill was always fond of her because he saw a reflection of him in her eyes, and Harry had the impression that Bill knew that Harry truly loved Ginny.
But the other Weasley's didn't find this so apparent. Ginny had theorized that the only reason why her mum invited them both to dinner was to try and split them up. Harry was adamant that he would always stay with Ginny, but the Weasley's were obstinate that this would not happen.
Harry knew that Ginny was sick of her family, and that she wanted to move out of the Burrow and start a life with him, but Harry wouldn't be able to live with himself if he had allowed his girlfriend to become separated from her family, no matter how unkind they were being. Harry, too, felt that he just couldn't leave her family. He loved all of them, but he just wished they would understand that he loved Ginny, and that would never change.
Seven fifty-five. The couple looked at each other, Ginny quickly squeezing his hand.
"It'll be okay...don't worry..." said Ginny.
He sighed, and said "Let's get this over with..."
As much as he was eager to relieve the hollow tension that had formed, he did not want to eat dinner with the Weasley's...he felt anxious that something catastrophic would occur, making Ginny want to leave this place for good...how could something catastrophic not occur in a house full of Weasley's?
They left her room, entering the stairway outside. The sumptuous smell of roast chicken and potatoes wafted throughout the house, relieving a little bit of Harry's anxiety. Molly may have changed into a more belligerent and forceful person over the last couple of days, but her cooking, by the smell of it, remained beautifully intact.
On the way down the stairs, Harry had to repeatedly remind himself that he was not about to enjoy a happy, carefree dinner with the Weasley's. He kept on imagining the old times, when they had joked over dinner, when Fred and George teased Ron, when everyone had been that much kinder. Those times, evidently, were over, but Harry still hoped that, somehow, he could experience that happiness again.
Whether or not that would happen would be determined that night.
When Harry and Ginny entered the dining room, they were glad to say that only Hermione was seated. She smiled empathetically as they approached, Harry weakly returning her smile.
"Hey, Hermione..." said Ginny. "Where are – er – the rest of them?"
"I think they're all up in Ron's bedroom..." she said.
"What on Earth are they doing up there?" asked Ginny suspiciously.
"Do you get the impression that they're devising a plan?" said Harry, sitting down on the left of Hermione. Ginny sat down on his other side.
"I wouldn't put it past them..." said Hermione, putting her hand on Harry's shoulder. "Maybe you shouldn't do this, they could do a lot of damage to you, both physically and emotionally..."
Harry stayed quiet, fiddling with his cutlery. The strident sounds of Mrs Weasley working in the nearby kitchen filled the silent room, whilst the ominous creaks from upstairs symbolised that it was almost time to face the music.
"Too late now..." said Harry. "We're gonna have to get through this, Hermione..."
"I'm sorry, Harry. I'm sorry for everything they've done..." implored Hermione, her eyes suddenly filled with tears.
"It's not your fault, Hermione..." said Ginny, gently. "Weasley men are just...difficult..."
"Tell me about it..." whispered Hermione, and Harry and Ginny laughed.
"Dinner is ready!" came the voice of Mrs Weasley from the kitchen door. Her face pursed slightly when she noticed that only three people were seated.
"Hermione, dear...do you know where everyone else is?" asked Mrs Weasley pointedly, determinedly not looking at either Harry or Ginny.
"Um...Ron, and that lot are just getting ready. I believe Arthur is just feeding the chickens..." said Hermione quietly, not looking Mrs Weasley directly in the eye.
"Ah, yes, so he is!" said Mrs Weasley, looking through the dining room window. The vague figure of Mr Weasley was apparent even in the serene colours of summer twilight. "Well, I'd better go and get him..."
She left, and, at that exact moment, the rest of the Weasley's arrived from upstairs. Percy, Ron, George, Charlie and Bill came through, almost instantly casting unkind looks towards Harry (with the exception of Bill, who instead gave his brothers a disgusted look, before seating himself next to Ginny).
"How are you, Gin?" asked Bill, as the rest of her brothers sat themselves down.
"Good...well, as good as you can get in this family..." said Ginny quietly.
"Don't worry about it, Gin. If things get bad, you'll have me, Harry and Hermione to help you..."
"Thanks, Bill. Why can't the rest of them be like you?"
"They will be, eventually. It's just a matter of maturation..."
Ron sat down opposite Harry, briefly looking at Hermione for where she was sitting, before hastily striking up conversation with George.
Mrs Weasley then returned with her husband.
"Ah! You're all here, excellent. I'll just fetch the chicken...Accio Chicken!" said Mrs Weasley, and nine plates soared through the kitchen door, landing presently and neatly on the table. She and her husband then sat down at the end of the table, a tense silence descending upon the occupants of the room.
Hermione coughed, pointedly picking up her cutlery, hoping that everyone else would follow suit. However, the Weasley brothers were too busy glaring at Harry to give any notice to the social etiquette of fellow diners.
Harry felt himself go red, feeling as if he was an attraction at a sideshow, but one that people wanted to kill and not enjoy. He tried to distract himself from the perceptive glare of Ginny's brothers by cutting into his chicken, and, for some inexplicable reason, they began to eat too. Their eyes, however, flashed quickly between their food, and Harry. Harry was under the impression that they were expecting him to say something, but he was quite determined not to start a conversation. It would only give them the opportunity for a predetermined argument.
"So...nice weather we've been having..." said Ron slowly. Harry noticed that he was cutting his chicken with unneeded force and venom.
"Divine, Ron..." said Bill. "Interesting to see that you haven't been out in the sun much, though..."
"I've been...studying, and all that..." said Ron defensively.
"Studying what? I was under the impression that you were not returning for your seventh year..."
"Well, I have to catch up with what I've missed..."
"You said you were going to blow the whole summer off..." said Hermione suspiciously.
"Things change..."
"Ron's been especially helpful to us...with the company, and all that. We made some business schemes and stuff..." said George.
"I bet you did a lot of planning..." said Ginny harshly.
"Yes, we have..." said George, pronouncing each of his words firmly. He glared at Harry briefly, before reengaging his chicken.
"Are you sure this planning is needed?" asked Ginny.
"It's rather essential...it's to make sure certain aspects of our business don't converge..."
"Well, maybe you should consider that when things converge, they can be for the better..." said Ginny.
"But often, they lead to worse consequences like disagreements and separations... said George.
"But they can open up new prospects and they often go hand-in-hand..." said Ginny.
"But they can sometimes collapse and cause whole businesses to break apart..."
"What the hell are you two talking about?" asked Mr Weasley. "George. Ginny. No business talk at the table! It's not happy talk!"
"Yes...it's a most distasteful thing to talk about..." said George.
"You actually agree with me? That's a first..." said Mr Weasley. His wife let out a anxious giggle.
"Indeed. Most times you can't a single fact through his head..." said Ginny.
"Well, I have a greater sense of judgement when it comes to making important decisions..."
"Your 'sense of judgement' can't even help you choose between a Pumpkin Pie and a Treacle Tart..." said Ginny.
"At least my sense of judgement can help me choose between what is right and what is wrong..."
"Oh shut the hell up..." said Bill. "Just eat, all right?"
"Fine, fine..." said George.
"You too..." said Bill to Ginny. She raised her eyebrows. "Don't set him off..." he warned in a whisper.
"Too late..." she murmured back, causing Bill to roll his eyes.
They ate in silence for a few minutes, the air as thick as Hogwarts custard. She looked to her side, and saw Harry looking down at his plate, slowly eating his food, seemingly unable to meet the glare of her brothers. All four of them were observing him in contemplative, yet irate, silence. Mr and Mrs Weasley watched, their eyes flicking between their children and their guests, wondering what on earth was going to happen.
"Harry..." said George suddenly.
Harry swallowed. This was it. The argument was about to begin, he just knew it...
"Do you want to play Quidditch tomorrow?"
He had never been more surprised in his life.
"Um...possibly...what's the occasion?" said Harry slowly, not knowing whether to be happy or suspicious.
"Oh, no occasion..." said Ron. Harry suddenly become anxious at the fact Ron was joining into this abrupt act of strange kindness from the people who had been nothing short of horrible to him over the past few weeks.
"We just thought you'd like to play a little bit of Quidditch..." said Charlie.
"And that would give you the perfect opportunity to be alone with him..." said Ginny callously. So this was their game...well, she wouldn't let them have their shot...
Ron, George and Charlie fell silent, giving Ginny odd looks.
"Do you want to join us, then?" asked Charlie, forcing an innocent tone.
"That's the last bloody thing I'd want to do..." said Ginny, throwing her knife and fork onto her plate.
"Now, Ginny, I'm sure it'll give you an excellent opportunity to have some...important conversations with your brothers..." said Mrs Weasley.
"We're having a conversation here, mum, and, to be honest, I don't see it going very well. Therefore, I wouldn't call it an 'excellent opportunity'..."
"Don't join us, then..." said Ron. "Harry, you'll come, right?"
"I...um..." said Harry, turning helplessly towards Ginny. He was confused; how could they have been so callous, but now so apparently kind?
Ginny gave him a tiny gesture, a gesticulation that no one else would notice, one which Harry understood immediately.
"No...Ron..." he said, defiantly.
"No?"
"No. Me and Ginny want to spend the day together down by the river..." he said, remembering that he and Ginny had the intention of doing that sometime in the holidays.
"You and Ginny are always bloody together!" said George, no longer masquerading his unexpected sense of kindness.
"Well, we're kind of going out..." said Harry defensively.
"And don't we know it!" said Ron. "You've made it practically nationwide news!"
"I didn't make it news! The damn Prophet made it news!" said Harry.
"And they just so happened to get those images?" shouted George.
"We didn't know he was a undercover journalist! We thought he was just there to photograph the scenery!"
"So you don't notice a man taking pictures of you?"
"We didn't see him take any of us!" said Harry.
"Not very alert when it comes to you and my sister, then!" spat George.
"I knew that this would crop up this evening. I knew this was a fucking opportunity to question my relationship with Ginny!" shouted Harry, standing up.
"Of course we're questioning it, and we've good fucking reasons to question it! You clearly don't look out for her, and, to be honest, you are putting her in a lot of danger!"
"Danger? What bloody danger is there?"
"Not all Death Eaters were caught after the Battle, Harry, as I'm sure you know! Do you think they're just gonna fade away! Look at the Referovox! Don't you think they'd want to kill the one person who killed their once leader? Of course they will, and they would use people close to him so as to get to him, namely Ginny..."
"We have constant protection! Charms, energy spells, border defences, everything!"
"Oh yes, I'm sure you'll have all those down by the riverside!"
"Be that as it may, I would never let anyone or anything hurt her!"
"You're not doing a very good job at it!"
"How dare you question Harry like that!" shouted Ginny, also standing up and drawing her wand.
"I have a right to question! We have rights and reasons!"
"You're reasons are bullshit, and you've never heard any right to interfere in my relationships!"
"We've always had that right, Ginny, and, gladly, we do have it! You don't seem to realise the importance of finding a proper boyfriend, you just seem to find the prospect of jumping into any boy's lap admirable..."
"Harry is a proper boyfriend, and, for you information, I've only ever had three boyfriends! You seem to be under the pretence that I've been going out with half of Hogwarts!"
"I wouldn't be surprised!"
Ginny pushed her plate away from her, sparks emanating from the tip of her wand.
"That's it! I've had enough of this family! I'm leaving, with Harry!" she shouted.
This, unlike anything else, shut up her brothers. They all gave her shocked, outraged glares.
"You can't just leave!"
"Who says? I'm seventeen, I'm a legal adult!"
"But...but..." stammered George, clearly at loss for anything to say. Ron, however, always had a retort.
"This was your idea, wasn't it?" shouted Ron, pointing at Harry. "I bet you want to get her out of this house just so you can get into her pants!"
"That's not true!" shouted Harry. "I did suggest that we could move out, as it seems the next thing to do, but I'm not gonna fuck her up!"
"Don't give us that, Harry..." said Mr Weasley, suddenly, sternly. "All boys your age are obsessed with sex, what makes you any different?"
"I love Ginny! That's all the difference in the world!"
"How do we know you love her?" shouted Ron, also standing up.
"What gives you the right to question that?" shouted Ginny.
"We're your bloody brothers!" shouted George.
"Well damn well act like one!" shouted Bill. "A brother is supposed to be caring towards their siblings, not despotic!"
"A brother should look after their siblings!"
"And do you think you're doing that?" asked Bill.
"Yes, actually, I do!"
"Well, it's true what Ginny said! You do have no sense of judgement!"
"Bill! I didn't expect such things from you!" said Mrs Weasley.
"Surprised that I'm the only one not against them, are you?" demanded Bill, wand aloof.
"Well, no, not at all, but-"
"All of you have some kind of vendetta against them! And it's absurd! I know that Harry's a great guy, and we should all know that! He freaking well killed Voldemort, and risked his life in the process, and you dare treat him like this?" shouted Bill.
"We're not questioning him for that, Bill, but we are when it comes to Ginny!"
"Oh I can't take this anymore..." said Ginny furiously, her plate literally shaking. "I'M LEAVING!"
She stormed out, Harry following. He turned before he left the dining room, giving Ron and George a brief look of both anguish and revulsion, before disappearing up into the Burrow.
Ginny stormed into her room, not hesitating for a moment in packing. She threw open her cupboard and pulled out a small satchel, which she began to fill with her various possessions. Harry watched her from her bed, rubbing the tears out of his eyes.
"Ginny..." he started, but she cut him off.
"Harry, I'm leaving with you. You have your flat, we can go there..." she said.
"But, your family..."
"After what they've said tonight, do you expect me to even call them my family anymore?" she spat.
"But, at the end of the day, they're still your family..."
"I don't care..." she said, her voice thick with emotion. Harry could tell she was trying to hide her tears from him.
"I know you do..." he said.
"Harry, I just want to leave. Please, take me to your flat..." she urged.
He sighed, and he put his arms around her.
"Of course, Gin. But, this is something big. I wasn't hoping for it to be this fast..." he said, wiping her eyes.
"I know...it is big...but I can't stay here another second..." she said determinedly, pulling herself out of his arms and throwing some clothes into the satchel.
Soon, every sentimental thing she had was packed, and the small room looked even smaller than it had ever done. Ginny looked around, rather wistfully, at the room she had lived in for the last seventeen years. Torrents of memories flooded back to her, and it almost made her want to stay, but the memory of her brothers was stronger than anything else.
With one last look, she took hold of Harry's arm, and she left the Burrow, about to start a new life with Harry and away from her family. She was doubtful that she would ever forgive her family, but a little part of her remained somehow hopeful that, sometime in the future, they would reconcile. But, in light of the current circumstance, it had never seemed more hopeless, and Ginny left feeling like she would never have her old family again.