The sun hung low in the sky, making the fat snowflakes seem to glow red as they swirled around the Burrow. The beauty of the scene would cause most people to pause and drink it all in, memorizing every detail. Ginny Weasley knew better. She had not survived battles against Death Eaters by getting sentimental. She ducked back behind the barricade just in time as a snowball careened overhead.

Hermione, cheeks flushed from the cold air, looked up from her neat pile of snowballs. "Well?"

"Harry and Ron are over by the shed. Charlie threw that last one. He and George are over by the oak tree." She nodded to her teammate, grabbed two snowballs and threw one in a high arc toward the shed. A moment later, they looked to see two faces turned skyward. Ginny and Hermione threw.

Harry's spluttering was followed by Ron's laughter. Ginny's snowball had found her target, but Hermione's snowball had just grazed Ron. He stopped laughing abruptly as a snowball from George plugged his mouth.

"Nice shot!" shouted Charlie, and the three-sided battle was on.

Harry made to dive behind a tree, but was caught by a throw from Ginny that sent his glasses to the ground. Rolling to safety, he called from behind the tree. "Where'd you learn to throw so hard?"

Ginny snorted. "Blame my Quidditch captain; he's a slave driver!" Her snowball whizzed past him as he disappeared behind the tree again. The yard filled with taunts and shouting as the snowballs flew.

Ginny nearly jumped out of her skin as two people suddenly appeared in their fort. "Percy!"

"Hello Ginny, Hermione." Percy grinned. "Of course you know Penny." Percy's girlfriend blushed a bit, fidgeting with her left mitten. Ginny raised an eyebrow, but he pressed on. "Could you call it off for a moment? We just want to get to the house."

Ginny grinned, cupping her hands over her mouth. "CIVILIANS!"

The others shouted in response, and the yard became still. Percy's smirk made Ginny melt. Over the summer, Percy had worked hard to be a part of the family again. While he was pompous as ever, there was now a mischievous light in his eyes that she never remembered seeing before. He rose and pulled Penny toward the Burrow, but paused as they reached the door. When he spun around, whipping his wand back and forth, it caught all of them completely by surprise. Ginny managed to clear the snow from her face as she heard the door slam, but her grin was solidly in place.

"That git!" Ron's exclamation sounded more pleased than upset.

"Let it be noted," came Charlie's voice, "that we were not the first to use magic. That said... GAME ON!"

The battle took on a completely new dynamic as snowballs of various sizes and color began dancing around the yard, seeking out anyone that ran into the open. Hermione threw wards around the fort, watching as a glowing stag and terrier ran between trees passing messages. Ginny sent a flock of snow-birds after them just as an alarm went off behind her. She whirled to see a surprised look on George's face. One of the wards had broken his disillusionment charm.

"No you don't," growled Ginny playfully as a pile of snowballs began attacking him. "I still owe you guys from last year." He froze, even as the snowballs burst against him. His face became distant. He stood rigidly as wet snow dripped off his cloak. After a moment, everyone was still. George came out of his reverie, seeming to notice all of the eyes on him. Throwing on what looked like a very forced grin, he cleared his throat. "Getting cold, yeah? Think I'll go say hi to Percy. You lot carry on." They watched him go into the house, a few moments later appearing in the family room's window. He gently lifted a picture from the mantle. After a moment, he sat on the floor by the fireplace, staring at the picture in his lap. Ginny sighed.

Harry leaned back into his pillow. Ron was already snoring, and Harry could not really blame him. It was hard to believe that same morning he had packed up his trunk and wandered down to Hogsmeade Station, eager to start his holiday at the Burrow. He had been looking forward to seeing Ron, who had been tied up at the joke shop all year, and Hermione, who had taken her N.E.W.T.s a week into the term, but mostly he was excited to spend time with Ginny. Being in the same year and having Quidditch practice together was wonderful, but they'd had little time to themselves since the beginning of September.

They had gone for a walk after the snowball fight. He closed his eyes, replaying their conversation. She had been a little distant, distracted. Harry had tried to get her to talk about it, but he was continually distracted by the snowflakes catching in her hair and the way the tip of her nose turned pink.

The door creaked. Harry turned his head as two forms stepped softly into the room. He reached for his glasses, slipping them on in time to see Hermione's wand glow as she cast a silencing charm around the room. Ginny sat on the cot, leaning over Harry's face.

"Awake?"

"Unless this is a really good dream."

She punched him playfully. "Do Hermione and I show up in a lot of those?"

"Now that you mention it…"

"I don't want to know." She pulled him up to sit beside her as he yawned.

"So what's happening?"

"Let's wait until the all of the forces are rallied."

Hermione was sitting on the edge of Ron's bed, shaking him gently.

"Hermione?" Ron yawned. "I thought you said we had to behave here, because OOF!"

Hermione turned with a smile. "He's up!" Ron pulled himself to the bedside, hand still over his stomach, scowling at Hermione.

"Good. I wanted to talk to all of you." Ginny bit her lip, then continued. "I've been thinking —"

"Did it hurt?" Harry winced as Ginny turned to him slowly, brown eyes blazing.

"You get one, Potter. Now stop interrupting."

He winked at her. "Or?"

Ron groaned. "You were thinking, I was sleeping, let's get on with it!"

Ginny sighed. "It's just George." They all became silent. "What can we do? There must be something. I'm tired of having to be careful around him." She stared at the floor, absently toeing a wrapper that had missed the basket. "It isn't right. Fred would hate this. George should be..."

"George," Harry finished. She nodded.

"He's been that way since I told him about staying here this week." Ron shook his head. "You should see him at work, just staring at that big portrait of them in his office."

Hermione nodded. "The first Christmas without a loved one is hard. I can't imagine what it's like for him. Maybe we should get him a book on grieving; I just read one that's really quite —"

"Hermione," Ron said firmly, "we're not getting him a book." She made a face at him.

"Maybe some new joke stuff?" Harry scratched at his chin. "Although he could buy any materials he wants now."

"We're being shallow," Ginny stood and began to pace. "This is George. I want my brother back. He doesn't need more things, he needs to… to realize that we need him. All of him."

"Well how do we do that? He spends most of his time staring at that bloody painting. You could set off the shop's entire stock of Whiz-Bangs and he wouldn't blink."

"The portrait." Ginny's eyes narrowed. "That's it!" Three pairs of eyes looked blankly at her.

"What, do you want to have it restored?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, I noticed it the first summer the shop was open. I asked Fred about it, and he said it was the guardian of the ultimate prank." She furrowed her brow. "I asked him to show me; he said it only would open for both of them." Ginny sank into the cot next to Harry, fire glinting in her eyes. "We're talking something so serious that they couldn't trust each other alone with it."

"But how?" Ron looked lost. "It sounds great Gin, but without Fred —"

"Polyjuice," breathed Hermione. "I still have some in my trunk from last year."

"But Hermione, we'd still need Fred to —"

"No, Ron, we wouldn't." A grin spread across Harry's face. "Two Georges should do the job."

Ron's mouth worked, trying to find words. "You guys don't even know what you're getting into. Who knows what's in there?"

Hermione grabbed his hand, smiling. "Harry and I will do it. You just have to get us in the door."

Ron swallowed. "Working there is one thing, but now I gotta break into their shop?"

Ginny smirked at him. "You work there, it shouldn't be hard."

"Well, then you do it."

Ginny shook her head, smiling brightly. "I'll be busy running interference. I'm going to ask George to help me shop for Harry."

"You guys are serious about this?" They all nodded. Ron sighed, defeated. "Mental. The lot of you."

"He's right you know. Do you know how difficult it'll be to put all that together?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I do. But Gred & Forge are worth it. They're still my brothers."