Challenge Prompt: Write about any member of the Weasley family

Setting: Early Summer, 1993, The Burrow (Just after the end of Harry's second year)

Charlie was worried. He hadn't seen Ginny much in the past couple of years, but she had always been adventurous, eager to prove she was just as good as any of the boys. He had been happy to see his family again, glad that his parents would finally get to enjoy a vacation, but ever since he had returned home Ginny had been quiet, withdrawn. His parents told him there'd been some sort of incident at Hogwarts, and he'd read the stories in the Prophet, but clearly something else had happened.

Casting a quick tempus, he grimaced as the numbers 2:30 rose up to greet him. Between worrying about his baby sister and being back in his old room, sleep was proving elusive.

'Maybe a walk around the garden will help clear my mind.'

Getting up, Charlie started to make his way downstairs. As he passed by Ginny's door, he heard quiet sobbing coming from behind the door. He knocked on the door softly, and heard Ginny gasp softly. A few seconds later the door opened, Ginny standing there rubbing her eyes.

"Charlie, what is it? It's late." If he didn't know better, he probably would have believed her act… Ginny always had been quick to recover.

"Ginny… can we talk?"

"I'd rather just go back to sleep."

Charlie sighed. "Gin, we both know you weren't sleeping, and obviously neither am I. Let's talk, please?"

He saw her lips quiver just a little, before she stepped back and let him into her room. As he walked over to the bed, he heard Ginny mutter "Silencio Globus". He turned around, not bothering to hide his surprise.

"Ginny, that's a 7th year spell, how do you know that already?"

Ginny walked over and sat on her bed. "Did they tell you what happened at Hogwarts this year?"

"A bit… I heard about the basilisk, and that you'd been hurt somehow, but mum and dad said you were fine.

Ginny laughed. "Oh yes, I'm fine. You-know-who possessed me because I was stupid enough to keep writing in a diary that wrote back, then used me to try and kill people and release a basilisk, almost killing me in the process, but I'm fine."

Charlie went cold. "You-know-who possessed you? Did you get examined? Maybe we should get Bill…" But as he started to get up Ginny grabbed his arm.

"No, please don't… I feel stupid enough already, I don't need a curse-breaker reminding me 'not to trust anything that thinks if you can't see where it keeps its brain.'" She sighed "Dumbledore said that he's completely gone, and that all I need is rest. But… what if everyone still thinks I'm responsible? I mean, they'd be right, wouldn't they?"

Charlie shook his head. "Gin, if you were possessed, nothing you did was your fault. Wizards and witches much older than you have fallen for You-Know-Who's tricks. And if anyone says otherwise, just hit them with your bat bogeys… I assume those still work?"

Ginny gave a short laugh. "I hope so, though I haven't had a chance to try since school let out…. Care to volunteer?"

Charlie laughed. "I'll pass, thanks. So… what does the possession have to do with you being able to cast a silencing ward?"

Ginny shrugged. "There are a couple of spells I think he had me using. Mostly I don't remember anything when he was possessing me, but there's a few bits and pieces early on, before he got too strong… that's the only spell I remember though."

"Considering who we're talking about, that's probably a good thing." Charlie shuddered as he thought about what other spells his sister could have been exposed to.

"Yeah, I guess… I just… I'm not sure I can go back next year. What if the hat was wrong? What if I'm not brave enough to do this?"

Charlie wrapped his arm around Ginny's shoulder. "Gin, when I first started at the reserve, there was another guy who was just starting at the same time. He was determined to prove to everyone how brave he was, so when it came time to feed one of our Horntails, he decided he could do it on his own, without any protective spells. Of course, he got a bit too close to her nest and she pinned him to the ground with her tail. Do you think he was brave?"

Ginny shrugged "I guess? He did go face the dragon on his own, right?"

Charlie shook his head. "Yes, but he had no idea what he was getting into, and there was no reason at all to do what he did. He wasn't being brave, he was being reckless… a lot of people like to say we Gryffindors are both, but bravery isn't about charging into danger or taking risks. It's about facing your fears. While that poor wizard was pinned to the ground, 2 other handlers happened to see what was going on, and they ran in to rescue him. They knew exactly what a Horntail was capable of, they knew this one was already riled up, and they went in anyways. I could see in their faces that they were terrified, but that didn't stop them from doing what they needed to do."

Charlie slid off the bed onto his knees and turned to look his sister in the eye. "You've never hesitated to do things that were scary. How many in the family know you were terrified before getting onto my broom for the first time? Or that you were scared to be left home alone when the rest of us went off to school or to start our careers? Or that you were scared to leave for Hogwarts when the time came? I know I'm bloody terrified every time I have to face a dragon that's gone out of control. What makes us brave, what the hat saw in you, is that being scared doesn't stop us."

Ginny threw her arms around Charlie, and for some time Charlie just held his little sister as she let out every emotion she'd been holding back. Eventually, as the tears subsided, he felt her breathing even out… he gently put her in bed, and canceled her ward as he walked out of her room.

Thoughts racing as he walked downstairs, he noticed a light on in the kitchen. Curious to see who else was still up at this hour, he walked in to see his dad sitting at the table with a cup of tea, eyes closed, but with a slight frown on his face.

"Dad, what are you still doing up?"

"Same thing you are I'd imagine… " Arthur opened his eyes as he spoke "Will she be alright?"

Charlie sighed, though couldn't help the slight smile that spread across his face. "How do you always know?" Knowing better than to expect an answer, he continued "She will be. She's stronger than she thinks she is, and once she realizes that she'll be fine. I think she really just needs to be treated normally right now."

Arthur nodded. "That's what I suspected… that's one of the reasons for the vacation, actually. It'll take some time before everyone can get back to normal, but the vacation will take everyone's mind off of what happened until then."

"Good call." Charlie agreed. He started to walk out of the kitchen, but stopped as he reached the door and turned back. "Did the headmaster say anything about You-Know-Who?"

Arthur shook his head. "Not really. He announced that it was You-Know-Who possessing Ginny that was responsible, but that was about it."

Charlie frowned. "The headmaster always strives to reassure people, and I've never seen him lie. But… what he says sometimes let's others believe what they want, even if it's not the complete truth, even if what they believe doesn't quite match up to what he said. It's something one of my mentors at the reserve does, and I've learned that it's often more about what they don't say..." Seeing his father's confused look, he sighed. "Did the headmaster say this wouldn't happen again? Did he say that You-Know-Who was gone for good?"

Arthur nodded. "When he spoke to us, he said the school was safe again."

'That's not the same thing' Charlie thought, but decided it wasn't worth pressing the issue. Wishing his dad goodnight, he went back upstairs. When he got to his room, he dug out a piece of parchment and quill. He quickly wrote out a letter, and sent it off with Errol. Feeling reassured, he climbed back in bed and found that this time sleep came easily.

Albus Dumbledore looked up from his breakfast in surprise as the Weasley's family owl crashed into the Great Hall. 'They're supposed to be leaving for Egypt today, I wonder what they could be writing about?' As Errol finally came to a stop in front of Albus, it weakly offered a talon with a parchment affixed. Curious, Albus removed it and sat back to read.

Headmaster,

I don't know what's going on, but I do know my sister has already been caught up in it. I don't know if You-Know-Who is somehow going to come back, if his Death Eaters are still causing trouble, or if it was just some trap he left behind, and I don't expect you to tell me. I know you'll protect the castle with your life, so I'm not worried about that, but if things get worse… I have friends in Romania, and a place large enough to house a few people.

I grew up hearing stories about the last time this happened. I know how much it hurt mum when her brothers died, and to this day she still can't let us out of her sight without worrying. I'm not going to stand by and watch that happen again.

If you need me, you can contact me at the Romanian Dragon Reservation.

~With my regards,

~Charlie Weasley

Albus smiled as he rolled the parchment up. Hopefully the worst wouldn't come to pass, but if it did… at least there were already those willing to stand up and fight.