Perfect

The Burrow was full of the sounds of cooking and eating as Charlie Weasley gulped down a hearty breakfast. Molly Weasley was at the stove, commanding three large frying pans at once, and Charlie had his eye on the far left one that was full of eggs. He knew that if he cleaned his plate off, he would get more food; it was her way of coping, making sure everyone had enough – or even too much – food.

Just days after the final battle, everything was still tense. The distinct feeling of grief had settled around the house, extinguishing happiness like a wet candle. Laughs were rare, and when they were heard, they stopped suddenly, their makers remembering that they weren't supposed to laugh. Not when everyone else was still grieving.

Fred. He was so young, so vibrant. Charlie didn't know if anything could ever heal the wound he had left in his chest. Charlie knew that George was suffering more, but it didn't seem possible, for how could he feel more pain than this?

Harry was staying at their house. Charlie had never gotten to know Harry personally, but Ron trusted him and loved him like a brother, and that was enough for him. Charlie trusted Ron's judgement, for even if he made stupid mistakes every now and then (okay, a lot), he always realized them and fixed them before it was too late.

Charlie, his plate now clean, let his eyes wander idly around the kitchen. He saw the various cooking utensils hanging there, the family pictures, the clock. Fred's hand was pointing at lost.

He looked away fast, a lump rising in his throat. Looking through the door, his eyes now fell on two people embracing on the stairs: Harry and Ginny. Tilting his head to the side, he watched at Harry rubbed her back soothingly and whispered words to her.

It was interesting, Charlie thought. He had never seen Harry and Ginny exchange more than a few words. They didn't seem to be that close.

As Charlie watched, they drew apart, and Harry wiped the tears off Ginny's cheeks. Charlie took a gulp of the pumpkin juice his mother had just set in front of him, and Harry reached down, cradled Ginny's head in his hands, and placed a kiss on her lips.

Pumpkin juice sprayed out of Charlie's mouth, ruining the hot eggs now in front of him. Yelps from around the table brought him to his senses.

"What the bloody hell was that for, Charlie? You just got pumpkin juice all over my toast!" Ron yelled indignantly from Charlie's right.

"Are you okay, Charlie?" came gently from Bill on Charlie's other side.

Charlie raised a shaking hand at the two figures now intertwined on the stairs. Ron strained his neck to see what he was pointing at, then let out a snort. Charlie felt Bill shaking his head next to him.

Molly Weasley bustled around the table and firmly closed the door, blocking his view of the kissing couple. Hands on hips, she turned to face Charlie with the famous Weasley woman stare. Charlie cowered while his brothers snickered.

"Well?" his mother asked.

Charlie squeaked. "Harry was snogging her! Right there in the middle of the stairs! He was running his hands all over her! My sister!"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Honestly, you're really thick, aren't you?"

"What?" Charlie defended himself. "You're telling me that doesn't bother you?" He gestured towards the door.

"It bothered me in the beginning. And then when he broke up with her," he said, with obvious restraint from laughing.

Charlie raised his eyebrows. "He broke up with her?" he almost growled. "What's he doing now?" He made to stand up, but Bill grabbed him and pulled him back down.

"Relax," he said softly. Charlie turned to him, but Ron spoke first.

"Harry and Ginny started going out about a year ago, at Hogwarts. He only broke up with her because he knew that he had to face You-Know-Who. Really, it's not that big of a deal. The war is over, they're together now. Get over it."

Charlie looked around the table at the faces that were completely free of surprise. "Did everyone know except me?"

"Pretty much," George said. "Didn't you see Harry's face when he went into Ginny's room on his birthday?" He smiled a bit, then turned thoughtful. "No, wait you came after-"

Charlie's eyes narrowed. "He went into her room on his birthday?"

"Relax, moron. She invited him in. All they did was snog." Ron sounded very exasperated.

"All they did was snog? Ron, that's our little sister! Don't tell me it doesn't bother you a little that Harry is out there making out with Ginny!"

"Charlie, shut up!" Ron snapped. "With all the noise you're making, he's probably out there laughing his arse off at you!"

"Yeah, well-" Charlie started, not quite sure what he was going to say, but Bill interrupted him.

"Charlie, just get over it. It's not a big deal. It's Harry. Harry Potter. Who else would you want her with?"

Charlie studied him. "Why are you so cool with this?"

Bill grinned. "I guessed a long time ago."

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "Guessed?"

Bill's grin seemed to get even wider, if possible. "I heard him muttering her name in his sleep back in April," he said in a very matter-of-fact tone, scooping eggs into his mouth.

The sniggers started slowly, on the other end of the table, then grew into chuckles. When Ron burst out into full-on laughter, the rest of the family joined.

"OI!" Charlie yelled over the noise. "It's not funny!"

"Yeah, it is," Percy gasped. "You know it is, Charlie."

Charlie's lip twitched treacherously. His face broke out into a reluctant grin. He felt the stirrings of chuckles starting in his belly, and before his could stop it, his booming laugh had joined the mix.

The door burst open. Harry stood there, his wand out, worry etched on his face. Ginny was right behind him, her hand covering the smirk on her mouth.

All eyes turned to them, and the laughter, which had just started to die down, started up again with even more force than before. Ron fell off his chair, his face red, and rolled around on the ground, unable to stop.

"What's going on here?" Harry asked, bewildered. "What happened?" Then Ginny joined in on the laughter, not even knowing or caring what they were laughing at, and Harry looked even more confused.

Bill raised a hand, shaking, and pointed at them. He slapped the table and shook his head as wave after wave of hilarity hit him.

Charlie just watched them, a big, loopy smile on his face. As his Ginny gripped her stomach from laughing too hard, she pushed past Harry, grabbed his hand, and pulled him into the center of the room. As he watched Harry's face blossom into one bursting with happiness as his eyes fell on Ginny, twirling around him, Charlie knew that they were perfect for each other.


AN: Thanks for reading! Please review!