Standard disclaimers apply!

I do not own Harry Potter. I have nothing to do with Scholastic, Warner Bros or Bloomsbury. I'm not JKR and I am certainly not making any profit out of this.


Sunday at the Market


"Ginny dear, could I have a moment?" Molly pulled her daughter lack of few steps from their family, all of whom were examining various objects at the flea market stalls.

"Sure, Mum." Ginny watched Harry and her father exclaiming over some gadget or other, and then turned to her mother.

Molly tucked her arm into Ginny's and directed them both to a nearby needlework stall. "I want to ask something of you."

"Hmm?" Ginny fingered a delicate tablecloth. "Pretty, don't you think? What is it, Mum?"

"Now, I know you and Harry are very busy at the moment," Molly held up one finger when it seemed Ginny was about to interrupt, "hush dear, let me finish. I know that you and Harry are very busy at the moment; and I'm glad you're with him, I don't know how he'd cope without your support – oh, I know he would, because he's Harry ... but even so, he shouldn't have to do it all on his own. But I need you do something for Ron and Hermione."

"Ron and Hermione?" Ginny echoed. "What?"

"Well, you wouldn't know, really – although I'm sure you've noticed to some degree, just how much time they've spent with George lately."

"I had noticed actually," Ginny glanced over that the cluster of fiery heads several tables away. "I think it's good for him."

"Yes, it is," Molly agreed, "they're rarely apart, those three ... did you know that it was George's idea? When Hermione learnt about her parents," Molly sniffled and then shook her head impatiently, "it was a very difficult time, obviously – especially so soon after Fred ..."

"Mum?" Ginny patted her mother's arm, "where are you going with this?"

"Yes, of course. Sorry dear. Ron begged George to help him – said that he knew it was too much to ask, but that he needed help, he didn't know what to do for Hermione. George told him that they'd get her through the worst of it together – although he's definitely benefited from it just as much."

Ginny felt a pang of guilt. She and Harry had come home late that night, to find the house shocked into silence. They had cried with their friend, hugged her and kissed her cheek – and then everyone had gone to bed ... aside from Ron and George, who had elected to sit up with Hermione for a little while longer.

The next morning Harry and Ginny had left after an early breakfast and then come home late again, and this was how it continued for weeks on end. The only time they had spend at home was on the weekend – something they had both complained roundly about, missing their family and friends ... but now she wondered what else they'd been missing.

"I wondered why they didn't come down to the orchard yesterday," Ginny said. "They need some time to themselves, don't they?"

"That's it exactly, dear. They need some time to themselves, and George has more than one sibling."

"Yes, he does," Ginny agreed, fixing her mother with a shrewd look, "have you mentioned this to any of his other brothers yet?"

"I intend too," Molly muttered. "Percy is just as busy at the ministry as you and Harry; but Charlie certainly isn't, and Bill should know better."

"Good." Ginny hugged her mother impulsively. "Thanks for pointing out what should have been obvious. I'm going to rescue Harry from Dad now, OK?"

"Send your father over here." Molly directed with a smile.

"Sorry Dad!" Ginny grinned cheekily up at her father, interrupting his steady flow of questions, "Mum wants you for something."

Arthur started visibly and then looked for his wife, shuffling over to her with his hands in his pockets; reminding Ginny suddenly, very strongly, of Ron.

"What was that all about?" Harry wanted to know as she slipped her warm hand into his and pulled him along to look at the table full of old-fashioned children's toys.

"Oh! I used to have one of these," she held up a brightly painted wooden horse with wheels on the end of its legs, "so cute. I've been having a chat with Mum."

Used to the way Ginny jumped around in conversation, Harry nodded. "I noticed." He picked up a small tin drum and tapped it experimentally, smiling at the sound. "Are you going to fill me in?"

Ginny sighed and put the horse down. "We've been spending too much time at the Ministry. She didn't say that, by the way, I'm saying that. She knows we don't have much choice in the matter and she's happy that I'm there to support you ... but we've been missing out on what's going on closer to home, Harry."

"What's that?" Harry frowned, taking in her serious demeanour.

"Did you know that Ron, Hermione and George spend nearly every waking moment together? I didn't, but apparently they do."

Harry sighed. "I'd gathered they'd spent a lot of time together, yes. I ... I suppose it's only natural."

"Maybe so," Ginny agreed, "have you spoken to Ron much lately? Because I know I've not spoken much to Hermione."

"It's true," Harry's frown deepened. "We come home for dinner, if we're lucky, hang around in the front room for a bit and then head straight up for bed. He doesn't usually come in until much later, and by then I'm asleep."

"Same with me and Hermione," Ginny confirmed, "and we leave directly after breakfast and don't get home until dinner, if we're lucky."

They moved on to the next stall. Bric-a-brac.

"So?" Harry looked at her expectantly.

"So Mum says that Ron and Hermione need time alone together. Did you notice how they didn't come down to the orchard yesterday?"

"I did, yeah. I was surprised, because it's Ron, you know? I was a bit put out, actually," Harry looked ashamed of himself, "because I was looking forward to spending some time with them."

"Oh, look," Ginny rushed to assure him, "so was I! But now that Mum's put a bug in my ear ..."

"We need to spend more time at home," Harry concluded.

"Even more than that, we can't let Ron shoulder everything anymore."

"What do you mean? Did your Mum say that?" Harry asked, confused.

"No, she didn't, but that's what she meant. Honestly Harry," Ginny giggled suddenly, "you're as bad as Ron sometimes."

"I'm sure I am," Harry shrugged, "so enlighten me."

"Ron is carrying George and Hermione's grief," Ginny explained patiently as she studied an old pair of brass candle-sticks, "well, Hermione is his girlfriend, so I suppose it's only right ... but she's our best friend too ... and George is my bother. They're both our family and he shouldn't have to take on so much by himself."

"You make it sound like he's the only other Weasley child, beside you and George," Harry protested.

"Hmm." Ginny's eyes flashed. "Sometimes it feels like it."

"What?" Harry sat abruptly on a convenient bench and tugged her down with him. "What do you mean?"

"Ugh. Now I'm just being mean," Ginny pursed her lips and shook her head, "probably because I feel so bad right now. Mum said she's going to talk to Bill and Charlie too. Percy's just as busy at the Ministry as we are ... Merlin knows we've had lunch with him often enough ... but somehow it's different with Bill and Charlie. Maybe because me and Ron were so small when they went to Hogwarts, and then they went off to work abroad after school. I don't ever really remember them being around a lot, excepting over school breaks."

"Ginny," Harry spoke quietly and took her hand, "don't worry about it. We know now and we can do something about it – and the first thing, I think, is to make sure we're with them tomorrow, at the Wizengamot."

"You're sweet," she kissed his cheek; "we'll definitely be there with them."

A small crowd of red heads wandered past them, accompanied by a long sheet of silvery blonde hair and a chestnut mane of curls.

"That's our people," Harry jumped up, "let's catch up and get some lunch!"

*

Ron felt completely relaxed and happy. Laughter surrounded him as his family chatted away under the striped awning of the "Devon Slow Food" marquee. He was sharing a pint of muggle beer with Hermione, although judging by the way she wrinkled her nose whenever she took a sip, he suspect he be taking the lion's share of the surprisingly refreshing but very bitter drink.

Harry and Ginny were harassing George, teasing him and stealing lumps of meat from his stew. It was good to see George looking so relaxed and carefree.

Ron smiled down at Hermione, drinking in her warm brown eyes. Her lips were perfectly shaped and a delicate rose pink ... begging to be kissed.

"Hello? Ron?" Hermione poked him in the leg.

"Sorry. What?" Ron blinked, slowly coming out of his daze.

"Have you heard a word I said?" she demanded, slightly cross.

"Sorry, no. I drifted off." He apologised, still gazing at her.

"But you were looking straight at me," she was torn between amusement and frustration.

"Hmm. I was admiring you, more like," he murmured into her ear, ignoring the shocked look Charlie was giving him across the table, "and I got lost thinking about how your lips are the perfect shape and how much I want to kiss them right now."

"How can I possibly stay cross with you when you say things like that?" Hermione wondered, blushing mightily.

"You mean that's all it would have taken?" Ron chuckled. "All those times we squabbled at school? All I could have done was told you what I was thinking, and you wouldn't have been mad anymore?"

"Oh, pish." Hermione chuckled too – the noise around them making her confident they wouldn't be overheard, but she leaned closer to Ron anyway, just for the pure pleasure of it. "As if you were thinking anything like that in school."

"You think?" Ron challenged with asperity. "Why do you think I used to wind you up so much? It might have been yelling, but at least you were yelling at me, and I was desperate for your attention ... no matter what it took."

"You didn't?" Hermione giggled. "That's insane."

"No one ever accused me of being mature," he pointed out cheerfully.

*

Charlie wondered exactly what was going on in this alternate universe; for surely that's what it must be, because everything was ever so slightly skewed.

Ginny was leaning all over Harry Potter and he had his hand on her knee. Her knee, mind you! Mum and Dad were right there. Right there! Not even batting an eyelid. On top of that, they were stealing most of poor Georges' food, and he was just laughing at them.

In the mean time, when had Ron and Hermione Granger become permanently joined at the hip? His baby brother – only a year older than his baby sister, she with the hand on her knee boyfriend – Ron, clumsy, awkward Ron was whispering something in that girls ear and making her blush something terrible. Again, his parents said nothing – merely sat idly by and watched with silly grins plastered over their faces.

It's not right! They're all too young for that kind of carry on. Why aren't Mum and Dad putting a stop to it?

Yes, he'd definitely be having a chat to Dad about this.

"Charles," Percy nudged him gently in the side, "would you calm down."

"What?" Charlie glared at Percy, hard. "What are you on about?"

Percy sighed and shook his head. He carefully finished his cardboard bowl of curry and dabbed his mouth clean with his folded napkin. "I said you need to calm down."

"I am calm," Charlie retorted, tearing a slice of bread into tiny pieces.

"Clearly. Come for a walk with me, Charles, before you say something that will get you into trouble."

"Trouble?" Charlie repeated foolishly, extremely put out.

"I know that look," Percy literally dragged Charlie up from the bench – with surprising strength for a lanky-arsed quill pusher, "and Ginevra is not one to be trifled with."

"Ginny?" Charlie snorted with laughter as Percy dragged him to the bar. "I'm pretty sure I can handle Ginny."

Percy ordered two pints of larger. "I wouldn't be so sure of that," he warned, "but if you want to find out first hand, you're certainly going the right way about it."

"OK. Seriously now, Perce," Charlie eyed his prim and proper bother with mounting annoyance, "what the bloody hell are you on about?"

"Be quiet and drink your larger," Percy ordered, sipping at his own.

"Don't tell me what to do," Charlie growled, ignoring his drink and favour of scowling up at Percy, "you might be taller than me, but I can still pound you into the ground with one arm tied behind my back."

"I don't doubt it for one minute," Percy agreed mildly, polishing his glasses with his handkerchief and placing them precisely back on his nose. Then he fixed Charlie with a stern look. "If you keep on glowering at Ginevra and Harry like that, you'll find out just how much of a handful she can be – and while I'm sure Harry would be too polite to do anything, he's no slouch in that department either."

Charlie scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Was I that obvious?"

"Absolutely ... and you can be thankful that Ronald was too engrossed with Hermione to heed the way you were looking at them as well. She is extremely clever, I would never want to make an enemy of her - and you may not have noticed it, Charles, but he's bigger than any of us. You need to calm down."

"Don't be ridiculous" Charlie snorted again, finally taking a long drink and forgetting how irritated he was with Percy in the face of the unreality of the conversation. "Ron's harmless."

"Ronald? Harmless?" Percy laughed in disbelief. "Do you know our youngest brother at all? Or are you confusing him with the little boy who hero-worshiped you when you went off to Hogwarts, and then to tame the dragons?"

This bought Charlie up short. "Of course I'm not," he was deeply offended. "That's completely not the point. Ron and Ginny are far too young to be carrying on like that. In public no less! I don't understand why Mum and Dad aren't putting a stop to it!"

There was a pitying quality to Percy's smile, which Charlie didn't like at all.

"Tell me, Charles, how old is Ginevra?"

Charlie frowned. "She must be 14 by now, which is exactly my point! She's too young to have some boys hand all over her knee!"

"She will be of age in less than two months ... and Ronald was 18 in March. They're not children anymore."

"Surely not." Charlie was gobsmacked.

"Surely yes," Percy persisted. "Now drink your larger and calm down. I'll buy you another, if you need it, because if either of them notices you looking at them like that, well ... you mark my words, you'll be in for trouble."

"OK, fine." Charlie held up his hands in defeat, and then drained his glass. "Get me another then."

"Well done." Percy looked pleased with himself and waited until their order – half's this time – was placed in front of them before he broached the next subject on his mind.

"Ginevra cornered me by the bric-a-brac earlier," Percy said casually, "there's something else we need to talk about."

"Really?" Could this day get any weirder? "What's that?"

"It's about Ronald – and Hermione and George."

"Go on."

"Ginevra tells me Ronald has been taking care of both of them. As Ginevra so subtly pointed out to me, Ronald is not Georges only brother and she is on the war-path. I thought it only fair to forewarn you."

"I beg your pardon?" Charlie was beginning to feel offended all over again. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know Ginevra, no hidden meanings with her." Percy hooked his feet around the legs of the bar stool and hunched over a bit.

"Yes, obviously ... but what does it MEAN?" Charlie pressed.

"I am of the belief," Percy suddenly sounded incredibly pompous, which Charlie knew to mean he was on the defensive, "that Ginevra feels that William and your good self are neglecting your family duties to our two younger brothers."

Charlie gaped.

Percy's shoulders sagged. "I must confess that I've been so busy at the ministry myself ... I've spent much more time with Ginny and Harry – we often take luncheon together, you know – than I have with the rest of the family. I do make a point to look in on George of a morning, before departing for the Ministry, and I often share a game of chess with Ronald before retiring for the night ... however, Ginevra feels Ronald is over-taxed with the emotional care of his girl-friend and our brother."

"But they're all right though," Charlie frowned. "I see them every day; they spend all their time together – Ron, George and Hermione, that is."

"That, Charles, appears to be part of the problem." Percy was suddenly impatient with his older brother's obtuseness. "They are not all right! Hermione lost her parents! George lost Frederic!"

"We all lost Fred." Charlie snapped.

"Oh, it's not the same and you know it!" Percy snapped right back. "Frederic and George had a bond that went far beyond that of brothers – none of us could possibly understand it."

"Maybe," Charlie conceded.

"Maybe?" Percy arched one eyebrow. "Hermione and George are grieving – yes, we all are, but we didn't lose our parents. We didn't lose a twin!"

"What does this have to do with Ron, exactly?" Charlie suddenly felt very tired.

"He's been with them, night and day – apparently literally. The three of them have been looking after each other, but most of all Ronald has been looking after them."

"Oh," said Charlie. "I knew they were close, but I didn't think it was like that."

"Turn around and look. Tell me what you think."

Charlie did turn around. Bill and Fleur were at one end, holding hands and deeply engrossed in each other. Ron and Hermione were leaning back, arms around each other, observing everything with peaceful smiles plastered all over their faces. Harry and Ginny now had George between them and seemed to be teasing him mercilessly about something ... which George seemed to find utterly hilarious. His Mum and Dad were a mirror of Ron and Hermione – happily surveying the scene.

"Right." Charlie blinked. "Apparently they are." He finished the remains of his half quickly. "So. Ron and Ginny aren't babies any more. Harry Potter is allowed to snog my sister. Ron could probably beat me in a fight, and we need to spend more time with George."

"That's it in a nutshell," Percy nodded.

"Why the hell didn't you just say so?" Charlie laughed.

"Because," Percy smirked at his older brother, "it was much more fun to explain it in words of two syllables or less."

"You arse." Charlie snorted and looked back at the table. "Someone needs to clue Bill in."

"That would be you," Percy chuckled, drained his own glass and tipped it over on its side. "Good luck with that."

"Why did I know you were going to say that?" Charlie grumbled.

"Because under that rough, obtuse exterior," Percy looked quite smug, "you're actually quite clever."

*

The path along the river was anything but quiet as the Weasley crowd walked home late that afternoon.

"That was fun," Hermione grinned up at Ron as they lagged behind the large group, "I'm glad you decided to invite everyone. I think they all had a great time."

"I think they did, yeah," Ron took her hand, keeping them even further back. "Just before Ginny ran away with George, Harry gave me a piece of advice."

"What was that?" She wanted to know, slightly breathless under his suddenly intense look.

"He said I should hide behind a tree and snog my girlfriend senseless." He came a step nearer and took her other hand.

"That sounds like reasonable course of action." She pulled him off the path and into the trees.

"I thought so," his eyes glinted as he ran one finger down her cheek and hooked it under her chin to bring her face up.

Feather light kisses on her lips and her eyes drifted shut, her arms sliding around his torso, she stood on tippy toes just to get closer to him. With seemingly no effort on his part; he lifted her up to his level and ravished her mouth, leaning her gently against a convenient tree – the obvious thing to do was for her to wrap her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck as his hands slid under her bum to keep her tightly in place.

Things went from intense to scorching in record time. Maybe it was the river rushing just below them, or maybe it was his hands methodically squeezing her bum which made her blood race and her head spin ... perhaps the rustle of wind through the leaves, or perhaps the way her fingers tangled in his hair made him desperate with want ... but when they pulled apart they were both panting and in disarray.

They stared at each other for a long moment, both wild eyed, and then plunged in for more ... fabric being shifted and flesh being stroked, he hitched her up just a little higher, so she had to bend her neck to reach him ... somehow making it all the more ... just so ... and his hand skimmed over the side of her beast, under her t-shirt but over her bra ... she moaned approval into his mouth and kissed him harder, sucking his tongue into her mouth and dancing her own around it as he flicked his thumb over her pointed, hard nipple. He groaned in delight when she tore her mouth from his and bit at the nape of his neck, suckling the tender white skin and then lathing her tongue over it.

Raucous laughter could be heard in the distance, and a voice calling out.

They pulled apart again, so, so reluctantly. He put her gently on the ground and bent to kiss her thoroughly one last time.

"Family," he grumbled, still flushed around the cheekbones and neck, privately thankful for his very loose fitting jeans.

"Dinner," she agreed, lightheaded still and aching in all the right places.

They tidied each other up, checking for stray pieces of tree and unruly hair, then clasped hands tightly and set off to catch up with the rest of the Weasley's.