A/N – Hello! So I've decided that I am going to turn this into a full length story, rather than just a one shot. However, I've made a couple of adjustments that I can't go back and edit on the previous chapter so I'll mention them here. I'm picturing Fred and George as they seemed in OOTP (though maybe with the look of HBP) so naturally I think they seem a bit older than fifteen. Up to you how you perceive them, but this is how they are in my head. Ginny is still a second year, so twelve/thirteen. Harry and Hermione have not come to the burrow this Summer because I wanted to write them in a bit later :) Enjoy!

Morning came all too quickly.

Ginny woke with a start. Wide-eyed, she scanned the room. It looked vaguely familiar, but not like her own. Where were her lilac curtains? This room had green curtains, accented with slight singe marks. Why were they burnt? Was there a fire? What was going on? Ginny's mind was racing.

'Fireworks,' George's voice broke her thoughts. 'You know what we're like.'

Ginny turned towards her brother and smiled. She remembered now; they had come to her in the night and looked after her. They had let her stay in their room with them, where she was now lying awake, blissfully unaware of the day ahead.

'Morning,' Fred yawned, sitting up and stretching. 'Merlin, what time is it?' Before George or Ginny could answer, they heard a piercing shriek from above.

'Ronald Weasley!' Molly screeched. 'If you don't get yourself up and dressed this very instant, I will floo you straight to Hogwarts in the state you are! Oh, you disgusting boy!'

Fred and George gave a simultaneous shudder, picturing their brother in his sweaty, off-white vest and pants in public. Ginny, on the other hand, was hanging on her mother's words.

'Hogwarts,' She sighed, sadly, remembering that the new term was to begin today. 'Oh yes.'

Fred cast his sister a pitiful glance before conjuring up some chocolate frogs in an effort to perk Ginny up. She laughed weakly as they leapt across the bedsheets, humouring her brother, though she just couldn't shake the anxious feeling that lingered over her.

It was at that moment Molly gave three almighty thumps on the boys' bedroom door and, without waiting for a response, bustled in.

'Ah, boys, at least you're awake! That's more than can be said for your bro – Ginny, dear? What in Merlin's name are you doing in here so early? And, goodness me boys, don't be filling up on sweets before breakfast!'

'Oh sorry, mum, you see,' George started.

'Ginny was just,' Fred interrupted, casting George a glance. Now wasn't the time to be worrying their mother about Ginny; the last thing the girl needed was Molly fussing over her. 'She was just so over-excited about going back to Hogwarts, mum. Awake at the crack of dawn she was, raring to go.'

'Yeah, so we thought we'd let her come in here and we would keep her entertained until everyone was up. You know, just so she wasn't bored,' George chimed in, helping Fred concoct their lie.

Molly stared at the boys in confusion for a moment, before, much to their relief, breaking into a broad grin.

'Oh, Ginny, what a good little girl you are,' Molly bounded over to the bed, seizing Ginny's face tightly and covering her in kisses. 'So eager to learn, my clever girl. If only your brother Ron shared the same enthusiasm, the lazy little-'

'I can hear you.' Ron mumbled, skulking sleepily past the door and down the stairs.

Molly tutted, rolling her eyes, before turning her attention back to the three children in the room. 'Oh you are good big brothers, aren't you?' They smiled in comical earnest as she gave them each a forceful kiss on the forehead, before dashing downstairs to check on breakfast.

'Thank you,' Ginny whispered. 'I don't want her to worry.'

The boys smiled. 'We know,' They said in unison.

'Go on, get ready and we'll see you downstairs.' Said Fred.

'It will be okay, Gin.' George said softly as she got up from their bed. 'We'll make sure of it.'

Breakfast was a noisy affair in the Weasley household. Between Arthur's chewing, Ron's slurping, Percy's boasting and Molly's shouting, there was hardly room for anymore sound.

'There we go,' Declared Molly, setting the table with the full range of breakfast foods. A pyramid of sausages served as the centrepiece of the table, which was being eyed up enthusiastically by a hungry Ron. Strips of bacon adorned the edges of this meaty main attraction, whilst bowls of scrambled eggs and beans were placed in each corner. To finish it off, a few simple mounds of wholemeal toast with stacks of butter and jugs of fresh orange juice rested at each side. A Weasley feast could almost rival the vast scale of food in the Great Hall.

Ginny's stomach turned when she entered the kitchen. She wasn't feeling the slightest bit hungry, and the smell of all this food was overpowering. Fighting the urge to gag, she gingerly took a seat in between Ron and George at the table.

Everyone else was digging into the almighty Weasley breakfast – even Ron had perked up at the sight of so many thick, greasy sausages. But there Ginny sat, staring absently into her glass of orange juice.

'Come on, Ginny, tuck in! It's delicious!' Ron beamed in ravenous appreciation, stray pieces of sausage and spit flying out of the corners of his mouth.

'Yes, best hurry up.' Percy looked his younger brother up and down in disgust. 'At the rate Ron's going, there won't be any left for the rest of us.'

'I'm just not feeling all that hungry. I'm sure it's lovely, though, Mum. I don't mean to be ungrateful.' Ginny added quickly.

Fred and George shared a concerned glance. Their sister hadn't touched a morsel of food, not even a piece of toast.

Molly caught the boys' shared look and misinterpreted it as guilt. 'Ah.' She said. 'I see what's going on here.'

Ginny turned to her brothers, worried that her mother had caught on to her anxiety. She might say something to Professor McGonagall or Professor Dumbledore. What if they thought Ginny just wasn't brave enough to be a Gryffindor anymore? She would be a disgrace to the family. They had been in Gryffindor for generations.

'I know exactly what has happened here,' Molly continued, frowning. 'You boys have given your sister too many sweets before breakfast, and now she feels too queasy to eat the food with the nutrition she needs.'

Fred inwardly sighed, relieved for his sister that they were able to take the blame.

'Yes, mum,' The boys chorused in mock shame. 'That is exactly what happened.'

Molly shook her head disapprovingly and tutted. Ron shot his brothers a hurt glance, wondering why he had not been invited to the early morning feast in their room.

'Now, Ginny dear, you must eat something with some substance at least. Finish a piece of toast and I'll brew you up a sickness potion to take before we floo.' Molly rose from the table, clattering pots and pans in the kitchen.

Ginny breathed a sigh of relief.

'At least if she thinks I'm physically ill,' Ginny thought to herself. 'She won't think I'm weak or afraid. I'll still be one of her brave Gryffindor children.'

A/N – I hope you enjoyed that! I promise there will be more Fred/George/Ginny interaction in the coming chapters, I just wanted to add in a bit of the Weasley household dynamic. Please do leave a comment and let me know if there's anything you think I should add. The next chapter will be the floo journey to Platform 9 ¾ and the train ride. Thanks for reading!