A/N: Part II of the Burrow at Christmas. I had fun writing it, so I hope you enjoy reading it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter Four:

Betting on a Gift

The Burrow was even more crowded than it normally was during the holidays. All of the Weasley children had returned home this year to celebrate the first Christmas after the War (not including Harry's birthday Christmas, of course), and they had been joined by Andromeda and Harry's godson Teddy this year as well. Hagrid stopped by briefly, early in the evening, via Floo, which had been a rather strenuous experience for the Burrow's small fireplace. He had left not long after, claiming Grawp's holiday loneliness, but not without a Christmas pudding from Molly. Now, Fleur was cooing over Teddy and speaking to him rapidly in French, while glancing not-very-subtly over his turquoise head toward her husband Bill. She and Teddy seemed to be having a very serious conversation about her husband. Bill, for his part, was studiously ignoring her and looking quite green about the gills as he did so.

Harry couldn't tell if this was because it was near a full moon, when Bill felt some effects from his attack, or because of Fleur's obvious desire to procreate. He was betting on the latter, especially given the approving looks Mrs. Weasley was shooting Fleur and the vicious ones she sent towards her eldest son, but he decided he didn't want to analyze it, and went back to his previous occupation.

Which had been brooding. About Ginny. Who had been whisked away by her mum the moment they had Apparated in front of the Burrow, and had been passed around her thousands of family members ever since. Harry, despite his usual warm feelings towards the giant Weasley clan, suddenly found himself highly disapproving of the sheer number of them.

Currently, Ginny was speaking with Charlie over near the Christmas tree, laughing at something he'd said. Harry huffed. She should have been laughing at something he had said. While they were hiding somewhere private. Snogging. Extensively.

He huffed again, and glared at Charlie. Charlie pretended not to notice while surreptitiously twirling his wand at his side. Harry yelped as the spell hit him and tugged a piece of his hair hard at his left temple. He rubbed at it and glared viciously at Charlie.

"Alright, Harry?"

Harry grunted distractedly in response as Mr. Weasley sat down beside him. He suddenly remembered himself, and tore his eyes away from Arthur's daughter as he straightened.

"Oh, yes," Harry nodded, making an effort to be polite to the man who had given him a roof to live under since he was 11. "I'm great. Happy Christmas, Mr. Weasley."

Arthur chuckled and patted Harry on the back. "Arthur, Harry, how many times?"

Harry flushed and smiled at his lap. "Sorry…Arthur."

Arthur leaned back in his chair and followed Harry's gaze to Charlie and Ginny by the tree.

"I suppose all those letters to Hogwarts you write at our kitchen table haven't been going to Hermione, hm?"

Harry flushed nearly to his toes while Arthur chuckled.

"Relax, Harry," Arthur smiled. "You wouldn't think we'd be upset over you fancying our Ginny?"

Harry sputtered. "I…it's…well, I…"

"We've even got a bet over it. Percy is keeping the book, being rather the most organized." Mr. Weasley mulled this over. "I'll have to check my standings. As a matter of tact, you see. I never lose." He thought for a moment, "When I decide to participate, that is."

Harry gaped. Mr. Weasley laughed.

"Where do you think the twins got it?" he chuckled, before frowning at the plural he'd used and looking suddenly rather vacant. He seemed to collect himself rapidly before beaming toward Harry, lifting himself from his seat, and patting Harry's shoulder as he searched the room.

"Best get used to it, Harry my boy," he said. "Won't be long before they all figure it out, and I'm afraid even I can't protect you from the inevitabilities involved in seeing a girl with si-" he checked himself again, five older brothers. "Five older brothers." Arthur smiled sadly.

He patted Harry once more on the shoulder, gave him a sympathetic sort of look, and wove his way through the crowd to where Percy was speaking loudly to Bill, who was still focused solely on the sight of his wife holding a small child.

Harry's wide eyes followed Mr. Weasley's progress in panic. He hadn't thought about what this would mean. Ginny's brothers would kill him! His gaze fixated quickly on a poorly wrapped gift beneath the Christmas tree. It was small and bright green, resting in the mass of other gifts inconspicuously, but to Harry it had all the sudden markings of imminent doom. It was too much commitment. Too soon. And all of her brothers would know it, and they would kill him.

Harry was entirely certain the Weasleys could kill him much more effectively than Voldemort had. More painfully, as well.

He felt eyes upon him and looked up. Hermione was frowning at him from across the room. He jumped up and started toward her immediately.

"Hermione!" he gasped as he neared her.

"Harry?" she hurried toward him, reaching a hand out to his arm. "Are you okay? Is it your scar?" She looked panicked.

Harry paused and touched his forehead. "What?" he frowned. "Oh. No, that hasn't hurt in ages. You know, since everything."

Hermione seemed to sag with the weight of relief that descended upon her.

"Gods, Harry!" she said, "Don't scare me like that! You looked just like you did every time you'd seen Tom doing something horrible through your scar!"

Harry shook his head. "Sorry," he mumbled, before dragging her to a corner to explain his dilemma. Hermione listened with rapidly decreasing concern. She stared at him without amusement as he finished.

"You must be joking," she deadpanned.

"Hermione! This is serious!"

"I hardly think it warrants a reaction equivalent to discovering a new Horcrux we hadn't realized existed."

Harry looked offended. "It may as well be! This is life or death, Hermione!"

She rolled her eyes. "You'd think he'd know the difference by now," she muttered to herself. "After having actually died and all."

Harry glared. "Exactly," he was starting to sound petulant. "I, of all people, should know when my life is in danger."

Hermione rolled her eyes once again. Harry huffed and glanced worriedly at the package.

"Please, Hermione."

She sighed. "Fine, Harry. If it means so much to you. But I'm going on record as saying I think this is completely ridiculous."

Harry waved this away as they ducked their heads together and began to plan.

Ginny frowned at the pile of packages at her feet as Percy opened his gift from George carefully. Harry was sitting across the room. Away from her. Looking decidedly shifty and nervous.

She didn't like it at all. He never looked shifty and nervous except when he was up to something. Which was admittedly more often than the regular person was up to something, but this was reminding her of the days before he disappeared on his mysterious hunt for secret pieces of Voldemort's soul.

She wondered if his scar was hurting again. The thought made her want to vomit.

She jerked back to attention as Percy yelled out in surprise, fighting the urge to draw her wand. She was getting better about it. It only took two weeks of scaring the life out of unsuspecting first years when they found themselves staring at the business end of her wand after laughing too loudly in her general vicinity for her to begin to master the urge to draw her wand at the slightest abnormal sound or motion. Neville and Luna had helped. Or, Luna mostly. Neville was the same way when they had first returned, and it took many of Luna's dreamy explanations of Wrackspurt infestations to terrified first years before Ginny and Neville had finally started to quell their overly sensitive instincts.

She looked over to Percy, controlling her rapid breathing, and burst out laughing.

His head was engulfed in a cauldron, the rim of which had closed itself around his neck just enough to result in the impossibility of tugging it over his chin. His neck was stretched to capacity as he pulled strenuously on the cauldron, and the bottom of his ears, just barely showing, were bright red.

The rest of the room's occupants stared in awe for only a moment before losing themselves in raucous laughter. George was looking very satisfied, though not nearly as animated as he once would have, from his place on the sagging couch.

"Argh!" Percy's voice reverberated from within its encasement. "How do I get this thing off!?"

"Easy," George replied from the couch. "Just guess the thickness of the cauldron's bottom. Get it right, and it pops right off."

Percy froze, turning in the general direction of George. If they could have seen his face, Ginny was sure it would reflect flabbergasted awe.

"You must be joking," he said, though the tremor in his voice was obviously the beginning of a chuckle. The room dissolved into laughter again. Even Mrs. Weasley joined this time, though she still managed to look vaguely disapproving. She seemed to be struggling between scolding George and dissolving into tears on his shoulder. It was obvious he was beginning to heal in Fred's absence, and his sense of humor hadn't been completely lost. Though, of course, it was not quite as vibrant.

"Come on, Perce," said Charlie from his place beside Ginny. He gave her shoulder a squeeze with the arm he held around her. "We all know you can tell cauldron bottom thickness in your sleep."

Percy grumbled from within his prison for a moment before sighing, finally, and reaching up to tap the bottom of the cauldron. A hollow sound echoed through the room, and Percy straightened as he said authoritatively, "1 and 1/3 inches. Much too thin to comply with regulations."

The cauldron popped off his head and landed harmlessly in his hands, revealing his wry expression and skewed glasses. It took several minutes for everyone to calm down enough to continue with the opening of gifts. For his part, Percy seemed to take the teasing gracefully. Whether it was as a result of his new girlfriend Audrey being in attendance, or simply his newfound perspective after all his many experiences in the War, Ginny didn't know. But as far as she was concerned, if it amounted to the same thing-Percy as a part of the family once again-then she didn't think she cared either way.

Finally, Mrs. Weasley shushed everyone and turned to Ginny.

"Your turn, dear," she said kindly, and Ginny's eyes darted immediately toward the bright green package she had deduced must be from Harry. She was leaning forward to reach for it before she realized that it was no longer there.

"What…"

Ginny's eyes snapped to Harry, who was looking suspiciously innocent as he shuffled halfway behind Hermione to try and hide himself from her view.

"Where'd it go?" Ginny demanded. Her family was staring at her oddly.

"Ginny, dear…" her mother started, but Ginny waved a hand to cut her off.

"No, it was right there," she insisted. "Where is it?" Her eyes narrowed on the occupants of the room. One of them had taken it. She knew it. And it was hers. She knew that too.

"Gin, what are you talking about?" Charlie was looking amused from his place beside her on the floor, and Ginny saw him twirl his wand inconspicuously at his side. A muffled yelp came from across the room, and Harry's head emerged from behind Hermione's shoulder. He was glaring indignantly at Charlie, rubbing the side of his head with one hand and, with the other, clutching…

"Hey!" Ginny popped from the ground triumphantly. "There it is!" She smiled as she skipped happily toward Harry, whose hand had frozen on his head. He was gaping at her with what looked like horror. Hermione looked panicked for a moment before she sighed, rolled her eyes, and glared at Harry.

"You can't say I didn't try," she concluded to him, and walked over to sit by Ron on the arm of his loveseat, thus exposing the rest of the bright green package held in Harry's hand. She crossed her arms and lifted an eyebrow at him, before smirking, relaxing upon the arm of Ron's chair, and snaking a foot over to rub the back of her boyfriend's calf.

Ginny was standing in front of Harry now, looking into his panicked green eyes.

"Nothing gets between me and my presents, Potter," she said. "Give it over." She patted his shoulder as she reached down to tug it from his hand. His grip was like one of George's ever-sticking solutions. Completely immovable. Ginny frowned and tugged harder.

"Mate," Ron took time from grinning happily at his girlfriend to look Harry's way. "She's being serious, you know. She turned my nose blue when she was five years old because I hid her present from Bill. It wouldn't go back right for a week."

Bill snorted from the corner. "Never went back quite right, did it?"

"Shut up, Bill."

The rest of the Weasley brothers snickered gleefully at Ron's rapidly reddening face, but were quickly silenced as the tug of war between Harry and Ginny got suddenly more fierce.

"Give it, Potter!" Ginny was now tugging on the package with both hands while Harry was staunchly attempting to look completely innocent as he stared at the wall over her left shoulder.

"Harry, mate, you should really listen to her. She gets vicious with this sort of thing," Ron was starting to sound worried.

"I told you it wouldn't work, Harry. This is ridiculous!" Hermione huffed.

"Ginny dear, perhaps Harry doesn't want to give you your gift right now…"

Harry and Ginny were oblivious to the family's commentary as they struggled over the package in Harry's hand, until suddenly, Ginny stopped moving.

"Alright, Harry," she sighed sadly. "I'll open a different one."

She turned away and ducked her head, hiding her face behind a curtain of her red hair. She sniffed quietly, her shoulders sagging, and let Harry glimpse a shining tear track down her cheek.

"Ginny," he whispered. His voice was a mixture of devastation and panic; he never had been good with crying girls. He took a step forward.

In a flurry of motion so quick it could only come from the athleticism of two-a-day Quidditch practices at Hogwarts, Ginny ducked under Harry's arm, twisted the package in his now slack hand, and used her momentum to push him off balance as she triumphantly thrust the package over her head and jabbed her wand at Harry as he spun around in surprise.

"Immobulus!" she cried, and the spell hit Harry directly in the nose. He froze in a position of utmost surprise and extreme horror. His eyes searched Ginny's face with what looked like a mixture of awe and betrayal.

"Oldest trick in the book, mate," Charlie spoke up from the couch. "Never fall for the waterworks."

Ginny, for her part, was tearing into the wrapping of her triumphantly won Christmas gift while dancing on the balls of her feet and giggling in a way that seemed distinctly evil to Harry.

Mrs. Weasley seemed torn between reprimanding her daughter and giggling along with her, as she lifted her wand to set Harry back to rights.

She never got the chance. A gasp of shock had spread over the Weasley clan as if a bucket of freezing water had been dumped over the entire room. Ginny stood, immovable.

Delicately resting in Ginny's palms, gold glinting softly in the firelight and trembling slightly from the tremor in her hands as the green wrapping paper fluttered slowly to the ground, was a small, black book.

It looked exactly like the one from her second year, save the name engraved in gold in the right front corner.

Ginevra Molly Weasley

(And no one else)

"Harry…" Ron's voice had a threatening undertone that seemed very close to manifesting itself into violence.

Ginny and Harry ignored him. Ginny was still immobile, staring at the black diary in her hands and trembling. Harry searched her face with his eyes so intensely that no one else seemed to be in the room. He closed them, concentrated hard, and threw off Ginny's curse.

In three strides he was across the room.

"Gin," he said softly, reaching out to touch her arm. She flinched, and his hand retreated immediately. Her brothers were all standing now, their weight balanced on their balls of their feet threateningly.

Harry ignored them and took another step forward. He made no move to touch her.

"Gin," he said again. "Open it."

Her eyes scrunched closed immediately with his words and her breathing quickened. She shook her head fiercely.

"Hey," Harry didn't hesitate this time as he reached out to hold her arms gently above her elbows. Ginny didn't flinch. "Look at me."

After a moment, she looked up.

Harry smiled at her.

"Will you trust me?"

Ginny searched his face frantically for a moment before looking back down to the book in her hands. It wasn't trembling anymore.

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment, and opened the front cover.

There were no fireworks. No happy little strings of music filtering out of the pages. No bubbles magically floating up to tickle her nose. He had done nothing at all to make the experience of opening this diary any different than the experience of opening Riddle's. Save one thing.

Writing. Harry's writing. It was already scrawled across the front page. Nothing extensive, only a short little note across the top in his messy scrawl, but it stayed there. It was permanent. It hadn't appeared as if by magic when she opened the book, and it wasn't sinking into the page as she watched. It was immovable. It was permanent. And so was what it said.

Ginny,

You told me once that the worst part of your second year wasn't the possession, but the fact that the possession was made possible because you had given your whole self to Tom, and you couldn't take it back.

Let's reverse it this time. I am going to give my whole self to you right now, and I'm going to hope it helps you see this diary differently than the last.

I love you.

And I'll never take that back.

-Harry

PS: Please don't possess me now.

Ginny's breathing had quickened during the first few lines, and then stopped completely as she read his confession. Now she reached the end and her breath came out in a great rush. Her hands had begun to tremble again, but it quickly became apparent that it was for an entirely different reason this time.

Ginny gave a short, elated laugh as she lifted her eyes from the book in her hands and fixed Harry with the blazing look she had pinned him with the very first time they kissed in his sixth year. He didn't even have a chance to wonder what she thought of his gift before she had launched herself into his arms and planted a searing kiss upon his lips.

The kiss didn't last long. Their elated grins made it difficult to properly kiss, and there was an immediate and loud protestation from most of the Weasley males in the room. Harry was yanked back from Ginny almost as quickly as Ginny had pulled him forward, and George's loud voice sounded from just beside his ear.

"Didn't happen!" he announced. "Everyone look away. Bet's still on."

Mr. Weasley ignored him as he held his hand out toward Percy.

"If you please, Percival," he intoned smugly. He winked at Harry. "Told you I never lose a bet. Christmas, on the dot."

Harry's grin was nearly splitting his face as George sighed in defeat and let go of the back of his jumper. He stumbled forward dazedly, still grinning madly at Ginny.

"Arthur," Mrs. Weasley demanded. "What are you doing?"

Mr. Weasley didn't miss a beat as he deftly caught the leather pouch Percy had tossed his way. "Collecting my winnings, Mollywobbles," he informed.

She gasped. "You were gambling on our only daughter's love life!?"

Arthur shrugged. "Nothing else to gamble on, was there?"

Mrs. Weasley seemed to be building up a head of steam at her husband's less than contrite reaction, her face rapidly increasing through various shades of red. At a concerned nudge from Fleur, who was watching Harry and Ginny grin stupidly at each other with a soppy look on her face, Bill cleared his throat.

"Well," he announced nervously. "Might as well give you all something new to put money on, since I'll be needing to win my Galleons back from Dad soon."

Everyone stared at him. He shrugged.

"Fleur's expecting," he smiled. Fleur flushed prettily and nodded.

"Oui," she said. "In May."

The room exploded in a cacophony of sound and chaos. Molly burst into tears and flew across the room to engulf her eldest son and his wife in a hug. Arthur grinned mightily and swept a spare bit of wrapping paper from the floor to begin taking down the bets. George made a joke about a Veela-Werechild that had his mother smacking him round the head soundly, and Percy pompously announced the new rules for registering a magical child with the Ministry, as the former administration had made the process a bit of a debacle.

Harry and Ginny ignored it all. It was easy. Being they were snogging in the corner.

"Oi, Potter!" Ron yelled above the noise. "Hands off my sister!"

Harry was content to send a rude hand gesture his friend's way-he wasn't one to talk, endlessly shagging the closest thing Harry had to a sister-but quickly became aware that this would not suffice. The room had gone completely silent at Ron's pronouncement.

Harry and Ginny broke apart to stare into one another's eyes. Harry broke their gaze to flicker his eyes nervously to her brothers. They were glaring daggers at him and slowly stalking forward.

"I think I'd better run," he murmured.

Ginny giggled, but didn't contradict him.

Harry turned back to her, grinned, and placed one more fierce kiss upon her lips. There was a roar of protest from the now rapidly approaching mob of redheads.

And Harry bolted.

The chase lasted much longer than any of her brothers expected. Most of them had never seen just how quickly Harry could run, having never witnessed him fleeing from his cousin. In the end, Harry was holding them at bay with a well-developed protego charm, while they pelted spells his way and dodged through trees as he sprinted through the snow-covered yard. He was fairly close to negotiating a truce with them, a tactic he had just begun learning at the Auror Academy, and one of the only subjects in which he didn't have an amazing track record.

He was certain he was just about to secure his first truce, when Ginny shattered his chances.

"Harry!" she called from her window in the Burrow. He grinned through his concentration as he blocked yet another tickling jinx from George.

"Yes?" he called back.

"I need to tell you something!"

Harry grunted as a particularly strong stunner nearly shattered his shield. It must have come from Charlie. He was grinning evilly at Harry's left, and Harry was fairly certain it was a modified spell meant for one of his dragons.

"I'm a bit busy, at the moment!" he called back.

"It really can't wait!"

Harry yelped as a stinging jinx from Ron caught him in the ankle.

"Well, um…" Harry dodged behind a tree to avoid a burping hex from Percy.

"Good one, Perce!" George complimented. "She'll never want to kiss him if he's belching."

"Indeed, brother," Percy confirmed as he straightened his glasses. "My thoughts exactly."

Harry ignored them. "Can you just tell me now?" Harry called from behind his tree.

Ginny sighed loudly.

"Oh, alright!" she said. She paused.

Harry cursed and barely escaped a Jelly Legs jinx from Ron, who had climbed the tree beside him and aimed through the leaves above his head. He was sprinting across an open patch of the garden towards the shed, flinging tripping hexes over his shoulder for cover, when she completely shattered his world and everything he knew within it.

"I love you too!" she cried.

Harry froze, snapping his gaze to her from the middle of the cabbage patch behind the house. A smile slowly stretched across his face as the elation rose within his chest, and he let his wand drop to his side as he beamed at her.

And he was still beaming as five different Stunners hit him from five different directions.

Somehow, he couldn't bring himself to mind.

A/N: If you liked it, please review! I love feedback!