Everything's Gonna Be Alright
Harry had a wonderful time flying and playing tag with Ginny. Despite the fact that he had flown to Devon all the way from Surrey, he enjoyed it nonetheless. They put away their brooms in the broom shed and headed towards the house. They were walking in silence, though it was not an uncomfortable one, at least not for Ginny. True, she was nervous walking side-by-side with the love of her life, but it was nothing compared to the state of Harry's nerves.
While Ginny was idly walking with her arms loosely hung to her sides, a great struggle was going inside Harry's mind. His brain was screaming to show his Gryffindor courage and take her hand, but at the same time he was scared of her reaction. What if she didn't think of me much more than a friend? Would she be offended? What if she hated me for it? What would I do then? Would it affect my relationship with the rest of the Weasleys? Or if she still feels the same way, would the Weasleys approve of me dating Ginny? Or would they consider it as crossing a line? The Burrow was his only home, and the Weasleys were his only hope for a normal life, they were his only family. He didn't want to jeopardize his relationship with the entire family just for his feelings for Ginny. He idly wondered if it was worth the risk, him being with Ginny. Of course it's worth the risk, you great prat! His mind screamed at him.
With a bravery and boldness he thought he did not possess, he took hold of Ginny's hand in his larger one. He knew he was blushing furiously, but adamantly looked forward avoiding Ginny's gaze. The house looked very interesting to him and he intently started to count the windows. Ginny, on the other hand, was overloaded with joy at his gesture. She felt like her heart would burst out of her chest. Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived, her childhood crush and love of her life had taken her hand and was blushing! She felt her legs go weak, but she gave a reassuring squeeze and tightened her grip on his hand. She was grinning like an idiot at the moment, but she didn't care. Meanwhile, relief flooded through Harry. She has not let go! I am holding her hand! He was mentally doing a dance jig. Even though he was still blushing, a smile also broke on his face. He intertwined his fingers with hers, but still tried not to look directly at her face. Both of them got the signal that the feeling was mutual. They continued holding hands, but reluctantly let go of each other as the approached the kitchen.
"There you are! I was just about to call you for lunch," Mrs. Weasley said smiling at them. She could see both of them had had a great time and it was only a matter of time the two of them got together. She told them to go and wash up and placed the tray of sandwiches on the table. As they sat down for lunch, she noticed Harry sat down next to Ginny, a feat which had never occurred before, at least in her sight. She smiled inwardly and hoped things worked out for them. They were just meant for each other.
Harry managed to force down a complete sandwich down his throat. Even after his resolve to take care of himself and eat properly, his appetite was still subdued. He watched in fascination as Ginny grabbed her third sandwich. He idly wondered how a small girl like her could eat so much. He should get a good paying job after Hogwarts if he wanted to feed Ginny properly, he thought. Brilliant, Potter! Said a sarcastic voice in the back of his mind, you are terrified of asking her out, and here you are thinking of marrying her! Get a grip or get a move on!
Ginny noticed Harry's gaze upon her and looked up to him and gave him a dazzling smile. Harry's heart did some sort of dance jig at the sight of her. She took one look at his clean plate and silently added another sandwich. When he tried to protest she cut him off, "Nonsense, Harry, you need to eat to keep up your strength. Merlin knows you can do with some weight. If you don't want to eat for yourself, eat it for me," She finished with an emphasis on the ending note.
Harry gave her a huge smile and the silently began to munch on his second sandwich.
Molly Weasley saw this exchange with a barely concealed grin. Merlin, they are so smitten with each other, just like Ron and Hermione. She was happy that her youngest child and almost son were coming to their senses about one another. It's good that they are letting each other know their feeling, Thanks Merlin for small favours. She reflected upon the relationship of her youngest son and his best friend, Hermione. It was so obvious they fancied each other, but both of them were clueless as Flobberworms. She glanced at the timepiece and realized it was time to go. She was due at headquarters for setting up an infirmary along with other healers of the Order. Why they needed one was a mystery to her, but no one questioned the decisions of Albus Dumbledore lightly. She suspected that the headmaster expected this war to be worse than the previous one. She prayed her family made through it unscathed. She regarded Harry and Hermione as family and planned to get their hands on the clock at their respective birthdays. Getting up, she reached for her wand and cloak. After saying goodbye to both children, she left through the back door and walked towards the outskirts of The Burrow to Apparate to the HQs.
Ginny silently watched her mother walk away down the path heading towards the boundary of the wards. Her mother was still adamant to keep the teenagers out of the war and never let anything slip. She only referred to her assignments as Order business, unlike her brothers, who accidently on purpose gave them some update from time to time. She put away the leftovers and began to do the dishes, aware of Harry watching her closely. She was wondering what was going on in his mind, when he asked in a small voice, "Do you need any help? I'll be glad to be of service."
Ginny smiled inwardly at his politeness and nervousness. He was so adorably sweet. She gave him a smile and handed him the towel, "Sure, I'll wash the dishes, and you can dry them."
Harry happily obliged. He carefully wiped the plates while watching her when he thought she wasn't looking. She looked so beautiful; it was so hard for him to take his eyes off her. On the other hand, Ginny was flattered, both by his attention and sweetness. She piled up the dried dishes in the rack and grabbed a cloth to wipe the table. Finishing up at the kitchen, she challenged Harry to a game of chess to which he happily accepted. During the game Harry's attention wandered off to the beautiful girl sitting in front of him. He fought hard to keep his mind focused on the chess board but his eyes had will of their own. After losing to her five times in a row, he threw up his hands in exasperation, "I give up. I cannot beat a Weasley in chess no matter what."
Ginny, feeling mischievous decided to tease him. "Aww, I never knew you were such a sore loser."
"Who says I am?" He asked putting away his chess pieces.
"Oh I do, and I know I am right," she replied cheekily not backing down one step.
"Oh I am not. Here I thought I was pointing the obvious."
"Oh, well pointed." She used the phrase Hermione used when Ron noticed she was a girl. Both she and Harry shared a laugh at the reference. Ginny looked up at a laughing Harry. He looked so young and carefree when he was happy. She was glad she was able to make him laugh and bring a smile on his usually grim face.
Later he excused himself to go and lie in for a nap. She offered to show him to his room which he gladly accepted. Standing in front of Charlie's room, she opened the door and told him, "Mum has set up Charlie's old room for you on my insistence. My room is just across. See that door there?" She pointed to a door with a sign 'Ginny's Room'. "That is my room. She initially wanted to put you up in Fred and George's old room, but then I told her you wouldn't enjoy the summer getting pranked every time you move around." She paused for his reaction and then added in undertone avoiding his eyes. "I also thought you could do with some privacy."
Harry looked at her so quickly it made his neck crick. His heart swelled at her concern for him and her thoughtfulness. No one had ever done anything like this for him. Others always showed concern but she had taken into account his desires. He wondered how she cared for him so much after his indifference to her all those years. He grabbed her in tight hug and replied huskily, "Thanks, Gin. Thank you so much. No one has ever done something like this for me."
She tightly hugged him back understanding his need of physical contact. She ran her fingers softly through his hair and said, "Harry, you are more than welcome. You don't have to thank me. I am glad you appreciate it."
Slowly, Harry let go of her, but remained where he was. Ginny looked into his emerald green eyes and said, grabbing his hand, "Harry, if you ever need to talk about anything, feel free to come to me at any time, even in the middle of the night. I know I am not close to you as Ron and Hermione, but I want to help you, Harry, if you want me to. I am good a listener and I would never push you to tell me anything you don't want. I would never tell anyone whatever you tell me, not even Ron and Hermione."
Harry was deeply touched by her words and was aware that she meant each and every one of it. Tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ear with his free hand, he said, "T-thank y-you. I-I want to talk to you about some stuff, but not r-right now. Maybe tomorrow or the day after, but I want to talk to you soon. I just feel like I can talk to you about anything."
Ginny gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "Okay, Harry. Just come to me whenever you are ready. Now you should get some rest or my mum will have a fit." He smiled at her and thanked her once again. She waved it off once again, then leaned over, planted a kiss on his cheek and left for her room. Opening her door, she glanced back to see Harry standing transfixed at the same spot slowly touching the spot on his check where she had kissed him. Coming to his senses, he smiled at her once more, aware of the fact that his face was flushed, and went into his room to take a nap.
The next three day passed almost in the same way. Ron left for the twins' shop shortly after breakfast every morning and Harry continued to spend the entire day in Ginny's company, not that either of them complained. They spent the day talking, sitting by the pond, flying in the paddock, helping Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen and completing their homework. They had taken to do their summer assignments together with usually Harry helping Ginny with DADA or Transfiguration. Ginny was very good at Charms and also excelled at Potions, where Harry lacked thanks to Snape.
She helped him understand some of the obscure laws and theories of Potions even though she was a year behind him. They stayed up late every night playing chess or exploding snap. Sometimes they just sat by the fireplace and talked or even sit together in companionable silence. Harry was getting better at controlling his blush while holding Ginny's hand at times. Ginny didn't say a word about it and continued to treat him the same, knowing that he would come to her when he was ready.
It was the fourth day when Harry decided to talk Ginny about Sirius and his nightmares. He was doing better, but still had the occasional bad dream, though not a nightmare. It was four in the evening when Harry decided to approach her. They were all alone in the house. Ron was at the joke shop and Mrs. Weasley was away on an assignment for the Order. Harry went up to Ginny's room and found the door ajar. He peeked to see Ginny lying on her bed reading some teen magazine. She was dressed in a plain knee length black skirt and a white full sleeved top. She had her hair down, which was moving with the wind coming from the open window.
Her freckles, which he loved, stood out in the sunlight. Her chocolate brown eyes were locked on the magazine, reading intently. Harry was mesmerized at the sight of her. She looked like an angel to him. He stared at her, only coming to his senses when he felt drool down his chin. He quickly wiped it up with his sleeve and knocked softly on the door. Ginny looked up at him and gave him a lopsided grin. Harry was alarmed as he felt his stomach tighten. He hastily smiled at her and said, "Ah, Gin, you said that I could come and talk to you whenever I wanted. So, I was wondering, if you wanted... then maybe we could go down by the lake and talk." He knew he was rambling, but he couldn't help it.
Ginny quickly got up and said with a grin, "Sure, let's head out. And, Harry, you don't have to be so shy to ask me to talk, you know I would love to talk to you."
Harry mumbled something incoherent and started to descend the staircase. Amused, Ginny shook her head and followed him. They walked out of The Burrow and went down to 'Ginny's spot', which she had showed him couple of days ago. It was a nice secluded spot hidden by the bushes which gave a terrific view of the valley. She told him that she often came here to find solitude and be herself when the house was full of people. It was a quiet spot and none of Ginny's brothers knew of it. They sat down side by side and gazed down the valley. Harry was unsure where to begin, he had no idea where to start. Ginny, sensing his uncertainty, took the matter into her hands and spoke softly, "I will be here for you, Harry, always. Now take your time and begin talking when you feel comfortable."
Harry was so deeply touched at her patience and compassion, that he couldn't help but wonder once again how she cared for him so much. He mustered all his energy and spoke in a small voice, "I don't know where to start, Gin."
"Start with the nightmares, Harry. It usually helps talking about them. It helped me when I talked to Bill after my first year." she said while taking his hand in her own.
Harry mentally prepared himself to endure his horrors once again, that usually haunted him at night. Even though he knew it would help him, he was still feeling apprehensive about the whole idea. A tiny childish part of him was afraid that she would think of him a coward. Taking her word for it, he took a deep breath then looked down at his lap and began, "The nightmares usually started with me running down hallways and corridors. Then I enter the Hall of Prophecies and the fight began. Usually I see all of you getting killed by the Death Eaters or the veil. Sometimes the dreams start in the graveyard. Occasionally it starts from the Chamber but all of them end the same way, Sirius falling through the veil and you dying in Chamber or falling through veil as well. Then everyone I care about ends up dead one by one, and it is always due to my fault."
Harry's voice faltered twice and he began to tear up as he reached the part about Sirius falling through the veil. Ginny's heart clenched at the sight of him, his anguish and pain. She drew him in a hug and rested his head on her shoulder. He buried his head in her hair and started to sob. She softly rubbed his back with her hands, tears filling in her own eyes. She said, "Let it out, Harry. Don't bottle it inside of you. I am here for you, and I am never going to leave you. Everything is going to be all right. Let it out," she continued to whisper soothing words in his ear while softly rubbing his back. Harry had tensed up at first, but soon relaxed under her touch and cried his heart out. He cried for his parents, he cried for Sirius, Cedric... He cried for all the abuse and torture he was subjected to all those years. He wept for all the pain he went through his previous years in the Wizarding world.
Half an hour later, his cries and sobs had subdued to whimpers and tears. All this time Ginny kept on reassuring him, telling him she was there for him and everything was going to be all right. Harry realized he had broken down in front of Ginny. He broke away and flushed with embarrassment. "Sorry, I didn't mean to break down like this. I..."
But the rest of his apology was cut off by Ginny as she shot him a stern look and sharply said, "Don't you dare apologize to me, Harry James Potter!" Then she softened and continued in a soothing voice, "You have nothing to apologize for. You have nothing to be ashamed of. I am touched that you trust me enough to cry in front of me. Harry, crying is an important step of grieving. You cannot heal if you don't cry. You cannot expect the pain to lessen if you try to deny it and put it away. It comes haunting you. You should feel the pain and talk to those who love you, and let them help you. Let me help you, Harry. Talk to me. Talk to me about your problems and feelings. I promise I won't judge you. Talk to me." She pulled him in hug again despite his protests and kissed the top of his head. He first tensed up again, but slowly melted into her embrace and then wrapped his arms around her and nodded weakly.
He took a few minutes to gather his voice and then said pulling back slightly, "I miss Sirius. I miss him all the time. First few days were beyond terrible, only you guys kept me going, especially you, Gin. You've helped me so much through your letters and also at Hogwarts. Gin, I miss him, I miss him so much. I cannot believe he won't write to me ever again. I need him and he's not here now. He was a mixture of a friend, older brother and father. Now I would never see him again, Gin. I still feel guilty for his death. Sometimes I feel like, like I practically killed Sirius." He started crying again as he finished speaking.
Ginny drew him closer to her and rested his head on her shoulder once more. He in turn wrapped his arms round her tighter. She held him close and ran her fingers through his hair. She fought back the tears welling up in her own eyes. She kissed his forehead and began in a low but firm voice. "Harry, you are NOT responsible for Sirius's death. I repeat, you are not responsible. You did not kill Sirius. There are many people to blame, first of all Tom, because of whom we are in state of war. Second, Bellatrix Lestrange, who threw the curse at Sirius that pushed him through the veil. There is also Kreacher, who plotted against his master. Granted he and Sirius weren't exactly best mates, but he didn't have to betray Sirius. He plotted his death along with the Malfoys and Tom. You are not responsible."
Harry had stopped crying by now and looked lost, but Ginny knew he was listening to her intently. He hung onto her every single word as it brought him comfort along with her embrace. As she quietened he told her his thoughts. "But, Gin, the dream which I thought to be true turned out to be a fake. If I had practiced Occlumency harder, Voldemort wouldn't have been able to trick me in the first place. Hell, I could have thought of going to Snape when the crisis started! I could have even thought to use the mirror Sirius gave me at Christmas. I..."
Ginny put a finger on his lips cutting him off and said, "Harry, these are all what ifs. There is no use thinking what would have happened if you had acted differently. Listen to me, Harry; if you had practiced Occlumency harder, Tom would still have got through your defences. You had Snape for a teacher, who hates you. He's never taught you a thing in Potions, let alone occluding your mind. You could not have become an accomplished Occlumens under Snape's tutorage. It is Snape's fault that he never gave you proper instruction. It's Dumbledore's fault that he didn't realize that Snape can never see past his schoolboy grudge against your father. As for thinking of going to Snape after your vision, Harry, it didn't occur to any of us as well." She paused for a moment, letting him process what she had said. She saw he was listening to her intently, she continued, "Furthermore, Snape never gave you a reason to trust him. You went to rescue Sirius out of the purest of intentions. You thought he was in trouble. When your loved one is in trouble, you can't think of everything, Harry. Most people lose their mind, but you kept yours Harry. As for forgetting the mirror, it didn't occur to you, but this doesn't make you a bad person. We all make mistakes all the time and we all forget stuff. How could you remember using the mirror when you never used it in the first place?"
Harry pulled back a little, but still had his arms wrapped around her. She continued holding him and rubbing his back softly, just as her mother used to when she had a nightmare when she was young. Harry rested his head on hers and spoke softly, "I... I—...Y-you're right. There are loads of people to blame and my intention was to save him. But I still led him to his doom. Doesn't this make me responsible for his death? Similarly, I urged Cedric to take the cup with me at the third task, and look where it got him. I am still at fault along with the others, Ginny. I still feel guilty." He was looking down on his lap by the time he was finished. Ginny mentally cursed the Dursleys for making Harry believe everything was his fault. She wanted to curse them into oblivion for causing so much harm to the love of her life.
She pulled him closer to her, if that was even possible and continued, "Harry, you didn't have him killed. It is not your fault that things do not end up well. Lots of people are hurt around the world; many of them are murdered, but it is not your fault. Just because Sirius went there to save you and died doesn't make you responsible for his death. He died doing what he wanted to do. He was going mad being cooped up in that awful house. He died as a hero during a battle. As a result of that night, the Ministry has changed its stance. Now Fudge is leaving and hopefully someone competent will come in his place. If not, at least now the public knows Tom is back. A lot of people have joined the Order and more of them are keen to fight him. You have warned them of the dangers and now some of them will be prepared. As for Cedric taking the cup, you didn't know that the cup would lead you to Tom and Wormtail. You did it for the noblest intention and the purity of your heart. You wanted to share the title and glory with him, but fate didn't agreed. This doesn't make you responsible for his death. Sometimes things happen, Harry, and we have to accept them. They are unfair, Harry, unfair to you. Life has been unfair to you in general, but this doesn't make you responsible for others' fate or death. You have to stop blaming yourself for something you had no control of. You are not to blame, you hear me?"
Harry nodded, letting her know that he agreed with her. He looked up to the valley watching the sun setting down behind the horizon. He continued to gaze at the beautiful natural scenery in front of him for a few minutes while his mind was processing what Ginny had said. For the first time in a while, his heart and mind completely agreed with someone's advice. He mentally agreed with her reasoning and decided not to blame himself for what happened. He still felt sad but it felt better, lighter somehow. Crying with Ginny and talking to her helped him in a way he wasn't aware was possible. She was right; talking about such stuff really did help. It helped even more than her letters. All this time he had his arms round Ginny and she had hers around him. His head was resting against hers. Taking a deep breath he said, "Yes, you are right. Sirius hated being restricted to HQs, and he died fighting in a battle protecting me. It's what he wanted. And when you put it that way, I am not responsible for his death." He paused to take a deep breath then continued, "I agree with you, I was keen on beating up myself. But you knocked some sense into me. Thank you, Gin, thank you very much. When did you get so wise?" He pulled back a little and looked intently at her as he asked.
She smiled widely at his question. "Yes, Harry, you are not responsible for any of it. It's good that you see it this way now. As for me being wise, I matured quickly after the Chamber. That entire year forced me to grow up like your childhood forced you to grow up so quickly."
At the mention of Chamber of Secrets, Harry's smile faltered. He realized how he had ignored her that entire year. Even after her ordeal he never bothered to ask more than once how she was. He didn't try to help her, and now here she was helping him through his troubles. He instantly felt guilty and decided to apologize, "Gin, I just realized I have been so rude to you for so long. I never tried to help you through your problems after the Chamber. I never tried to be a good friend to you after your first year. I only began talking to you during the Tri-Wizard Tournament and then finally last year we became close. But how can you stand me? I was such a prat! I ignored you and hurt you pretty badly with my indifference. How can you stand me, let alone talk to me so much and pull me from the dumps. You should hate me. I am such an idiot. I am sorry, Ginny, I am sorry for ignoring you, for not being a good friend to you. I know I don't deserve forgiveness, but please, Gin, please forgive me."
Ginny saw Harry again apologize for something which was not his fault. She sighed in exasperation and quickly made him shut up, "Harry, I told you. You don't have to apologize for anything. You were never rude to me. I didn't make it easy for you to be my friend at that time. You were always polite and nice to me. You were twelve, and everyone is allowed to make such mistakes at that age. Harry, you befriended me soon enough at the end of my second year. And last year we became close friends. I could never hold it against you that you didn't come to help me after the Chamber or that you weren't very friendly. There is nothing for me to forgive, nothing at all. You saved my life and reassured me in the Chamber, which was more than enough. As for helping you now, Harry, I am where I want to be. It's what I want to do. I care about you; I care about you very much. I would gladly help you through your pain if the situation ever rises again. I am glad to help you and I would do that again in a heartbeat," she added as an afterthought, "I could never hate you."
Harry was amazed at the vastness of her heart. He had no words to describe what he felt, so he just nodded. An idea came to him but he was reluctant to go through with it. He hesitated for a moment, then leaned forward and placed a kiss on her cheek and then held her close. Ginny's heart swelled at his action, she was positively beaming. The hope that Harry returned her feelings ignited and she prayed silently he asked her out soon. She was now sure he liked her and she knew that he realized she still liked him as well. What he didn't know was that she just didn't like him, she loved him. As much as she wanted to push him by the tree and snog his brains out, she knew right now he was grieving and right now he needed moral support. He will come to her in his own time, which she suspected, and hoped, was in the near future, preferably during the summer.
They sat together for a long time silently watching the sun set. Some while later, Harry began telling her his adventures of his early years at Hogwarts, how he got the invisibility cloak, the escapade with the mirror of Erised, the meeting with fluffy and the entire tale of Philosopher's Stone. With some hesitation he told her about hearing voices during his second year and the entire Chamber incident from his point of view on her urging. In turn she told him from her perspective, and later she told him her adventures and pranks at Hogwarts. Harry also told her about his third and fourth years. She was fascinated with the confrontation among the trio and Sirius and Remus. She whopped in glee when Harry told her that they had knocked Snape unconscious. He even told her a bit about his life with the Dursleys, but carefully avoided telling her about the cupboard and other more horrible stuff. Then they talked about petty and silly little things. They were talking about Quidditch, and Ron's obsession with the Cannons, when Ginny realized the sun had set. She got up quickly, pulling Harry up with her.
"Harry! It's after seven! We have to go in. Mum told me she would be late today and I had to get started on dinner. Bill is coming with Fleur to stay and the twins will also be here for dinner." She ranted, but when she saw him laughing, she asked tersely, "Hey, what are you laughing at?"
Harry chuckled lightly at her expression, but quickly sobered under her gaze, "Nothing, just the look on your face. Come on, let's head inside. I will help you prepare dinner. Merlin knows I already have enough practice from cooking for the Dursleys."
Ginny's anger boiled at the mention of Dursleys. They made a seven year old cook breakfast! She was furious and wanted to hex them to bits, but controlling her temper, she returned to her cheerful self and asked cheekily, "Are you sure you up to it, Potter? I won't hold it against you if you chickened out."
"Oh I am up to it, Weasley. Let me show you how it's done," Harry replied feeling lighter and happier than in ages. He was enjoying this friendly banter with Ginny. He extended his hand to her, which she gladly took. She intertwined her fingers with his and they made their way to The Burrow hand in hand.
Harry helped Ginny make lamb stew and fresh bread for dinner. He also helped her to prepare apple pie for desert. He even helped her set up the table. They had just finished up placing Butterbeer and water on the table when they heard someone Floo in, arguing. They quickly walked into the living room to see what the commotion was about, but they didn't have to ask. The sight which greeted them was enough, they laughed out loudly. Inside, Ron was standing with pink hair and his face was now red with anger. On the other hand, the twins were standing in front of him with their standard mischievous grins.
"Fred, turn it back, now! You said you would turn it back into red by the time you closed down the shop, and that was half an hour ago!" Ron shouted. Harry was laughing so hard that he had to grab the wall to keep standing. Ginny wasn't faring much better.
"Now, now, brother dear, I think you look absolutely charming just the way you are; don't you think, my devilishly good-looking twin?" Fred said while looking pensively at George.
"I agree whole heartedly, my intelligent identical brother. But I don't think Ickle Ronnikins appreciates the effort we made to brush up his appearance. Ungrateful little brat." George eyed Ron while shaking his head in mock disappointment.
"Fred, George, change it back now or..." Ron said in what he thought was a threatening voice but in truth was nothing more than a grumble.
"Or what, little brother? You will glare us to death? Or you'd ask your 'Mione to hex us?" Fred asked taking the mickey out of him.
"She's not my 'Mione and stop calling her that. Now change it back or I will..."
But rest of his pathetic threat was cut off by a loud screech, which also announced the arrival of Mrs. Weasley, which they had obviously missed over all commotion. "Fred and George Weasley! You change your brother's hair to their right colour now or you will be cleaning the attic." Harry and Ginny quickly sobered up, but still trying their best not to burst out laughing at the hilarious spectacle.
"Mum, we were just..." Fred began to justify but to no avail.
"Now." She shot them a stern look.
"Oh, alright, Mum, prankster's honour." George took out his wand and walked over to Ron, who now had a smug look on his face. George pointed his wand and muttered an incantation changing Ron's hair back to normal. The younger Weasley brother sighed in relief, thanked his mother, and ran upstairs. Mrs. Weasley cast one last disapproving look at the twins before heading into the kitchen though Harry noticed the top of her lips was twitching. As soon as she was out of earshot Fred added in an undertone. "But I still think pink was really Ron's colour," which made Harry and Ginny go through another fit of laughter.
Harry, Ron and the twins were gathered in the living room waiting for Mr. Weasley, Bill and Fleur to arrive. Ron was telling Harry the standings of the Quidditch teams in the league with Fred and George adding a comment here or there, also teasing Ron about the Cannons. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Mrs. Weasley was checking the stew and the pie while complimenting Ginny on the wonderful job she had done.
"But, Mum, I didn't do it by myself. Harry helped me a lot; he even peeled the vegetables and set up the table. I never thought a boy could be such a huge help in kitchen," Ginny told her.
"He is such a dear; a perfect gentleman. You didn't ask him to help, did you?" Molly asked her.
Ginny shook her head, "No, Mum, he volunteered himself. I never thought he'd know so much about cooking and stuff, let alone happily giving a hand."
"I wonder where he learned all that," Molly thought out aloud.
Ginny wisely chose not to comment, even though she perfectly knew from where Harry had got his experience, as he had told her that evening. She frowned wondering how someone could be so cruel to a kid, let alone their own nephew, their own flesh and blood. She was brought out of her musings by two loud pops which announced the arrival of Bill and Fleur. She quickly gathered herself and walked into the living room to greet her eldest brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law.
Bill and Fleur walked in through the main door and greeted everyone. Harry shook hands with Bill and so did Fleur with the rest of the Weasley boys, but when she came up to Harry, she leaned over and kissed his cheek; his face flushed a brilliant shade of crimson. Meanwhile Ron and Ginny were smirking at him, obviously overjoyed at his predicament.
"'Arry, it'z zo good to see you," Fleur said while shaking his outstretched hand.
"It's nice to see you too, Fleur. How have you been?" Harry replied uncomfortably.
She smiled at him, "I 'ave been well. Billy 'ere iz great, he is still 'elping me weeth my Engleesh. I love him so much." She grinned at Bill, who goofily grinned back at her not seeing the looks of mirth and glee on the twins' faces at the nickname, 'Billy'. Harry sensed some severe teasing coming up. He talked a bit to Fleur congratulating her on her engagement and asking her about her job at Gringotts. She was telling him about her involvement with the Order when a faint pop announced the arrival of Mr. Weasley, who came in a moment later.
Few minutes later, Harry was having dinner with the Weasleys and Fleur, who was a Weasley-to-be. She and Mrs. Weasley were going on and on about flowers, dresses and other wedding plans. Fred and George were entertaining Harry and Ginny with incidents at their joke shop while Ron was listening to an intense discussion between his dad and eldest brother about the goblins' stance in upcoming war. When dinner was ended, Mrs. Weasley waved her wand and the dishes began to pile and move over to the sink. She waved her wand again and they began to wash themselves. She rose from her seat and took the apple pie out of the oven. She served it while asking rhetorically.
"Now, who wants some apple pie?"
After a big round of dessert, dinner was concluded. Harry had two helpings of pie, and was feeling extremely full. He had to loosen up his belt a bit, and it was a lucky thing that the jeans had once belonged to Dudley, so they were quite roomy for Harry's thin waistline. After dinner everyone moved to the parlour to sit down and relax. Ron challenged Harry to a game of chess, which Harry lost spectacularly in fifteen minutes. Then Ginny challenged Ron against her and Harry which her brother narrowly won.
As the hour grew late, the twins took their cue and left for their flat above their joke shop. A few minutes later, Fleur, who was staying in the twins' old room, excused herself, followed by Mr. Weasley and Bill, who was staying in his old room. Mrs. Weasley went a little while later, asking them not to stay up too late. Ron, Harry and Ginny continued to play exploding snap until Ron yawned stupidly like a giant and went upstairs as well.
Harry and Ginny remained downstairs watching the flames burn away. They were in a companionable silence with Harry sitting right next to Ginny. He was pondering upon his emotions and feelings of the day. He thought about Ginny and his interaction with her that afternoon. She had helped him a lot. She turned out to be an even better listener than he expected. She had sympathized and cried with him, listened and talked to him and had eased away his pain with her caring and loving touch and soothing words. He had felt lighter and happier after talking to her. He felt most of the grief and sorrows go away, though a little of it was still there.
He looked up at her beautiful face. He was still amazed how beautiful she was, and cursed himself for not noticing her for who she was all those years. She had been right under his nose all this time and he had been too blind to notice her. He summoned up his energy, took a deep breath and solemnly said, "Thank you, Ginny. Thank you so much. Talking to you today has helped me loads. I feel better; somehow lighter and happier. You have no idea how grateful I am. I don't know what I would have done without you. First your letters and now all this, thank you, Gin."
She took his hand and replied in a calm soothing tone, "Harry, I have told you so many times, you don't have to thank me. It is what I wanted to do. I am touched you trusted me with your secrets, and I am glad I am able to help. I would do it again in a heartbeat, if you want me to."
Harry's heart swelled once more at her words. He was having this feeling very often lately. She really is something, he idly thought. Giving her hand a squeeze he said, "I am so lucky to have you. Gin, I need to talk to you soon about something, but not now, maybe in a couple more days. Right now I just want to stay here and believe nothing bad will happen to any of us."
Ginny nodded and scooted over to him. She draped an arm around his neck, pulling him close to her. She planted a kiss on his check and softly murmured." Harry, everything will be alright one day." She paused then added, "I am here for you, Harry, and I always will be. Everything's gonna be alright."