Complete and Utter Shite
"The wizarding world is not ready for this," A large, proud voice boomed through the Ministry of Magic Wizengamot. "Our economy is shot, our citizens are distrustful and wary, and an attack on the traditional wizarding household such as this is likely to thrust us into another war."
"Threats of war are unfounded, this is no movement or desire for such a thing, and regardless there is no leader to rally frustrated wizards into war."
"That is exactly why we must stay away from conflict! Without a figurehead war is much harder to stop! What our people have just been through is a cakewalk in contrast to-"
"-And what would you know of war? Forgive me for not taking war knowledge from the coward who hid behind the misdeeds of others- or are you claiming to have taken a side now that there is no one to object?"
"Slander! I object most strongly, my actions during the war were-" He may have continued to speak, but the interrupter was much louder.
"-COWARDLY AND INCONSOLABLE! You are lucky to be free, much less active in a cushy government job!"
"Nevertheless! His actions during the war do not take away from the facts, and this attempt to change the traditional will cause war. After everything-"
"This is fear mongering! You hope to control the Wizengamot by the same tactics of the war leaders that led the Ministry of Magic into the crumbling institution it is today! Fear of war or strife is exactly what got us into this position, we must do what is right, regardless of outdated traditions and angered bigots."
Harry had a headache, a really, really bad headache. It wasn't like those he'd had not too long ago, spikes of uncontrollable pain while Lord Voldemort felt extreme emotion. That didn't mean that it wasn't all too much for him though. Adding arguments of ignorant members of the Wizengamot didn't help. In the moment he wanted nothing for than a silent room with his wonderful girlfriend, where the two of them would sleep peacefully and silently while these old idiots got nothing done. Then, maybe, when they woke up they would enjoy new activities together, but at another pulse of pain in his head he day dreamed more of the sleep than anything else. In fact, he thought, he may be able to get away with sleeping right then. Simply ignoring his responsibility and taking a nap, the loud booming objections of men fading away with his consciousness. He wouldn't do that, of course, but the idea grew as the pain progressed, and he began to flick his wrist painfully to stay awake.
The young wizard had been overjoyed when Kingsley Shacklebolt had become the Minister of Magic. Kingsley was a ministry man who'd not once been corrupted, like so many other ministry men. Harry's experience with him in the Order of the Pheonix helped as well, and he trusted him. In fact, Harry trusted him so much he wondered what on earth he was doing there. Kingsley could surely keep track of these wizards while he left for a well deserved nap...
When he'd been offered the position, Harry had immediately felt the brute force of responsibility hit him. Kingsley explained that the wizarding community did not trust the Ministry of Magic, and they did trust Harry Potter. In fact, as writers delved into the heros of the war, the Potter family was collecting more fame. Kingsley had wanted to give the Potter family a seat in the Wizengamot, something Harry had objected to immediately. Hermione had explained it perfectly, 'the problem with the Ministry is career politicians who aren't held accountable for their actions. Giving a seat to someone because of their birth is a flawed system that encourages corruption, and prevents muggleborn influence in the government.'
Kingsley had agreed, and offered her a seat as well. Hermione, fully intending to go to Hogwarts in a few months, had declined. Harry wasn't going to Hogwarts though, and had accepted a temporary seat on the grounds that they would change the Wizengamot to include ministry employees and voted in officials. It was near the end of the temporary Potter seat, and he'd hoped that the vote Kingsley brought up to make Wizengamot seats voted in rather than inherited or appointed had caused the fierce argument that had inadvertently cause the headache that still young Harry Potter suffered from at that moment.
He didn't understand the objection. It was obvious that appointed members of the Wizengamot had mostly bought their seats from high ranking ministry officials, and the reasoning for not having family seats was deathly simple. Yet here they were, Ministry officials fighting for family seats they didn't have. At least it is obvious who is corrupt... Harry remembered Hermione pointing out, and he wondered, not for the first time, how the universe had set it that he was the one responsible at the Ministry right now. Pondering that did no good, because here he was, and he had very little time left to change the Ministry for good.
"ORDER!" Kingsley's voice simply had a way of collecting the attention of the Wizengamot. Harry reveled in the moment of blissful silence before Kingsley continued, "This is a discussion, not an argument, and I'd implore you to act like it. We have a process and I intend to follow it! The schedule for bills up to vote was owled and those who reserved a moment to speak and discuss it will receive that time to speak and then cross examinations will take place. Ernest Bulstrode has reserved the first time to speak, and I grant him the floor."
Ernest Bulstrode, the man who initially defended the 'traditional wizarding household', was a large man. There was an arrogance in him that held him tall despite his less-than-appealing physique. Much like his daughter he had unkempt black hair, and his round face was significantly hairless (something Harry assumed to be out of Ernest's control). Still, he wore his crist dress robes without question, and spoke with a finality that confirmed to others that though they were supposedly debating the option at that moment, the decision had already been made.
"As I was saying," Bulstrode started with a sneer, unable to drop the fact that he'd been 'in the right' while speaking before. In a lot of ways he'd kept his seat in the Wizengamot by throwing his hands in the air and saying 'not my fault!' Many who had fought, or more likely knew someone who had fought, took personal offense to that. "This petition to change the very groundwork of the Wizarding World is unfounded. There is no need to give up on wizarding traditions, especially so those which have guided us through multiple wars and countless years.
"The wizarding community at large is in a state of unrest and nervousness, changing the basis of the MInistry of Magic shows only strife and will startle wizards into decisions made by fear. We need to prove that the Ministry is strong, we need to remain the stable rock for the wizarding community to lean on. We need to vote no to this ridiculous proposal."
There was a round of applause that made Harry's stomach sick. The more he worked in the Ministry the more he understood just how it had gotten so bad. Once the clapping died down Kingsley spoke, and though his face did not show it, Harry was sure he had grave disappointment growing within him as well.
"Up next on the docket is Harry Potter," Kingsley said. "I cede the floor to him."
Harry felt a similar sensation to falling off of his broom as he stood to take the floor. He wondered, again, how he was the one standing here as opposed to Hermione. She was the one who knew these things, who felt a pull to change the world, who was meant to do these things. Unless he was being given a target to subdue, Harry felt completely out of his element.
It wasn't that Hermione hadn't helped him, or that he hadn't prepared. She had and he had, simple as that. It was that in that moment he couldn't remember any of it. Not the role of the Sacred Twenty Eight, not the obvious bit on muggleborns in the government, and certainly not what he was supposed to be saying. He wished he'd written it down, he wished he wasn't standing alone in a room full of wizards all much older than him.
The fact of the matter was, if he didn't get this bill passed, then he'd be stuck in this room a lot longer than he'd hoped to be. He'd have to spend a lot more time gazing over dusty books, and a lot less time doing literally anything else. Not to mention that Hermione and Ginny left for Hogwarts in less than a month, and if he could just get this bill passed he could go home and enjoy time with them. Of course, if he didn't, and he managed to muck it up, he may be stuck in the Wizengamot past the start of his Auror thought made him groan internally, until his mind was full only of foreboding and the pain of his headache.
He could see it in the eyes of the many people around him, get on with it! They said, not welcoming or comforting. Apparently, defeating Lord Voldemort meant you were expected to be perfectly poised and prepared to participate in a government much much older than you. He wondered how Dumbledore had done it. Gone from his fight with Grindelwald, which had left him with quite a few scars physical or otherwise, to this cold room. He wondered what the old Headmaster would say now, what guidance he would offer. War had been much simpler, especially when they were on the run- get the target, any means necessary. That didn't work among diplomats. He couldn't stun his enemies here.
So, feeling much like a fish out of water, Harry opened his mouth and began to speak.
"Introducing voting in as a requirement for non-ministry employee Wizengamot members will prevent the corruption that supported the second war." Harry said, reciting what he'd prepared not from memory but practice. "Er, and will increase muggle born influence in the Ministry of Magic."
He paused, trying to remember what to say, for too long and someone spoke up. "Potter has done the wizarding world a great service in defeating You-Know-Who, but he is ill educated in the ways of the Ministry. Surely a young man of only 18, with no history working with the Ministry, is not suited to direct the Wizengamot."
A murmur of approval rang through the crowd, but many looked angered. Their trust in The Boy Who Lived would not waver, and they were angered that others did not have the same blind faith. Chaos erupted in the large room once more, and Kingsley, this time, let it go. He shared a look with Harry across the crowd, and Harry (upon checking the time on his watch) realized it would be both a late and rather unproductive night.
It was nearly 8 at night when the argument ceased, and members decided to head home. The room did not empty immediately, however, as colleagues stood in small bunches, talking at a much more reasonable volume about the bill. Harry was no exception, and he made his way to Kingsley almost immediately.
"You have to admit, they are passionate," Kingsley said with a warm, if tired, smile when Harry stood before him. He was clearly unhappy with the day's results, but he did not look surprised.
"How does the Wizengamot get anything done?" Harry asked, irritated with the group of wizards.
Kingsley laughed, "The Wizengamot usually only meets when there is a bill on the table, or a criminal to be tired. The Ministry has not changed this much, in this short of time, in the past. None of these members are used to such long hours, so frequently."
Harry sighed in frustration, hungry and tired, he didn't have the patience necessary to work with anyone, much less noticed and clapped his hand on the teens shoulder.
"Don't worry, we will need time before we call another Wizengamot meeting," Kingsley said. "Time to meet with these wizards individually, there will be no convincing done on the stage."
Harry fought the instinct to groan, and instead settled for a weary nod before saying goodbye. It had been a long, boring day and he was more than ready to get home. Tomorrow, at least, was Ginny's birthday, which promised to be a good day.
In many ways, Ginny's birthday was the last hurrah of the summer of 1998. August 11 was 21 days until September 1st, and within those days there was testing to confirm students were or were not ready to move to the next grade. So those days were a beginning to the Hogwarts year, and for Ginny, Hermione, Ron, and Harry they were the prequel to a year apart. So, that made Ginny's party the last stress free event, the last event without the dark cloud of Hogwarts and Auror training hanging above their heads.
The day, as Ron put it lightly, was "complete and utter shite".
True, the morning had started for Ginny just as it had for her brothers before her, with a swift and excited wave of the wand. Much like Fred and George before her, Ginny took to apparation almost instantly, scaring the ham out of her mother's skillet when she appeared in the kitchen. Since it was her birthday, Molly settled for a short reprimand before putting more ham on the skillet for breakfast.
Ginny would remark in the future that the morning with her mum and dad had actually been quite pleasant.
It was late morning when the famed Golden Trio arrived, all of them carrying presents for the birthday girl. Harry looked over the moon, and made his way first to his girlfriend before offering pleasantries to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. His present was a simple box wrapped in crimson paper, and she opened it immediately. Inside were a pair of quidditch gloves, really nice quidditch gloves with anti-blister charms and temperature control charms. In addition, Harry told her, he'd gotten her a subscription to a Quidditch magazine.
Her joy for the present delayed her noticing the grim looks on Hermione and Ron's faces, but not for long enough. Asking what was wrong led to being snapped at by Ron, who was then snapped at by Hermione for snapping at the birthday girl. Ron and Hermione quickly gave in to the fires of the argument, and Harry sent Mr. and Mrs. Weasley an apologetic glance before steering Ginny out of the kitchen and away from the argument.
The two enjoyed a short scrimmage in which she tried her new gloves, got a little cocky, and fell off her broom from at least 5 meters up. Harry had been able to catch her, but Mrs. Weasley had seen and the two were forced back into the safe confines of the Burrow, where Ron and Hermione had settled on glaring at one another in the common room.
It was tense, to say the least, but Ginny was a trooper. She showed Hermione her new watch (courtesy of her parents) and accepted gifts from her and Ron. (Charmed hair bows from Hermione that would keep Ginny's hair out of her face during quidditch and any other time she wore them, and chocolates and other sweets from Ron.) By the end of this, however, it was clear that Ron wasn't fit for human company, and Hermione pointed it out.
An argument had erupted, during which everyone was pulled in. No one seemed sure why they were angry, but it didn't matter, because they were. Before Ginny's birthday dinner, Ron stormed off to brood and Hermione left in tears to hide in her room. Ginny and Harry were left alone in the Burrow common room, exhausted. Mrs. Weasley suggested they go freshen up before dinner, as no one from the argument had left without tears, and the teens both made their way upstairs. Neither went to the bathroom though, they only lay in her bed, their feet on the ground and their eyes watching the ceiling. They didn't talk, just lay there in silence.
What was there to say? So much had been said during the arguments, things they didn't know, things they didn't like, things that they weren't even sure had anything to do with the argument. (Though, already, neither could remember what it was about.) At some point it had become 'everyone for themselves' and no one agreed. Ron and Hermione had argued for years, but neither had the sharp tongue that Harry and Ginny shared, the instinct to hit and hit low. They hadn't gotten in an argument like this before, and both were shaken by it. Their arguments brought out the worst in them, and shouldn't their relationship bring out the best?
It was Harry who spoke first, bothered by something that Ginny hadn't even said to him. "Ron didn't betray me, Ginny," He said, keeping his eyes on the ceiling. He was afraid if he looked at her, he'd have to fully accept what he'd done and said, and he wasn't ready for that yet.
"He left," Ginny replied, confused. She didn't look at Harry either, she just kept her eyes up. Her last hurrah and she'd spent it arguing, yelling, and saying things she wished she'd never thought. "He told me."
"We got in an argument and I told him to leave," Harry said, realizing that the argument they'd just had had the same emotional breakdown as the one he'd had with Ron in the tent. Realizing that, this time, they hadn't needed the stain of a horcrux to bring them to their worst. "Once he got out of the barriers he couldn't find us, but he came back. He saved my life."
Had Ginny heard that an argument led to Ron's departure the day before, she might have blamed him. In fact, she was sure she would have. She would have said that arguments should not be stronger than the people in them, that nothing should have torn him away from Harry, nothing should have made him abandon Hermione. The argument they'd just had changed things for her, though, and she saw a different side to the world. One where unexpected, undeserved, anger broke things and said things that should never be forgiven. One where logic and all awareness of personal priorities left, leaving behind only hurt and a feral desire to defend oneself from their own suffering. She could understand now how a heated argument could really make you do things you would never do. Could make you do things that you shouldn't be defined by.
Harry took her silence as more time to speak, say the things he'd never said aloud because he'd thought they didn't need to be said. Maybe they did.
"You don't know what it was like for us, for Ron and Hermione," He said. "I know you had a rough, terrible time at Hogwarts. I do, but we were starving, constantly moving, and for a while we made no progress. We were just stuck, and we had this... cursed object we had to keep. It affected all of us, but Ron the worst. It played with your mind and told you terrible things. It twisted the world around you."
Ginny felt a light blush on her cheeks in shame. Shame that she had judged her brother so harshly, without hearing the other side. Shame that for even a moment she seemed to have forgotten what they'd been through. Hogwarts had been a nightmare, and she was beginning to have nightmares at night as time creeped closer to September 1st, but that didn't mean it was the equivalent to what Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been through. She hadn't gone hungry or cold for months on end, she hadn't felt alone to battle the world, and all the while she'd had hope that her brother and Harry were ending it. That all of her suffering would end soon, she just had to wait. They hadn't had that, they'd been the heros, there hadn't been anyone for them to pass the task on to.
"I-" Ginny didn't know what to say. She remembered everything he'd told her so far, what he'd told her the night they'd stayed up talking, what he'd accidentally (or at least, not intentionally) during unrelated conversations. She remembered how small they'd all been when they first got back, she remembered (how could she forget?) the challenging eyes of three warriors with their wands pointed at her every time she arrived. As of late things had gotten so much better, all of them forcing the happiness, forcing themselves to not miss out on this last summer, and she'd almost forgotten. They'd been to war. Even more than her, they'd fought for their lives, for the wizarding world, for her life. She remembered how changed they'd been when they'd come back, and felt a petty shame fall on her. Shame for the words she'd cast on Hermione in their argument, fueled by anger and unresolved pain.
She'd acted as if they should just move on. As if- as if they should somehow just go back to how they were the year before it all changed. She had gotten better, she had moved on, for the most part, so why hadn't they? The answer was obvious, because they'd been through so much more. Where she had emotional scars they had still bleeding wounds, and today she'd gotten upset with Ron and Hermione for not faking it on her birthday. They'd saved the world, and she was upset with them for not acting like they weren't wounded in battle. The immaturity in her actions burned her cheeks red. She had grown a lot in her last year, and in a lot of ways she was older than her years, but 17 or not she was merely a child beside them.
An immature, petty child who'd whined because he birthday was ruined.
"Why didn't you leave with them?" Ginny asked, bewildered at the reality of the situation. Harry'd stayed with her. After everything.
"You needed me," He replied simply. "And... and they have each other."
Once upon a time he would have run after them, an apologetic glance to Ginny and the other Weasleys before he threw the floo powder down. That was before. Before Hermione and Ron were together. The argument, at its core, had been theirs, as a couple. He needed to leave them be, let them resolve it on their own. They weren't just friends anymore, and things had changed.
He and Ginny weren't just friends anymore, either. That was also why he stayed, he finally had her. After rejecting his feelings for her, finally getting to be with her, and then having to give it all away, he wasn't risking their relationship. At some point in the argument they'd been separated. No longer two people trying to reign in Ron and Hermione's argument. They'd been pulled in, and while neither of them had snapped at one another particularly harshly, he wasn't comfortable with how easily they'd been divided. Hogwarts was going to be... hard, and this didn't bode well for them.
"I don't want to fight," Harry said. "I know Hermione and Ron always have but..."
"Yeah," Ginny said, turning her head to face him. He must have noticed, as he turned to see her then. They faced each other and it was clear by the worry in their eyes at Hogwarts was looming over the both of them. Once again Ginny would be at school alone.
"It'll be different, this time," Ginny said, knowing exactly what Harry was thinking. "We'll both be safe, and we have those notebooks." Harry smiled then, remembering the charmed notebook that Ginny had gotten him. "You can visit on Hogsmead weekends, Hermione and I can sneak out,and- well if you could break into Gringotts..."
Harry's grin widened at Ginny's assumption. Childlike excitement grew in him, and he realized that she was right. They'd see each other, it wouldn't be like before.
"Merlin I love you," He said, letting it out in one exuberant breath.
"I lo-"
"GINNY! HARRY! PERCY AND GEORGE ARE HERE, COME DOWN FOR DINNER!"
Molly Weasley had a way of ruining even the most heartfelt moment. Harry and Ginny grinned at one another in mutual amusement before yet another yell from the mother of 7 had the two groaning in annoyance. Ginny stood up first, dragging a disappointed Harry behind her. Once standing she kissed him softly and whispered, "I love you, too," before leading him down to the dinner table. She felt her mood lift, and she was happy to move on with her birthday celebrations.
Unlike Harry, Ginny didn't have a 'party' for her birthday. Luna was still out of the country, and though she had plenty of acquaintances, she had no desire to have anyone but her closest loved ones there for her birthday. When she'd turned 16 she'd had friends over, but Ron, Harry, and Hermione were gone, Fred and George had been stuck at the shop (for a week Diagon Alley had been under siege, shop owners and residents of the magical center forced to hide inside), Percy had still been at odds with her father, and Bill and Fleur had been gone on their honeymoon. This time, everyone would be there, assuming Ron and Hermione felt up to it.
Everyone, that is, except Fred.
As she walked to her brothers and family, boyfriend at her side, Ginny felt a familiar ache and tug in her chest. The same tug she'd felt at every other event that had passed without her beloved older brother. It dampened the mood she'd had, the moment she'd enjoyed with Harry, but she wouldn't deny it that. She wouldn't stop living, but she wouldn't forget either. She respected the pang when she saw George, a mirror of his twin, and moved on.
"There you two are," Molly said, stirring something as she cooked. "Harry, dear, I hate to ask but would you mind setting the table?"
Harry nodded, and immediately set out to do so. Ginny smiled for a moment as she watched. She knew Harry loved setting the table, de-gnoming the garden, and any of the other mundane tasks Mrs. Weasley gave him. He didn't enjoy them, but he loved the fact that he was asked to do them. Much like Ginny or Ron or the others, he was no longer a guest, it was his home too.
"Happy Birthday, Gin Gin," George said, engulfing her with a hug and handing her a suspicious looking brown paper package. "How do you like your watch?"
"It's beautiful," Ginny said, "I hope it survives quidditch, Merlin knows I won't remember to take it off."
"I'm sure mum and dad thought to put a strengthening charm on it, Ginny," Percy said, also taking a hug from the youngest Weasley. The package he handed her, this one colored a light blue, was much safer in that it didn't twitch. She put them aside as Percy continued, "May I take a look? I know a spell that can check."
"We did get a watch with a strengthening spell, Percy, just like we did for the rest of you," Mr. Weasley said, smiling at his son's well intended actions. "It also has a water repellant and spell resistant charm on it."
Percy nodded in approval at the choice of spells before sitting down. George, Harry, and her parents joined him but Ginny was unable as Bill and Fleur walked in at that moment.
"Happy birthday!" Bill said, picking up Ginny's small frame when he hugged her. "How does it feel to be an adult witch?"
Ginny smiled, "About the same, brilliant to use magic though."
"I am happy for you," Fleur said, her accent much improved since she first traveled. She was a little tan from her vacation but overall looked much the same. Ginny's relationship and opinion on Fleur had changed drastically over the year. Despite assumptions made, Fleur had proven loyal and strong. She really did love Bill, and she had taken her and her mother's bullying (alongside others) with poise and decorum. I could learn a thing or two from her, Ginny thought with an internal wince, thinking back to the argument she'd had less than an hour ago.
"Thank you," Ginny said, but then Charlie arrived and her attention was diverted once more. He pulled her into a hug from behind and dropped her without warning.
"Happy birthday!" He boomed, seeming to forget he was inside. Ginny grinned despite the unexpected attack and turned to him, noticing that he had a new burn on his arm. Mum is going to go spare...
Unlike the other packages, Charlie's was not carefully wrapped, but instead almost looked like a piece of trash as it was wrapped in tea stained pages of The Prophet. Ginny didn't care, though, and grinned when he sat next to her on the left side when she sat beside Harry.
Ginny was happy to sit down, but she didn't sit for long when her final guest arrived (aside from Hermione and Ron). Neville smiled at her with his trademark warm smile and put his gift, which she assumed was a book, with the others before sitting in a spare seat across from Harry.
Though she'd gone to the Yule Ball with Neville (something she was eternally embarrassed from, thanks to the ghastly dress she had worn) Harry had been surprised when he watched Neville walk in. As Neville and Ginny exchanged pleasantries he remembered that Neville had been with Ginny at Hogwarts. For a moment the familiar feeling of jealousy opened, but upon a seconds thought it felt silly and Harry shoved it away. Neville, Luna, and Ginny had all been caught together trying to get the sword of Gryffindor for him, and he knew that such events bonded people and made friendships. Besides, Neville was a good bloke, and Harry considered him a friend. Why wouldn't he want Ginny to do the same?
After starting the meal, the two empty chairs began to collect notice. "Where's Ron and Hermione?"
Harry looked at Ginny, unsure of how to answer Bill's question. The truth of the matter was, Ron had woken up pissed, managed to anger Hermione, and the two of them had ignited an argument he was ashamed Mr. and Mrs. Weasley knew he was capable of being a part of. It was a heavy response, however, and he didn't know if Ginny wanted to get into it. She was bound to be upset, Ron should have put aside his anger for her, and he hadn't.
"Ron and Hermione are feeling under the weather," Ginny replied without skipping a beat. "They came by earlier to wish me happy birthday though."
George, who knew better about Ron's recent tendency towards anger, wasn't fooled, but he didn't let it show as his brothers all nodded.
"It is such a shame," Fleur replied, shaking her head softly. "It is an important night! And Mrs. Weasley has prepared a generous meal."
Percy spit into his drink at Fleur's obvious pandering to his mother, and if she noticed, she didn't say anything. "Thank you, Fleur," Mrs. Weasley replied.
Unable to deal with the awkward situation, Charlie spoke up. "So you're still with Harry, hu?"
His voice was gruff and Harry wasn't sure if his annoyance was a joke or not. Ginny seemed to think it was a joke though, because she laughed and responded in kind. Harry wasn't so sure though, and he felt the pressure to impress her family churn in his stomach. Bill he knew somewhat, he'd stayed with him during the war and interacted with him a few other times, but Charlie was a wild card. He'd always been friendly, yes, but Harry didn't know him all that well and he wasn't keen on angering a man who played with dragons for fun. He remembered his time with the hungarian horntail with anything but fondness. He was pretty sure that Charlie had to have a screw loose, at least, to do it on purpose, every day.
Ginny was obviously a favorite, and Harry understood why, she was amazing, but it meant that he wanted to get along with the Weasley clan that much more. He wanted a long life with her, and he was sure that one day he would marry her (or ask, he could only pray she would say yes), and didn't want that life to include dodging Charlie. It meant he was going to have to get better at reading Charlie, and probably get to know him better.
As Ron would say, Harry thought when it really sunk in that he'd need to befriend the scary dragon man, shite.
"Harry? You okay there? You look like someone just read you a poem," George asked, receiving a thrown roll to the face from Ginny.
"What? Yeah, sorry," He said, smiling awkwardly and hoping someone would change the subject.
"We were just talking about opening the shop to new investors," George said. "As an investor, we wanted to know what you thought?"
Harry's response bored the knargles out of Ginny. He'd started working at the Ministry shortly after the war, and it had matured him ever so slightly. Suddenly he had a vested interest in his finances, or, his future. Ginny supposed it could also be the fact that Ron was now working at the shop, or that George had taken a steep decline after Fred's death and it had impacted the shop, or it could also just be him growing up. He had bills now, and he supported himself without the help of her mother or Hogwarts. She respected it in him, the change. She liked it, even, but she acknowledged that she wasn't at that point yet and didn't care. In fact, she wasn't sure she would ever care for the ins and outs of business or politics.
So, while Harry gave into conversation with George about investors in George's business, Ginny turned to talk with her mother, father, and Percy. Oh- No- Not Percy, just her mother and father as Harry pulled Percy into his conversation with George and Charlie.
"Are you having a good birthday, sweetheart?" Molly asked, smiling at her slightly lost daughter. It was an exciting day for her- her youngest and last child an adult at last! She was proud of Ginny, and knew that her husband beside her felt the same way. She smiled when Ginny couldn't answer because George had urged her to switch seats with Harry so they could talk more.
"I am," Ginny said when she was settled in what had previously been Harry's seat. Truthfully, she preferred it, because being stuck in a boring conversation wasn't her idea of exciting. Not that she was upset by the conversation- George was doing a lot better, and he'd managed to turn his grief for losing his brother into passion for making his legacy live on. It also seemed to ignite something in Harry. He wasn't a strategist like Ron, but he certainly enjoyed planning things, setting them up. Or, better yet, leading. He'd led at Hogwarts, and now he was naturally finding himself pulled towards leading again.
"Fantastic," Arthur said, smiling as his daughter got a slight far-away look in her eyes. She was thinking about Harry, that much was obvious. "I know your mum worked hard on the meal."
"It's amazing, mum," Ginny replied, smiling happily. "I'm going to miss your cooking at Hogwarts."
Molly blushed ever so slightly, "Oh posh, I've had a Hogwarts feast before I know how good it is. Thank you, though, dear."
"Are you still planning on sitting the tests?" Arthur asked, thinking of his daughter's education.
"Yeah," Ginny said, "I spent so much time studying after I left Hogwarts, might as well get credit for it."
"Alright, but no one will blame you if you do 6th over," Arthur said. "Merlin knows last year was a storm."
"I'd rather not wait a year to graduate though," Ginny said. "Besides, with Collin dead..."
"You'll pass the test," Neville said. "Then we'll be in class together."
Molly looked surprised, Neville was a bright kid and she couldn't imagine he wouldn't pass his NEWTS if he tried. "Are you not sitting your NEWTS?"
What was wrong with kids these days? Fred, George, Ron, Harry- no one bothering to get their NEWTS! Hermione, of course, was the exception, but the girl had always had Percy's knack for education.
"I'm going to take the year again," Neville explained, seeing the growing frustration in Mrs. Weasley's face with amusement. "I was... preoccupied last year."
Arthur nodded, his face oddly morose. "This year will be different," He said, determined. He wasn't having the war happen again- the adults would take care of things, his children would not fight again.
"With Ginny as quidditch captain it will be," Neville replied cheerfully, wanting to change the mood.
"Oh don't remind me," Ginny said, despite her words looking excited. "We have to find a new seeker and keeper- assuming Dean wants to be chaser still but I know his hand got buggered up on the run." She threw a joking tone in her voice to cat Harry's attention, "You know, you ought to come back to Hogwarts just to help me out on the team."
Harry grinned nervously and ran his hand through his hair, "You'll manage without."
"Well obviously," Ginny said, feeling bad for making him feel uncomfortable. "I am a natural, after all."
George seemed to hear the conversation and looked up with a grin, but it was Charlie who spoke. "See you pull a Wronksi Feint like Harry, then we'll believe you."
"Nah, Ginny's a chaser," George pointed out. "See Harry perform a Woollongong Shimmy like her, then we'll doubt her."
"Honestly, you are a natural," Neville said, making Ginny want to point out the hours upon hours she practiced. "Have you considered going professional?"
"The Hollyhead Harpies would be a dream," Ginny said, almost putting her elbow in her plate in her daze. "I doubt it though."
"You could do it," Harry said, a certainty in his voice that Neville hadn't possessed. "Two of their chasers are retiring at the end of the year, they'll probably move their reserves up, but it'll give you a chance to get in."
Ginny almost replied before Molly cut in, her stomach clenching at the idea of her baby girl participating in the dangerous professional matches. "Why don't you open your presents, Ginny?"
Ginny agreed, of course, but her smile brightened not at the gifts she was given when they sat in the common room, but at her friend. Hermione had floo'ed back, and stood in the living room with an apologetic grin on her face. "Happy birthday!"
"Hermione! Sit down!" Molly said, ushering her into a seat. "We were just about to open presents!"
"Happy you're feeling better," Harry said, but he didn't get a chance to say any more, because Ron stumbled out of the floo then, the smell of firewhiskey making it's way across the room. Unlike Hermione, who was cleaned and showed no trace of the fight on her face, Ron was disheveled and slumped. "Ron-"
"What're you doing here!?" He yelled at Hermione, glaring, with a slur in his voice. His anger, clearly, had not gotten any better and his drunkenness seemed to get worse. Hermione shrunk under his gaze, eyes moistening immediately as she tried her best not to cry.
The day, as Ron put it lightly, was "complete and utter shite".
Authors Note OMG so fast! Okay, not for normal writers who follow a schedule, but for me, whaaatt, so fast! Anyway, before I give myself more undeserved praise, let me know what you think of the chapter.
I've gotten some reviews from people not logged in, and it makes me cringe because I want to reply! So, for the two that had direct questions/comments...
Willa: Ron told Ginny that he betrayed Harry because he feels like he did. Remember, Ron's biggest problem is the guilt he feels over the war. He's maintaining Harry level's of guilt here.
Guest: Oh gosh, you hate Ginny? I want to raise my white flag and say I know I don't write Ginny well. I have a hard time with her and I'm not really sure why. In part, you and others have problems with Ginny because she's not being super supportive (or, really, supportive at all) of the Trio. She's just trying to forget, and she's also feeling a heavy dose of self pity. She'll grow out of this, but in the meantime I want to do my best to write her better. (Any tips?) It doesn't help that, at the moment, a huge focus of this is her and Harry's relationship, which is based in real love but kinda fucked up right now.