A/N Well that was a serious long time between updates! I'm sorry, real life is super busy right now. I hope to update more often. Thank you to everybody who has reviewed this little story. I hope that you enjoy this update!

Harry looked up at St Mungo's entrance and not for the first time wished he was allowed to use the staff entrance. He eyed the reporters waiting just around the corner and contemplated his strategy. He was on his weekly visit to Molly, although at this stage he wasn't sure what he was doing anymore.

It had been so long.

With a sigh, he adjusted his robes, casting a simple disillusionment charm in the hope it would at least grant him entry in peace. He felt the familiar feeling creep over him as he gradually faded into the background.

He headed across the street, ducking quickly inside and strode to the reception desk. A brief nod to the wizard sitting there, smiling whilst his visit was logged and then headed to Molly's room. Harry had been visiting twice a week, every week since Arthur moved her there, and the reception staff knew him well enough now.

He entered the room and smiled at Molly, who was sitting up in bed reading. He placed the flowers he had brought into the vase on her table and sat down. The room was small but private. The open window let a pleasant breeze play across the room and the sun shone through for most of the day. Despite the awkward conversations with Arthur, Harry had insisted that he pay so that she could be looked after so well. He was, after all, part of the family now.

Molly looked up, smiling at him, Harry sat just across from her in the chair as he did so often.

"Harry, so good of you to come again," she spoke cheerfully.

"It's a Thursday Mrs Weasley, I always come on a Thursday, you know that," Harry replied softly. "Anything new to report today?"

"Dinner was terrible again last night, most of what they serve is inedible. I wish I was allowed to cook," Molly replied wistfully.

"You know you can go home anytime Molly...anytime you are ready," Harry replied in an even tone.

Silence swelled in the room, unspoken words and too many spoken ones lingered between the two of them as the atmosphere pressed almost unbearably down on them. Harry watched, his face carefully crafted to be blank as Molly sat with her hands in her lap, twisting a piece of yarn between her fingers repetitively.

Harry whispered gently, "I miss her you know, I miss her fire, her light, her telling me to stop brooding, life just isn't the same without her here."

"She is always here," she replied her tone no longer as warm.

Harry sighed and put his head in his hands, "I know Molly, you tell me that every week, but it isn't the same." He sat like that forcing oxygen into and out of his lungs, until he couldn't bear it a second longer. He stood, smile fixed on his face again, and turned to leave. Harry patted her on the hand, squeezing gently to still her obsessive movements as he turned to go.

"I'll be back on Sunday, have a good couple of days."

Molly nodded and turned to look out the window again. Harry sighed, his eyes swept the room and settled briefly on the other chair in the corner. Did he just see the cushion settle? His heart hammered for a second as he took a step forward. His gaze shifted again. Harry shook his head to clear it and moved towards the door. He tapped the edge of the frame in frustration and sighed.

"I'll be back Sunday," and he turned and left.

—-

Ginny watched him go from where she sat despondently on the chair in the corner of the room.

"Lovely flowers, aren't they Ginny? So kind of Harry to bring them along," Molly repositioned the vase and looked over at Ginny expectantly.

Ginny made a non-committal noise and continued to stare off into space.

"Term starts soon," she remarked.

"Yes well... well we will have to discuss that," her mum replied.

"With who mum? There is only me and you here, there is only ever me and you now." Ginny sighed and continued, "not that there would be any point in me attending classes if none of my teachers can see me of course, no quidditch either, and nobody will be my partner in potions." She stared pointedly at her mother.

"Ginny, we still aren't sure if you are safe, it might not be safe enough to go back anyway.

"You let me go back after my first year!"

"And perhaps that was a mistake too."

"I am my own person mum, are you going to keep me trapped here forever? It has been THREE months," Ginny was getting into her stride now and she stood up, pacing in front of the bed where her mother sat.

"Ginny —"

"NO, don't you Ginny me" Harry is paying for this, paying for therapy, Dad is sat at home on his own. George is dealing with Fred's death without you and YOU! You are just keeping me from my family. From any chance of building a future! I can't take it anymore."

"Ginny, wait, please. If you go now I'll be alone until your dad comes in the morning," Molly made to move out of her bed towards Ginny.

"Yeah, well now you know how I feel Mum." With a final parting glare she turned and stomped out the door, leaving Molly alone.

Arthur looked up from his desk as Harry knocked on the door. He noted the worn lines at Arthur's eyes, the stress was getting to him, Harry mused as he made his way into the office.

"Harry, you've just come from Molly I assume?" Arthur plastered a smile on his face.

He nodded, "Yes, I dropped in some flowers for her," he said. After a pause, he started again, "Mr Weasley—"

"Harry, please, we are most definitely at the first names stage."

"Right, errr, Arthur, do we have a plan here? I just don't feel like we are getting anywhere, it has been weeks now. Molly is no closer to lifting the fidelius than she was at the start."

Arthur didn't reply and Harry sat in the spare seat in the corner, narrowly avoiding a stapler that seemed to be trying to staple his robes rather viciously. He glanced around the room, noticing the very haphazard nature of Arthur's office for the first time. He realised that he hadn't really looked before, but it was obvious that not very much was being dealt with. Stacks of parchment were towering around on every available surface. Some of them were gently crooning to each other. The stapler moved onto a pile, randomly joining pieces together. Harry grimaced, hopefully, none of those are too important.

He jumped as he realised that Arthur had started talking to him and made an attempt to refocus.

"...being in St Mungo's and receiving treatment would have changed her position, I am not sure where to go next, to be frank with you Harry. Have Ron and Hermione turned up anything?"

Arthur shifted uncomfortably in his seat and Harry knew he still felt guilty about agreeing to send Molly to St Mungo's in the first place. The atmosphere was always strained between them as they navigated this new normal together, with a glaring Ginny sized absence in the room.

"Nothing yet, but you know Hermione, she won't give up. Though she is due to return to school shortly, Ron is starting to do more hours with George, as you know. And I start training next week." He paused again, unsure where to begin the conversation again.

That unbearable pressure from Molly's room seemed to have followed him across to the Ministry. He felt the weight of it sitting on his chest. He took a deep breath, forcing his emotions down while he contemplated what to say next. Arthur sat motionless across from him, his kindly eyes had lost their sparkle as he waited for Harry to start talking again. Harry closed his eye briefly before beginning.

"I died for her you know; she was the last thing I saw when I closed my eyes. I did it so she could be free, free and safe." His statement hung uncomfortably between them and Harry scrubbed at his eyes furiously. He hated breaking down, he often felt like a leaky cauldron at the moment.

"Harry, I don't know what to say anymore. I don't know what I'm doing either," Arthur gestured vaguely at the room, "I'm not even sure why I am at work, except for the fact that it gets me out of the empty house."

"Are there any signs she is still there?" Harry asked, knowing the answer already.

"none at all" Arthur replied, his voice as heavy as Harry's heart.

That silence swelled between them again and Harry hung his head.

"Except —,"

Harry looked up, interrupting Arthur, "Except?"

Arthur was sitting staring at the wandering stapler, his face closed. He shook his head slowly, as he turned to look at Harry. "It's the strangest thing, but yesterday somebody else collected the eggs. I only noticed it properly yesterday but the more I thought about it, the more I realised I haven't collected eggs for weeks."

He laughed softly, "Curious isn't it?"

Harry frowned, "Is it?"

"Yes! It is! Molly normally collects the eggs, except... except in the school holidays, when Ginny does it."

"Well, we assume Ginny is at home, so perhaps she is doing it?" Harry asked the question and immediately answered it, "But now you've noticed!"

"Yes!" Arthur leapt up, parchment scattered everywhere, "I noticed!"

Harry felt swept up in Arthur's excitement, he also jumped to his feet, anxious to share his own thought.

"I had a strange moment too when I visited Molly. I swear the cushion settled on the chair by the window. When I went to look closer, it sort of felt unimportant again, and I left." Harry rubbed his hands over his face. "Do you think it's the charm?"

Arthur didn't answer, he had slowly sat back in his chair and he smiled encouragingly at Harry, gesturing that he too should sit back down.

"The thing about charms Harry, is they are trickier to cast than a jinx or a hex. They are more complex, layered, sometimes tied to the caster, sometimes tied to the subject. We know very little about the Fidelius really. It became popular last time, your parents weren't the only ones to use it. It just doesn't always work exactly how we would expect it to."

Harry nodded along as Arthur spoke, his mind already whirring over the implications.

"I think I need to speak with Hermione," he stated finally.

"Thought you might, I'll ask around here. Experimental Charms might be able to shed some light."

They both stood, making their way out of the office. Arthur nodded at his colleagues as they mde their way to the lift. Arthur grasped Harry on the shoulder as they reached the cage.

"We'll get fix it, Harry. She'll be back, you see," Arthur said.

"I know, I know. I just hope we can do it soon," Harry replied. He nodded as Arthur gave his shoulder a squeeze and turned for the lift, pushing the button for the ground floor.

For the first time in weeks, Harry felt almost hopeful. He made his way out of the Ministry, avoiding the calls from various people as he hurried to the exit. He reached the apparition spot in record time and twisted. The Burrow firmly held in his mind.

Harry appeared just on the edge of the Burrow and walked up the path. The familiar, ramshackle house came into view and it lifted his heart to see it. He still spent most of his time here, Grimmauld Place was being redecorated slowly but he still felt closest to Ginny at the Burrow.

As he wandered through the garden up the back door he paused to look at the chickens in their coop. He noticed for the first time the little woven basket left by the nesting box and smiled. He crossed to the back door, knocking loudly and calling out. Experience had unfortunately taught him that during the day he should make his presence known to Ron and Hermione.

"Hello, I'm back...Ron? Hermione?"

"Through here Harry, in the sitting room," Hermione called back.

Harry walked through slowly, leaving ample time for clothing to be straightened. He leant against the door frame. They were settled on the comfy sofa; parchment and books spread around them haphazardly. Hermione had a quill in her hair and Ron had smudges on his nose. Neither looked up at Harry as he took in the scene.

"How's mum?"

"Yeah, fine." Harry's answer was routine. Ron nodded indicating he had heard but still remained buried in the book he had to hand.

"I went to see your dad after," Harry moved into the room and made himself space, idly picking at a book beside him.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, I think we had a breakthrough. We think the charm is failing."

"What?" Hermione asked sharply. "What makes you say that?"

They both looked up at him now, Hermione fixed him with one of her looks. "Harry?"

"Yeah sorry, I'm still thinking about it. It's been a weird afternoon. Your Dad says the eggs are being collected and...I saw the cushions dip down at the hospital."

Neither Hermione nor Ron said anything. They instead exchanged a glance between each other. Ron sighed, running his hands over his face before he started speaking, an encouraging yet irritating smile on his face. Harry felt himself coil, immediately feeling defensive.

"Harry, we know Ginny is still here, we've discussed this lots already. She doesn't have anywhere else to go."

"It's not that," Harry snapped. He took a deep breath. "I mean, it's not that we know she's here, it's that we've noticed!"

"Noticed? What do you mean noticed?" Hermione asked.

"I mean that before - we guessed she would be here, but now we are noticing that she is here."

Hermione stared at him blankly. She pulled agitatedly at the quill buried in her hair, removing it with a flourish to make a quick note in her notebook beside her.

"The eggs?"

"Yes! Exactly the eggs!"

"And the cushions?"

"Yes - they definitely dipped down, as if somebody was taking a seat."

Ron's head bounced between the two, nodding vaguely along to the exchange.

"Pass me that book, not that one, Miranda Goshawk's one."

Harry floated the book over to Hermione and grinned at Ron, he suddenly felt lighter than he had in weeks. His nervous energy overtook him and he stood, pacing quietly across the room. Ron's eyes started to follow Harry now, offering up a small grin at each turn. Hermione spoke and Harry stopped, turning eagerly towards her.

"Intent," she looked up eyes a little unfocused. "Charms are tied up with intent. Listen here, Miranda says "Intent is the power of focusing the desire, with the express purpose of bringing that desire into being." We know that already, Flitwick discussed us holding our intent firmly when we cast, not being distracted."

Ron nodded, "How does this relate to Ginny and the Fidelius though? Mum's intent was obviously to hide her, and that's what has happened."

Harry interjected, "Yes, but what about Ginny's intent?"

Hermione nodded and continued "Yes, she mentions this a little further down, "When the subject of the charm is human, their own intent must be taken into consideration. The strongest charms are those where the caster and the subject have joint intent." Which means presumably if there is a difference in intent that will affect the strength of the charm."

Hermione paused then, allowing this latest sentence to fill the room.

Ron broke the silence first, "I doubt Ginny's intent was to be hidden away. If she knew what was happening?" He glanced at the pair of them and Hermione gave him a small nod. "I know we haven't really spoken about this yet with everything that's been going on but she was so happy to have you back Harry. When... when Hagrid brought your body out, I thought she was broken, to be honest, I thought we'd be broken."

He paused before adding "She wouldn't have wanted to give you up so quickly again."

Harry frowned and shifted uncomfortably, "Thanks, mate. I agree though, I don't think that she wanted to leave either."

"Why has it held though? That bit confuses me still. If Ginny's intent was so strongly opposed to Molly's then why did it hold?" Hermione broke off, her eyebrows were drawn together in a frown as she traced her finger down the page.

"What are we going to do about it?" Ron said, joining Harry in his pacing. "We need to speak to Mum, this will convince her, she won't want to hold the charm if we've evidence that Ginny is still so strongly fighting the charm."

This time Harry and Hermione exchanged a look.

"Ron," Harry began, Hermione laid a hand on his arm before she spoke.

"You know, Ron, your mum isn't thinking that clearly about the situation. I don't think she means for Ginny to be missing, she's just —"

"Keeping her safe," finished Harry. He clapped Ron on the shoulder offering a grim smile. "We'll fix it," he said, echoing the same words Arthur had said to him earlier.

The trio grasped hands and Harry squeezed them both tight, "I couldn't do it without you both."

"Of course you couldn't" Ron answered gruffly.

They let go, Hermione immediately picking up her book and parchment again. Ron turned to speak to Harry and that's when a series of loud bangs emitted from the kitchen.

Ginny listened to the others theorise and ruminate amongst themselves from the kitchen. As Hermione read the excerpts from their spellbook she gripped the back of the wooden chair until her knuckles turned white.

Intent.

Like Hermione, she could hear Flitwick's squeaky voice lecturing them about the foundations of casting charms. His image flickered in front of her as she gripped the chair tighter. Her breath came quick and shallow as she thought it through.

Intent, of course. A conflict of intent.

She laughed sharply to herself, forcing her hands to relax and release the back of the chair. As Harry had been a few moments earlier she began pacing. Her wand tightly held began to emit soft puffs of smoke with the occasional spark. She jumped as spark bounced off the counter in front of her. Ginny paused her pacing and reached out a finger to trace the small smut on the worktop where the spark had hit. She rubbed the soot between finger and thumb.

I have to get them to notice me.

Ginny gripped her wand tighter and shot some red sparks in the air. She frowned when there was no immediate reaction from the front room.

Ok so bigger. Bigger wasn't a problem. She was raised with Fred and George, right?

Her heart gave a twinge as her thoughts strayed near the hole that was Fred's loss. She squeezed her eyes shut and took another of those steadying breaths she had become so accustomed to. She raised her wand high, aiming it at the row of silver pots and pans balancing precariously on a shelf above the stove.

"Flipendo" she whispered. One of the pots gave a half-hearted wiggle. Ginny raised her wand higher, setting her teeth.

"FLIPENDO!"

The result was spectacular, each pan leapt off the shelf, flipping over themselves in a huge crescendo of sound. Ginny grinned and cast again, more utensils obediently flew around the room.

Laughter bubbled up out of her, a slight edge to it as she flung her arms wide, casting spells as she spun in a circle. Her wand arm enthusiastically weaving a pattern in the air.

"Periculum," she cried in between each spell, casting red shooting stars from the tip of her wand which ricocheted off the kitchen surfaces and walls all around her.

She paused as Harry flung himself through the kitchen doorway, followed closely by Hermione and Ron who smacked into the back of him as he skidded to a stop. She watched as their mouths dropped open.

"What on earth?" Hermione asked as the three of them stopped in the kitchen doorway.

Total devastation had been wrecked upon the kitchen. Various pots and pans were leaping around the room, Ginny still aiming her wand alternating between Diffindo, which happily shredded her mother's tea towels, and Flipendo as she sought to make them notice.

The three of them seemed frozen in the doorway, unable to take a step through. Perhaps for fear of being hit by a flying pan or getting caught in the swathes of fabric that floated around the room.

"Oh bloody hell," swore Ron as an errant star burst between the three of them, singeing the edges of their clothes.

Hermione raised her wand, "Finite incantatem," she yelled, sweeping her arm across the kitchen.

Ginny's chest heaved as she watched the chaos settled. A sob escaped, ripping from her throat as she watched three sets of eyes rove the room, never once remaining on her. In a final fit of frustration, she whipped around to the windows and with an arm over her eyes, cast a final spell.

The windows blew out in one big rush and with a spectacular bang. Ginny spun around again, watching Harry, waiting. Her heart swelled and thundered in her chest, threatening to leap out from her ribcage as recognition flickered across his face. She dropped her wand and started forward.

"Ginny?" Harry gasped, as he too stumbled forward. "Ginny! Merlin, I can see you!"

Ginny laughed in relief, as she ran to fling herself into his arms, stumbling across the debris strewn across the kitchen. She skidded to a halt a second later as Harry dropped his arms.

She watched as devastation fell across his features. He moaned, grabbing Ron's arm beside him. "She's gone...gone again. She was right there Ron! Right in front of me. I almost touched her."

Harry sagged down as Ron lowered him to the floor, his head in his hands.

Hermione glanced around the room once more, her eyes dull as she flicked her wand, righting various bits and pieces. "Well, I think can all conclude that Ginny is seeking to make her intent known."

Ron nodded vigorously, "You can say that again."

Still, though, he looked straight through Ginny as she pulled a chair towards her. She sank slowly down into the hard wooden chair, mirroring Harry in utter devastation. Hermione turned to Harry who was still ranting at Ron and Ginny sank her head into her hands. Tears leaked silently from both eyes as she nursed the small flame which flickered within her.

Hope.