A Fresh Start
The Weasley children and their significant others sat in the living room drinking hot cider as Arthur and Molly walked up to the front of the burrow. Ginny and her brothers were all squeezed onto on a couch. There would be a lot that they had to talk about, but it was Christmas. That conversation would wait until after the holidays.
The house was unusually silent as their parents entered the house. Arthur and Molly glanced at each other. Their house was almost eerie in the silence that had befallen it. Both minds frantically went over every possible reason for the silence. Arthur looked around the kitchen. Grocery bags were on the floor near the table. The cupboards were open, and Molly was looking at the mess that had been her pristine kitchen and table. She was none to happy. The two parents took off their cloak and placed them on the cloak rack. With their wands they placed everything back into its rightful position. Molly steeled herself to scold her children for the mess they had made as she and her husband entered the other room.
Both redheads stopped dead in their tracks. How they managed to spot one more redhead in the sea of redheads that was squished onto the couch. But they did. And two jaws dropped.
"Ginny," her father said with a hint of disbelief, his brown eyes glistened with unshed tears.
"Hi daddy," she said shyly not knowing what else to say. Especially after the way she had left all those months ago.
"Welcome home, little one," he said softly. Arthur opened his arms to his littlest and youngest child. Ginny ran trembling into his warm embrace. She held her father close and let her tears finally fall. Arthur held his daughter to him as she cried; he whispered comforting nonsense to her. He released her from the hug but she kept her arms around her father, not wanting to be separated from her father again. Arthur gently wiped her tears from her face with his handkerchief, and then he kissed his daughter on the forehead. Ginny turned her apprehensive glance towards her mother.
"Virginia," her mother said curtly.
"Mother," Ginny answered in much the same tone. All in the room were once again struck by the similarities between mother and daughter.
"I am glad that you and Oliver could come," Molly said before going back into the kitchen. Bill and Percy looked at each other and then both followed their mother into the kitchen.
Ron moved from the couch to give his father and Ginny some room to sit down. Arthur maneuvered his daughter over to his couch. He shared a glance with Ron as he sat down. He looked around the room at his children and their lovers and friends. He smiled at his daughter that had just come home to him. He truly felt blessed this Christmas. Now only if his beloved wife could swallow her own pride and accept that she was partly to blame for Ginny's abrupt departure all those long months ago. They all played a role in Ginny's absence. Arthur caught the gaze of his future son-in-law. He smiled slightly at the young man that his daughter adored. Oliver nodded slightly to the older man, thankful that Ginny had been welcome home with open arms. Everyone in the room knew that there was no pushing Ginny and Molly together. The two women would have to work it out on their own. And they would, but it was a matter of time.
Bill and Percy were helping their mother in the kitchen. Silently they were offering support and urging her to talk to them or to their sister.
The meal was almost ready so Molly called for Fred to set the table. Fred smirked at his lovely wife and grabbed her hand dragging her to the other room to "help" him.
"FRED," Luna shrieked.
""LUNA," Fred retorted.
"Get over here," they heard Luna giggle in the other room.
"With pleasure, love."
"Get a room," Bill muttered.
"We're in one," Fred and Luna said together in a singsong tone.
The occupants in the other room were trying not to giggle as they listened to Fred and Luna as they interacted with each other and with Molly, Percy and Bill. Arthur groaned and buried his head in his hands when they heard Molly shriek at Fred and Luna. The aforementioned duo appeared in the doorframe when they heard the burst of laughter. They bowed and graciously accepted the applause before dashing back into the kitchen to finish their work.
Bill reentered the sitting room; Percy was still talking to Molly. The large and extended Weasley family sat in their living room talking while they waited for Fred and Luna, who were talking an unusually long amount of time, to finish setting the table. Once the table was done the entire family entered the kitchen and helped bring the dinner to the table.
The Weasleys love large meals with lots of food and drink. Since Arthur and Molly were no longer supporting seven children they splurged on these beloved family meals. The meal was as loud and boisterous as any other. Ginny's brothers kept interrupting each other to relate what they had been doing to their sister. But they all let their baby sister talk when they asked her questions about her work at Hogwarts.
That evening the entire family, Harry, Hermione, Lee, Seamus, and Sirius included, sat around the tree. Each person drew a name out of a hat and they could open a gift from that person. Ginny drew Bill, and he handed his sister a small box.
Ginny smiled as she opened the box. She smiled as she saw the necklace that her brother gave her. It was a green choker that had a small sun and moon pendant on it. She thanked her brother by giving him a huge hug.
After everyone was finished opening a gift Molly shooed them all off to bed. There were arrangements that everyone could have a place to sleep. So they all hurried off to bed.
Ginny couldn't sleep so she slipped out of bed, without walking Oliver, and went down to the kitchen to have a glass of tea. She tiptoed through the halls so that she didn't wake anyone up. She entered the kitchen and met the gaze of her mother.
Molly was boiling water on the stove when her daughter entered the kitchen. She pulled two glasses out of the cupboards. Molly did not say a word as she continued her work.
"Are you going to ignore me forever, mum," Ginny asked breaking the uncomfortable silence.
"No, we just haven't had time to talk," Molly said.
"Well here we are," Ginny said accepting the cup of tea that her mother handed her.
"You know," Ginny started, "if it means anything, I didn't want to leave like that. And I am sorry that I did."
"I just want to know why," Molly asked softly.
"Why," Ginny replied, "that is a very broad question, mum."
Ginny sat down at the table that she had eaten at since she was a child. She peered into her cup of tea as if searching for answers.
"I think it was because I was feeling ignored, overshadowed, not important."
"Ginny."
"Please mum, I need to finish," Ginny said quietly, "I love my brothers dearly, and would not change them for the world, but being the only girl it was I mean it is, hard. They did everything before me and even Harry seemed more important. I got sick of being interrupted and wanted to do something different. And then when I finally got it, a job at Hogwarts, as Snape's successor, it seemed like no one care. And I had had enough and rashly decided to leave."
"Ginny," Molly said brushing her daughter's silent tears away, "you are as important to us as any of your brothers. I am so sorry for all the pain that we had inadvertently caused you. Your father and I love you so very much. And please promise me that if you are every feeling overshadowed don't runaway from us again."
"Ok," Ginny said hugging her mother tightly, "I love you, mum."
"I love you too." Molly reassured her daughter, "Now you had better get back to bed before your fiancé gets worried."
Ginny gasped.
"What do you honestly think that I am that blind?"
"No, not blind, and soon Oliver and I are going to tell everyone," Ginny said, "Goodnight, mama."
"Night baby," Molly said as she followed her daughter up the stairs. She hugged Ginny one last time before Ginny entered her and Oliver's room. Ginny slipped into bed next to Oliver feeling better than she had in a long time.
Molly smiled as she watched her youngest child slip into her room. Molly walked softly to her and Arthur's room. Smiling she kissed her husband on his cheek as she crawled in to bed their.
"Did you and Gin talk?" he asked sleepily.
"Yes," she said, "go back to sleep darling."
To be continued…
A/N: It took a while to get past some writer's block for this chapter. It could have gone two ways and it became a mix of the two that finally satisfied me. I hope it was enjoyable.